If you’re just starting out as a freelancer, you’ll want to get started the right way in the career path that generates the highest income, right?
Many new freelancers think that way. And it makes sense, doesn’t it?
But, it’s a lot more complicated than that. Just because a skill has a higher demand or pays better than the others doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best path to follow.
There’s a reason why some writers get paid $5 on Fiverr to write a 1000-word article while others make $100 for the same job somewhere else.
Getting paid well depends on your skill level, experience, and quality of work.
Having said that, it’s also important to know your market and see which type of jobs and skills get paid the most so that you can maybe start learning a new skill or plan for a future freelancing career.
Here are some of the top skills that pay the most.
1. AI Prompt Engineer
This is one of the newest jobs that’s seeing a rapid rise in the freelance marketplaces.
Prompt engineering is all about writing prompts for AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to do the work for you. As a prompt engineer, your job is to control these tools by writing the correct prompts or giving commands to get the most out of the AI tools.
For example, popular AI tools like chatGPT will likely replace most of the jobs on this list very soon. It can already write articles, write code, design websites, and so much more. But it still needs humans to operate. You have to write a prompt to give the commands to chatGPT in order to get the right results. This is what writing prompts are all about.
Freelance job boards like Indeed and SimplyHired already have dozens of jobs for prompt engineers that pay well over $100K per year.
It’s a fairly new job category so there are still very few jobs available on popular marketplaces. But keep an eye out for this skill this year. It’s going to be one of the hottest jobs in the near future.
2. Programming & Software Development
(Image Credit: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg)
Meet James Knight, a programmer who left a lucrative job at Google to pursue a career in freelancing. Now, he makes over $1,000 an hour working as a freelance developer.
Now, that article is a bit dated and there are freelance coders out there who earn way more than $1K an hour these days.
Programming jobs, especially software and mobile app development, pay the highest for freelancers. Only because it’s a skill that’s quite difficult to master and there aren’t many good coders out there. So, the demand for good coders is pretty high.
If you want to make an income like James, start learning to code. And I don’t mean learning through free courses on CodeAcademy or Udemy. They’ll only take you through the basics. You’ll need to invest some money and time into learning and practicing to develop proper coding skills.
Of course, you won’t be able to start charging $1,000 an hour right away. You’ll have to gradually build up your reputation. If you have solid skills in programming languages like iOS and WebGL, you could start charging somewhere around $150 per hour, or more.
According to an UpWork survey, Bitcoin developers also have high demand. Most Bitcoin developers earn over $200 per hour.
3. Social Video Marketing
In a surprise turn of events, a new skill is born—”social video marketing”. The skill was ranked in third place on UpWork’s Q2 2019 fastest-growing skills list. And for good reason as well.
A quick search on the platform showed that this skill pays over $150 per hour for marketers.
It’s no surprise that this skill is in high demand. Especially given the rise of video content marketing. The booming social media channels such as TikTok, Instagram video, and YouTube, will keep this skill relevant for years to come.
If you’re skilled at creating video content, optimizing them for SEO, and capturing audiences with new ideas and marketing strategies, this skill will help bring many gigs your way.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is still one of the top skills you can learn to earn big money.
According to a 2023 survey by Upwork, SEO is the number one most in-demand skill in the marketing category on the platform.
Google is still the king of search engines and businesses are still competing to get higher rankings on search results pages. SEO is the only way to achieve that goal.
SEO is one of the easiest skills you can learn but it’s better learned with your own experience.
I recommend starting your own website and getting it to rank for keywords. It’s the best way to learn SEO while gaining good experience.
5. Web Design & Development
According to UpWork’s most in-demand skills list for 2022, Web Design ranks at number one with the highest demand. WordPress ranks at the 2nd spot.
There’s great demand for web designers. But, it’s worth noting that the freelance web design industry is pretty crowded right now because it’s easy to learn web design and start coding websites.
The best strategy to succeed is to find a niche in the field. For example, Jonathan Wold made over $5,000 a month by building websites with WordPress and doing small theme customizations. You’ll probably be able to earn more if you offer the right kind of services to the right clients.
6. Content Marketing & Writing
Thanks to the boom in online marketing trends and the development of new methodologies, like Inbound Marketing, content writing is considered one of the hottest fields for freelancers.
You don’t need to go anywhere to find proof of how well freelance writers are doing. Take me for example. Right now, I make around $5,000 a month (at least in most months) doing blogging work for businesses, writing, and content marketing work. And I know there are other freelance writers who earn much more.
Although, not everyone can be a skilled writer. You need to write, read, and, practice a lot. More importantly, you’ll need a creative mind to write amazing articles that pay well. Your master’s degree in literature and the A+ essay skills from college won’t do you any good when working online either.
The best bet would be to follow some online courses and learn how to write for online audiences.
7. Graphic Design
Graphic design ranks at number 10 on UpWork’s most in-demand skills list for 2022. But it’s still one of the best jobs to earn a steady income.
If you look at its top freelancers under the graphic design category, you’ll see some freelancers who make up to $85 per hour doing design work.
Infographic design has higher demand these days. Logo design, icon design, and illustrations pay pretty well too. But, like with content writing, to become a quality graphic designer, you’ll need to develop an eye for design.
8. Copywriters
Copywriters are different from content marketers and writers. These freelancers specialize in writing content for website pages, descriptions for products, services, etc.
The charge rates for copywriters depend on each freelancer’s level of experience and skill. Linda Formichelli, an experienced freelance copywriter, makes $250 per hour.
If you look at UpWork’s list of top copywriters, you’ll notice that they charge between $25 per hour to $100 per hour for copywriting jobs.
9. Video Editors
Freelance video editors in the US earn over $81,000 per year, while more experienced video editors make around $105,000 per year.
The demand for video editors in the freelance industry saw a rise in the last few years, thanks to the opportunities presented by platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
If you’re good at putting together video clips and creating awesome video content, this could be a great future-proof career to get into.
10. Social Media Managers
Social media marketing is the number one most in-demand skill in the marketing category of UpWork.
Social media marketing is an important part of brand and business marketing strategies. Almost every business, from small local coffee shops to big corporate brands, now use social networks to promote their products and brand.
This opened up a massive opportunity for freelancers when most of these brands and businesses started looking for people who would manage their social media channels for them. Now, it’s an entire industry of its own.
Earnings for social media managers in the US range from $46,000 per year up to $72,000 per year, according to PayScale. A quick search on LinkedIn brought up over 9,000 job results for Social Media Managers in the US alone. And over 2,000 jobs in India.
Some Friendly Advice
Most freelancers are always looking for ways to get rich quickly. Maybe all the stories about billion-dollar startup acquisitions and how people make quick millions with smartphone apps are starting to get to their heads.
As a result of the media hype, they don’t see the valuable message hidden inside all those success stories: It requires Hard Work to make money.
It took almost 5 years for Mark Zuckerberg to make Facebook a success. He didn’t even make any money through the platform in the first few years.
The moral of the story is: Don’t try to follow a career path just because it pays well. If you want to build a steady income and survive as a freelancer, choose to do work that you’re passionate about, work that gets you excited every day, and work that challenges you to learn something new every day.
That passion and burning desire inside you will drive you to be better at what you do and improve your skills and eventually leading you to earn more than ever before.
Learn to be patient as well. Because it will take some time before you start earning a steady income. And remember, you’ll only have to work hard for a short while. Then it’ll be like a walk in the park.
I also recommend you to read my how to start freelancing guide. And also check out the how to learn new skills guide.
Pragmatic article discussing ups and down of freelancer. Academic degree have nugatory value in making money in online business. The best way to make money from freelancing is to learn from the own mistake and never give up.
I am working as an android developer and i like your site, which is only site of its kind i come across…you r really doing great.
Thank you. Glad you found it helpful 🙂
Roshan, what strategy did you implement to get high paying clients. Did you niche down to a certain type of content and apply for them on job boards?
or
Did you diversify by having multiple accounts on various platforms?
Hi Derek,
Yes, I did niche down to offering my services through just one platform. And I quit common freelancing sites like UpWork. Best decision I’ve made. I was able to raise my prices and get better clients who valued my work.
I’m currently on Upwork and have gotten some decent clients through the site. I’m mostly taking screenwriting clients, but I think I could get more work copywriting. I am asked to ghostwrite and edit novels — as I am a published author — but no one offers payment that would make such tasks worth my while. 1) Should I stick to what I’m good at/know or should I try to diversify and get into more content/copywriting. I’ve done some work for a handful of clients in the area, but not a ton yet. 2) Where do you find these clients once you quit Upwork? I’d like to make a full-time income.
You should diversify. Don’t limit yourself to one skill. Always look for ways to climb the ladder. And if you can’t find clients on UpWork willing to pay your worth, look elsewhere. Try job boards like ProBlogger Jobs. And check out some of the sites in this list – http://freelancinghacks.com/21-new-freelancing-sites-you-should-join/
Hello, i’m really excited when reading your posts. But can you give tips to new freelancers? I want to be freelancer but i don’t have past works that i can put in my profile. So how can i convince clients if i don’t have experience? I want to be a writer in marketing or copywriter.
Hi, I think you should focus on improving your writing skills before start offering your services. Try my latest article for more info – http://freelancinghacks.com/complete-guide-getting-started-freelance-writer/
Hello, I like to organize things. What are things I need to learn to become a “computer software/apps” organizer? Is this what almost anyone can do that knows soft./apps. ? I am starting over in my life (single w/ children, behind in computer skills, very willing to learn, am creative and resourceful).
Hi,
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “apps organizer”?
Send me an email and I’ll be happy to help out.
Hey, Roshan! First: Your site is awesome, it condenses a lot of information and your writing style is very pleasing to read.
Second: I want to make 50 USD daily by working less than 4 hours a day. I know some programming/music/math/English (not a native speaker) and I’m interested in design/writing.
How much time do you think it can take me to reach that goal? I like studying a lot and I’m mentally prepared to dig into any profitable activity in depth.
Hi R30,
$50 per day is an achievable goal. Choose writing if you’re good at it. You don’t have to be a native speaker to write great content.
First, build a great portfolio for your work. Submit some guest posts on popular blogs like Huffpost, Entrepreneur, etc. Depending on the industries you want to target.
Then choose a good platform to promote your services (avoid common sites like UpWork). Speedlancer is an interesting site you should check out. It pays high rates for delivering jobs faster.
How long it takes to achieve your goal will depend on how much time you can invest for working online and the quality of your work. If you work hard and have impressive skills, it shouldn’t take longer than 3-6 months.
Don’t be afraid to charge higher rates.
Good luck.
Roshan.
Hello Roshan, your site is incredible, and I have taken some time to digest some contents in your website. I have been offering press release writing and distribution sites on fiverr, but recently there has been a decline in sales. I am Nigerian by the way, and I am doing my best to ensure that I come up with quality contents for my clients. My actual question is, are there any sites I could offer the above service which is less competitive than Upwork and Fiverr (I have tried upwork though yet no sales). I want to diversify and reach massive audience. If none, are there ways I can promote my service to get more clients willing to buy my services. I do not write generic articles, I am vast in public relations and I learn everyday. I really do not like being limited this much. Is there anything I need to know? Are there any resources that you have that would really help me out as a freelancer. Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.com are becoming so saturated. I’m checking out speedlancer by the way. I’ll be expecting your response ASAP. pardon me if there are any typos in this comment as I did not take my time to proofread.
Kind Regards.
Hi Miles,
Try this list for Fiverr UpWork alternatives – http://freelancinghacks.com/21-new-freelancing-sites-you-should-join/
Also, start a blog and start talking about your industry while sharing your personal expertise. Branch out from freelancing platforms. It’s never good to be too dependent on such platforms. You’ll never know when they might change their policies or even ban you for some obscure reason.
Good luck!
Roshan.
Hi, Roshan……I’ve some questions….
#1.How can i be a successful in outsourcing?
#2.Which job is perfect for me?
#3.How much i can earn in 1 month??
Hi Roshan,
i loved your site and it’s engaging content about Free;ancing. I need your little Help, i want to be a web and software developer freeelancer for which i’m confused that i should start freelancing or start developing new skills and sharpen old one’s.
I’ll be thankful to you, please help me out.
If you haven’t done any work yet, you should test out your skills. Design a free website template or collaborate on an open-source project on GitHub. It will help you determine if your skills are good enough.
If you do a great job and get good responses from people, get started freelancing right away. Otherwise, spend time following online courses and polishing up your skills.
Good luck 🙂
Hi, Roshan, Its nice to see you helping others. I also at upwork, but my skill levels are typing and internet browsing only, so no work there.. I want to learn something and earn, can you give suggestion please..
I have one question, learning app developing is eash na?..
dear author,
your article is too good as read whole article line by line you have describe the exact feelings for beginners at freelancers “hard work” is the key of success.
thanks for your appreciation.
best regards
rakesh kumar
Hi Roshan – your website is very informative. I am CRM SME has spent most of my career in package application till now. do I have an option to work as freelancer?
Hi Amit,
You’re in luck. CRM is one of the fastest growing skills of 2017, according to a recent UpWork report. You should study HubSpot CRM. It has a high demand.
Unless you plan on joining a web design agency, it’ll be tough to find UXD jobs as a freelancer. It’s not impossible, just difficult. Not sure what you meant by referencing websites and 3D designer though.
Hi Roshan,
thank you for your great mind to help mankind. recently i create account on upwork. i have some experience on ArcGIS and QGIS, Google earth mapping, KOBO and ONA , database management, data visualization and also data entry. but how can i got client easily? and how can i earn at list $20 per week??? please help me.
thanks.
Thanks for your kind words.
UpWork is a competitive marketplace. Try joining a couple of freelance marketplaces with low-competition and search for jobs in your industry.
http://freelancinghacks.com/21-new-freelancing-sites-you-should-join/
Hi Roshan. I am Latinoamerican. I read your article and I think is very good. I have only a few questions: what do you think, according to your experience, about the opportunities for the freelancers chemical engineers ?. Do you think that I must acquire different skills for work like a freelancer? Thanks for your time.
Hi Daves,
Finding jobs online in your industry won’t be easy. You’ll stand a better chance if you focus on targeting local companies to offer your services as a freelancer. If you’re going to work online, you should learn a more profitable skill. However, you can join online teaching websites to tutor students using your knowledge.
Good luck 🙂
Roshan.
Hi! Thanks for the article! I’m reading it in June 2018. I’m a Core Java developer by profession. Which skill would you suggest to develop and freelance which can pay the most?
Check this list for the fastest growing skills on UpWork – https://www.upwork.com/press/2018/02/07/q4-2017-skills-index/
Very nice article. I’ve been an App Developer for almost 30 years. Legacy mainframe to web app in .NET MVC and recent MEAN stack. Even self taught myself Android native mobile. I’ve been sub contracting but the big Walmart with offshore projects have degraded the experience a lot. I’m attempting a shift toward complete remote work. Any ideas of who i should be reaching out to? Any advice on dealing with startups? I’d like to work with companies promoting growth here in the US.
Hi Brian,
You should join Angel List – https://angel.co/jobs and keep an eye out for startups looking for developers. Some startups even offer equity for developer positions as well. With your background, you can easily land a full-time gig with a nice paycheck.
very poor article.. all content is fake.. like you can make 1000$ per hour..
I have managed to earn close to 3/4 of my full-time job income with freelance copywriting, so I can vouch for the freelance content writing/copywriting part. Here’s something that I wonder. Are there actually any technical jobs (e.g. car mechanic) that you can take up on a freelance or project basis and still earn well? Some of us might be more technical-based and can’t quite sit still in the office, so I am curious if there are anything in the freelance market that caters to these people.
Thanks for the article Roshan! Any idea if Data Analysis lends itself to the freelance industry?
I’m a humanitarian relief worker looking to earn extra income on the side…
Hey Ron,
Of course, there are plenty of jobs for Data Analysts in the market. There’s a site called Kaggle made specifically for data science. It’s worth checking out – https://www.kaggle.com/jobs
Hi Roshan,
Great article for persons who want to work as freelancers, can you please help me out that is there and any increasing benefit doing job in SAP.
I am also interested in doing copy writing job can you help me with some basic knowledge how to start it.
Good insight.
Honest remarks!
Hey, Roshan! Thank you for interesting articles. I’d like just to ask you about the current situation. What are the highest paying freelance jobs in 2018? Are they still the same?
Hi Maria,
In this post, I tried to include the type of jobs that generally gets paid better rates. But, there are specific jobs that change from time to time. Check out UpWork Skills index for those jobs – https://www.upwork.com/press/2018/02/07/q4-2017-skills-index/
Hello Roshan,
I am working as a freelancer with Content Writer & Complete Digital Marketing Skills.
Can you Give me a Chance to share my Relevant work Samples with your Niche.
I am sure You Will be happy with My Quality Work.
Waiting for your Kind Response.
Thanks
Hi roshan i’m 3d disigner can you help me to find the best freelancer site for my skill ?? Thank you
How can I learn a skill online, I mean content writing any youtube that can help
Hi Roshan, l am a freelance scriptwriter but making sales has been quite difficult for some time now. So I’m thinking of learning a skill that I could offer online. Between copywriting and web designing, which would you advice me to learn? I’m Nigerian by the way. Thanks
What strategy did you apply to get customers who pay well? Was it on a particular type of content and requested on the dashboards?
Thank you so much for the ‘Small Piece of Advice’, while many youtubers or blogers just use this tendency of teens to make them their customers you made us aware of our haste in making money online… Thank you again for the content brother, wish you good luck…
Hi,
Crisp and informative article. I want to start freelancing job. I have more than 20 years of job experience. I believe I write well and recently I created few of websites using WordPress.
Thanks for your nice writeup.
Stay fine.
Thanks Roshan. As a content writer, do clients expect you to do SEO optimization too or is it just writing?
Yes, most clients expect writers to optimize articles for SEO.
Hi Roshan, your website is really brilliant. Especially the tips and advice you have are crisp and very useful.
I am an Academician with around 13.6 years of experience in teaching as well as writing. I have been working as a Content Writer and Editor and recently started building up my Freelance Writer profile. I wish to know the rates per hour for a freelance Creative and Educational writer for European countries and the USA.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Thank you for your kind compliments. Regarding the rates, it really depends on the type of content you write. I’d recommend charging per project or per word instead of an hourly rate. Also try not to charge the same amounts as the writers in the US. You can use freelancing sites like PeoplePerHour to find the rates other writers charge.
Hello there! Please I’d like to make a $100 – $200 per day… But I’m having issues know the right skills to look into, I’m good at web researching, proofreading, but my typing isn’t so fast. I’m looking forward to learn some graphics editing and whiteboard video creations. My questions is, what are some small chops jobs that really wouldn’t take up to 30 minutes not to talk of an hour, that you think I’d be able to carry out, If focus on scouting for them, and most importantly the right website to opt-in for them. I really don’t mind working 12 to 18 hours per day! I’m hoping to gather funds for my flight training program and it cost about a $25,000 in Nigeria. So PLEASE and PLEASE some good advice really would help. I Pray that God crowns your effort in all that you do.
Those are some very specific requirements to have for a beginner. And I’m not sure why you’re looking for things you can do in under 30 mins since you’re willing to work 12 hours per day. Either way, you’ll have to work really hard and find a very niche skill that pays really well to earn that kind of money. Look into coding, data science, or blockchain.
I like your page! You seem to have understanding and knowledge I can trust. I’m working online as an English tutor… and Im burnt out. I want to start building a career developing & programming. The thing is there’s SO many choices and directions I can go. What is IN DEMAND right now, with good compensation. Looking for direction …
It really depends on which areas you want to pursue. There are many categories and sub-categories in web, mobile, and gaming development. You should try exploring a freelance marketplace to see if any of your interested skills have good demand.
Hello Roshan! Thanks for this wonderful article. I’m new to freelancing. I know a little bit of programming but good in the use of Microsoft office suite and Corel draw graphics (looking forward to acquiring more skills though). I love to write, and to also create nice designs. Pls as a beginner what jobs can I do with these skills?
You should first try to focus on improving one skill and get better at it. You need to be able to market your skills as a service. A little bit of knowledge is not enough. So practice and improve first. Then you can look for jobs.
What about translation, does it have a good future?
Yes but only for the foreseeable future. New technologies are making translator jobs obsolete very fast.
Hi, I am new on the upwork platform. How do I get my very first work/client as a video editor? I run my own YouTube channel and edit my videos using adobe premiere Pro.
Hi there,
I am struggling alot to learn content writing. I am very curious to master that skill but I am not able to find the right guidelines. Can you please suggest some YouTube channels or something like that with which I can master that skill and get finally started.
There are some good courses on Udemy by an instructor named Shani Raja. You can start there. But, honestly, you should just read more and practice writing if you want to get better at it.
I have been working as freelancer for 11 years. In the beginning I learned some basic SEO works and started work in Upwork marketplace. Then I learned a lot more skills and worked on thousands projects. Working in this profession I expected a handsome income and a standard lifestyle. But I never got the value that I deserve for my skills. That’s why I started to think that I had chosen the wrong career over the traditional career in my country. After reading this article, I was inspired to learn new skills again and I will fulfill my desired goal. Anyway I decided to start learning Bitcoin Development. If I could be Bitcoin Developer finally, I will express my gratitude again here.
Thanks for sharing your story. I’ll look forward to reading about your success story soon 🙂
Hii !Roshan,I am not working at the platform of freelancing like upwork and Fiverr . Nowadays I am trying to learn advanced web developement.
Could you suggest me some YouTube channels name or other free online websites that help me to learn a lot?
Treehouse has good courses on web development. Or you can try other platforms like EDx or Coursera.
Hi Roshan
I am an academician, lots of experience looking for some freelancing work, It would be a great help if you could suggest me something
Happy to hear that you’re interested in freelancing. You should check out my getting started guide. It has all the info in one place – http://freelancinghacks.com/how-to-start-freelancing/
Hello,
I am a software tester with automation experience , is it possible to do freelancing in this field or do i have to start of with web development or learn a new technology.
There are jobs for software and app testers. You can find them on job boards and marketplaces.
what about trading? No one is talking about it.
My name is Ubong Regius Afangide
And I love this freelancing work and I love to do it.
Your article is nice and I love it.
Am a beginner and I love to be a content writer and a email writer as my freelancer work.
I don’t have any one to advice me.
So pls I really need your help .
I want to be a sucessful freelancer like you.
Please can you advise me.
Actually am doing Animal science in skull and I thought being a content writer and a email writer will really help me.
Please can you teach me On how to become a sucessful content writer and a email writer like you.
08086221902 here is my number please
Hi, sadly I don’t offer any coaching or mentoring services. But you can drop me an email if you have any questions. I’m always happy to answer them.
Hi roshan glad to see you helping people and i wish that you could help me out of a pity condition i mean my heart most heart desired job is to be a Film director and that’s my childhood passion and dream,But now my close relative’s told me that being film director is good but anyway it’s most challenging job now a days.So roshan i need a secondhand job, anyway iam so determined to be a film director but i should consider a jod as secondhand for my film studies i didn’t finish my 12th, and iam not intrested to take degree or mastress just interested in diploma film courses near me so i need a secondhand or a freelance job for my sustainability so suggest me some jobs and iam,intrested in digital marketing, software programming etc.And roshan when your suggesting me some jobs consider my weakest point i mean iam so bad at complex mathematics i mean 80% iam a commerce student so i knew somewhat mathematics like fundamental but not a nerd and world class mathemation so if iam intrested in software programming should i take BCA and study degree or higher??… please roshan help me iam so determined to be a film director from my childhood amd need a second job if i fail to be a film director …. please reply and consider my request no degree, less maths, 20$ or30$ work per hour suggest me that like jobs..sorry if my words are hard and arrogant
I currently work as an Android developer and I must say, your website stands out uniquely in its field. It’s the only one of its kind that I’ve come across, and I genuinely appreciate the work you’re doing. Keep up the great work!