College Money

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Previously we have talked about how to make a website and consequently, make money from it. These days the internet has a lot of things to offer, especially to college students who want to make extra money from home. After you have got yourself a nice laptop where you can work to your heart’s content, what step should you take next?

Try freelancing. It’s a nice way of earning money without the restrictions of answering to the boss, because YOU ARE THE BOSS. You can set your own time and your own pace, and you can find clients on your own. The flexibility offers you much freedom to be creative and explore your skills, because you can pick projects that interest you. You have the power of choice, because you can select a project based purely on creative merit and not just because you needed the money. With freelancing, you can balance both earning money and having fun while doing it.

What are the skills needed to be a freelancer? These days you can get just about any job if you have any of the skills below:

• writing
• graphic design
• web design
• web programming
• videographer
• photographer
• computer programming
• translator or transcriptionist

Here are a few sites that will help you on how to make extra money from home:

1. oDesk.com – oDesk is a great freelancing site because it offers stability on both the provider’s side and the buyer’s side. The provider (you) and the buyer (client) can agree on either hourly rates or fixed rates per project, and oDesk monitors the collecting of payment very thoroughly. Any payment fees are charged to the buyer, which is great. You can also download a software that tracks your current activity – it takes screen shots of your desktop as you work and sends them to the buyer so he can be assured that you are indeed working. As a provider you can put up a profile where you build your reputation – buyers rate you at the end of each project, and you can also rate the buyer back so other providers will know if he’s a good client or not.oDesk – Changing how the world works:
   
2. eLance.com – Works similar to the one above. As a provider you are charged a fee if you want to be on the site, so it might not be for you if you don’t have the money just yet. But it is one of the universally recognized freelance sites, so a lot of buyers go here to post job openings. Maybe if you are a true professional with your skills you can charge a higher rate than other beginners.How eLance works:
   
3. Guru.com – This site offers a lot of categories not only to web programmers but to others who have different skills as well like business consulting an administrative support.Web credibility of Guru.com:
   
4. GetAFreelancer.com – A lot of graphic designers and computer programmers are here. It is quite popular because once you sign up you are offered a debit MasterCard that you can use for your daily activities. It can be used at stores or ATM or even for online purchases. Providers here are only given a certain number of times when you can bid on projects. That means, if you use up your quota for this month then you won’t be able to apply for any more until the next month. You can remedy this situation by becoming a Gold member, but that means you have to pay. It’s only worth it if you plan on being very active on this site and if you are pursuing freelancing full-time.GetAFreelancer sample:
   
5. ScriptLance.com – A popular place for web designers, web developers and computer programmers. The only downside here is that competition is very fierce. More often than not it becomes a battle of who has the lowest rate, and of course, buyers always go for providers who charge much lower. If you are a beginner and just looking to start somewhere without the demands of a portfolio, you can start here and charge a low rate in exchange for building future content for your resume. However, if you are already established and know how much your work is worth, you might find difficulty in getting projects because buyers will think you are too “expensive.”Make money with ScriptLance:
   
6. Rent-a-Coder.com – Also popular among coders everywhere. This site is known for putting project fees in an escrow account. The money wouldn’t be released until after the project is finished. This gives assurance to programmers that they will be paid for sure, however, if the project is big and the timeline is a duration of weeks or months, you won’t get the money right away, unlike in other sites where the payment can be given in milestones or increments.Outsourcing with Rent-A-Coder:
   
7. Project Spring – A great place where web masters and programmers meet. Web masters need programmers who can code their project, while programmers live and breathe to code beautiful programs. So, it seems to be a match made in geek heaven. Posting projects and bidding on them is free. You can also have a “Service Store” where your previous works are displayed.
8. OnForce – This site is different in the sense that it offers services for computer repair. So if you have the skills to repair the computer, then this might be the site for you. Buyers are looking for providers who know cable and infrastructure, system upgrades, warranty services, hardware fixes and more.Using OnForce:
   
9. WritingBids.com – A site focused solely on freelance providers who are writers, editors, proofreaders and researchers. Buyers post different writing jobs from resume writing to ghost writing to writing for a grant, PR, web content and blogging.
10. DesignQuote.net – If you are a graphic designer then you might enjoy this site. Buyers are invited to post their projects and get free quotes from designers. Common projects are usually logo design, web design and graphic design. If you are a provider you can browse projects, find something you think you might like, then submit your bid. If the buyer chooses you then you get to proceed with the project.

Finally: some tips to help you out as you plan to embark on a career of freelancing:

How to Bid for Jobs Online

How to Set Up and Use PayPal to Get Paid for Freelance Jobs

Time Management Tips for Freelancers

We hope you find all of these useful. And when you have finally established yourself as a great designer, writer or programmer, do try to market yourself online so you can get more jobs in future!

How to Make Extra Money from Home5.051