Freelancing has been an up and coming employment avenue for the past decade or so, and gaining more momentum with every passing year. Once the coronavirus pandemic struck, conventional corporate or government jobs lost their “stability” factor globally. Pay-cuts and mass layoffs were the bogeymen of every employee’s nightmares. The shift to freelancing in this situation turned out to be more than a preference- it became a necessity for many.
Freelance culture is more than a passing trend, it is the avenue to a profitable career. There is immense scope for upwards mobility for the individual here, rather than remaining a cog in the corporate machinery. In India, specifically, the freelance industry is booming, and is anticipating a projected growth of USD 20–30 Bn by the year 2025 (Source: International Labour Organisation (ILO) report).
Why Choose Freelancing?
Freelancing offers you the flexibility to choose where you work from, your workflow, workload, work hours, pay-scale, and essentially have a say in nearly every aspect of your work life. The more lucrative financial prospects and better work-life balance are also decisive to the consideration.
Another essential factor that plays into the rising popularity of freelancing in India is the Startup Culture. India ranks third globally as the hotbed of startups. Most nascent startups prefer collaborating with freelancers rather than risking employing full-timers. Not only do freelancers have more dynamic contributions and are easier to recruit, they bring in domain expertise while also remaining rather cost-effective.
Future of Freelancing in IT
The demand for
freelancers in the Indian IT industry has skyrocketed. There are two principal driving forces behind this, apart from the onslaught of the pandemic. First, the ever-expanding startups (tech startups in particular) as we already discussed; second, the 4G Revolution in India powered by Jio which has made the internet and technology incredibly accessible. This, along with the advancement of collaborative tools which make it very favourable for freelancers, especially those who collaborate remotely, results in the perfect atmosphere for the
future of freelancing in IT to reach new heights in India.
If you want to work from home, these are some of the hottest IT freelancing jobs in high demand.
The IT sector in India is teeming with opportunities for freelancers across all the IT domains. This article lists some of the IT categories that are among the popular freelancing categories in the freelancing sector.
UI and UX Design
UX/UI design is one of the most sought-after skills besides full stack development in the world of IT. Depending on the experience and skillset, UX/UI designers and developers are paid a decent hourly rate across the freelancing sector as well. The booming startup culture, followed by a strong need for positive customer experiences has boosted this domain over the past decade.
This is an extremely remote-work friendly and lucrative freelance career option. All you really need are the necessary skill set and a decent laptop to onboard clients.
Web Development
This is an incredibly lucrative and in-demand
freelance career. In fact, web developers are among the highest-paid freelancers considering the need for a safe and strong online presence. Web development also includes web-based app development, websites, landing pages, webforms, and many others. The more experience you rack up, the more you can charge for your talent and time.
Software Development
Software development in India is one of the most common gigs/opportunities that you come across in the freelancing sector. Besides decent hourly rates, there is a huge scope to work and earn from the comfort of your homes for a global client base. Given that there is a new software popping up for every pain point in our lives today, it is unlikely that there will be a fall in the demand for freelance software designers anytime in the future.
Technical Writing
Freelance technical writers are the need of the hour. Traditionally, a technical writer’s scope of work was to pen user manuals and such, but today it is an umbrella term that covers any form of technical communication to be drafted, including software manuals, technical reports, executive summary statements, policies and press releases, etc. With a growing demand to hire technical content developers for software and hardware documentation, the technical writing field has become one of the strong and successful careers in the field of IT.
AI and Robotics
AI, Machine Learning and Robotics are the most upcoming fields in the Indian IT sector besides Cloud Architects and Engineers. Although freelance opportunities in this field are moderately numbered at the moment, reports indicate that the pandemic-induced remote work culture could bring in more and more opportunities across the popular IT domains. With further experience in these domains, you would not only be highly coveted in the industry, but you can also create a steady stream of income.
The post-covid job market in India is in a state of constant flux, and the best way to keep up with it is to embrace its dynamic nature. Freelancing is the perfect career in such a juncture, and the IT industry poses a lucrative and convenient option.
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