Another example: You are head of your company's quality assurance team. You've a good working knowledge of International Standards ISO9001. There is no conflict of interest if you were to take on a freelancing project to write quality manual for another company nearby as long as that company is not your employer's competitor.

Is There Demand for Freelancing Professionals?

Yes.. Aye...Si...Ya! There are many reasons why companies need expertise of a freelancer:

1.There is a sudden burst in business activity and company's existing workforce cannot cope.

2.The company has a one-off project (example: a takeover of another company or production of a massive catalogue).

3.Deadlines must be met.

4.The company needs specialised skills not available within company.

5.The management cannot justify long-term expense of employing a full-time person

What Qualifications Do You Need?

What qualifications DON'T you need? Generally, you don't need to have any special license, insurance, a company, an office or employees.

But you DO need to be sure that you will be able to do project. Afterall, this is what you'll be paid for. Knowing your 'Assets and Skillset' will give you a good feel of whether you can do project.

You'll need to put together a profile or portfolio that is more convincing than a resume. It needs to be more like a marketing presentation. Remember there are others out there who can do project as well.

Keep in mind that there will be opportunities to secure future projects with same company. So it's worthwhile doing it right for first project.

The Parallel Career Way

To be a full-time freelancer, biggest challenge is finding enough work to justify giving up your full-time job. How can you be sure that you will have enough work to pay all your bills?

The Parallel Career Way makes it less stressful and risky because you start developing your freelancing career while you still have a job. And thanks to Internet, things are now much easier.

People who are winning at working know that. They know they're not going to instantly appear at top of an organization or be text-messaged a significant salary. They know what happens to them, is up to them. Just like a house is built stone-by-stone, they know they build their own work success step-by-step. They know it takes time, and they use that time wisely.

People who are winning at working practice and develop their skills while others remain tourists in workplace. They do, while others think about doing. They achieve goals while others contemplate them. They execute ideas while others are still discussing them. They step out of their comfort zones to try things and learn from them while others stay trapped in repetitive sameness. They bet on themselves by nourishing their talents through hard work and efforts, knowing like Beethoven, that's only magic to be found.

(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.