Reflections

If you've spent any amount of time looking for opportunities to earn a living as a freelancer on the Internet, you must have a lot of stories about all the different characters you got to interact with along the way. This journey can see you interacting with everyone from your genuine, honest employer to the indecisive chancer right, and right down to your common conman. Many people reading this article have come across the full spectrum and have come to the conclusion that out of every ten freelance opportunities presented on the Internet, fifteen of them are not legit. This of course is a rather negative way to look at things.

I myself tend to be a very, very positive individual. The glass isn't half full, it's brimming with potential. With this in mind, I would like to add my own contribution to this highly debatable thesis. Those naysayers who lack the willpower to search out all the lucrative opportunities made available to them through the wonder that is the Internet are, in fact, correct. The Internet is, indeed, full of conmen who will get you to do a ton of work for them then disappear with work submitted. But not to worry, I'm not here to throw you off the search. Actually, the Internet is also home to many who build relationships with their freelance workers for months or even years.

First off, I would like to establish that if you're expecting to get rich overnight through online freelance work, think again. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great and lucrative opportunities available for the taking. However, if you are looking to make a decent living, or at least complement an existing income from other offline activities, then you've got more realistic expectations.

Now my own experience has been as a transcriber. This work, although it may sound like easy work, isn’t for the faint at heart. Like all work in any industry, it requires discipline, determination, attention to detail and the ability to concentrate intensely over long periods of time. However, this job can be very enjoyable, too. You get to learn a lot about the inner workings of the academic world, or get a seat at the table at board meetings of multi-billion dollar conglomerates. The shear breadth of knowledge that you acquire, gives you a view of the world that few ever get to witness.

There are many sites that offer freelancers the opportunities to be their independent contractors. The author notes with interest that the number of sites like this is growing quite rapidly. One such site is GoTranscription.com (formerly known as speechtotextservice.com). Four years ago, I joined speechtotextservice.com as a transcriber and I must say that this is one of the best sites to work for. (Shout out to Peter!)

In case you haven't found something that works for you, my advice to you is simple. Among all the bad deals out there, there's bound to be something that will work for you. If you commit to finding it, your stick-to-it-ivness will definitely pay off. Here's to limitless possibilities. See you at work.