You want to work in some aspect of the freelance design industry, but you just don’t have the proper education. Sound familiar? If you have aspirations of putting your ideas into breathtaking shapes, designs and colors that cause others to become overwhelmed with feelings of awe, you now have several educational ideas at your fingertips. Choose one or several of them to take your dreams of freelance design to new heights.
Go Back to School
Do an online search for freelance design schools in your area and start researching one or more that catch your eye. Chances are you will find a program that is perfect for the design field you wish to pursue. Community colleges are constantly putting programs into action that help adults acclimate into the ever-growing digital environment; and when it comes to all things digital, freelance design professionals are always in high-demand. Use this to your advantage to find the specialized training you desire.
Online Schooling
You don’t have to go to an actual classroom to obtain your freelance design education. There are many online courses that will teach you all you need to know from any home or office computer. Take the classes in your leisure time and you will obtain certification after the coursework has been completed. With online courses like these, becoming a freelance designer has never been easier.
Learn Online
Of course college courses, both online and off, cost money and that may be a deterrent if you are currently flat broke. The good news is that, many professionals are putting their expert advice online for free. The simple act of searching YouTube for Freelance Design Education, for instance, yields more than a few videos that will teach you the ins and outs of the design world. Many websites even offer step-by-step tutorials and free classes; just like you would experience at a real-life college.
Your job is to use Google or your favorite search engine to seek this freelance design education out. Start reading, watching and taking notes and soon you’ll be more than prepared to start designing your own work; hopefully yielding a nice paycheck at the same time.
Start Doing
They say that experience is the best teacher there is. While working with expert guidance is always the ideal way to go, you can learn a lot simply by designing that which you are most passionate about. If you want to be a web designer, for instance, start creating websites for fictional companies. Put your services on sites like Fiverr and Tenrr and start making pocket money while you hone your craft. Then start building a freelance design portfolio that you can show off to potential clients for the purposes of finally being paid for your skills and talents.
Start Getting Paid
Sites like Fiverr and Tenrr could yield you some money, but if you want to make an actual living with your craft, you will need to get paid much more than $5 or $10 per project. Sign up for sites like Odesk and Elance and make your profile extra enticing for potential clients. Don’t charge too much if you are just starting out, but don’t be afraid to charge a bit more if you already have some experience under your belt. With more clients and money will come even more freelance design education and soon you will be the one future designers look up to and seek out for guidance.
Keep Learning
You can never have too much freelance design education. Keep pursuing new avenues of getting better at your craft and keep challenging yourself to become even better than you already are. Actions like these will keep you from growing stagnant and you will become even more competitive, allowing you to charge your clients much higher rates.
You now have several means of obtaining the freelance design education you need to get ahead. Just understand that you don’t necessarily need to go through a structured course or obtain a piece of paper to call yourself a graphic designer. You only need to be able to act and come through when paying-clients request it. If you have the skills, the dedication to constantly improve and satisfy the needs of your clientele, you may already have the training you require. Or you may feel that you’re not quite ready. Whatever your position, put your time, effort and money where your mouth is and start training for the inevitable: you are about to become a freelance design professional. Whether that happens now or later depends on the types of education you choose.
Image Source: Bas Boerman on Flickr
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