Can You Start Freelancing With No Job Experience?

I often recommend freelancing as the best way (for most people) to start earning a living online

And the easiest way to start freelancing is to leverage the skills you used in your last job.

For example, my last job was as a web designer for a university.

When I quit and started working for myself, freelance web design became my bread and butter for many years

But what if you don’t have job experience? What if you’re self-taught and don’t have any references or job history to show prospective clients you know your stuff?

Someone asked that very question on Reddit recently and got some good responses

I like this advice…

I’ve been doing freelancing for almost 8 years now. I never had an office job. In freelancing, your skills matter more than your past experience. Most people who hire freelancers care about their work more than experience. If you can do what they ask you to do, they won’t have any problem hiring you.

[…] charge a bit less than the market rates in the beginning. Focus on projects more than money. Many people are against this advice but this worked for me. Once I started getting orders and had some portfolio, I started increasing my prices slowly.

Also, a good way to land your first clients and start building a portfolio is via The Billboard Method that I outline in this article/video

Related: She Earned $9,544 Last Month as a VA for Influencers

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