At some point time, we have all heard our parents drone on about the many reasons why you should attend college. “You’ll make more money,” “You’ll get a steady job,” “You’ll be able to support your family.” To a degree (no pun intended), they were right. Depending on what career you plan on pursuing (such as a doctor, lawyers, or engineer), having a four-year degree may be a necessity. But for creatives, is college worth the price of admission? Maybe not.
As of late 2016, the college loan epidemic has garnered over $1.3 trillion in American debt. Spread across 44 million Americans, that means that the average college student will be, at least, $37,000 in debt after graduating. For creative individuals who plan on pursuing degrees that have a lower income potential than an engineering, math, or computer science degree; these costs may be unsurmountable. Your time may be better spent entering the workforce, gaining experience, and getting your name out there.
Luckily for you, the rise of the new gig economy has made it easier to create a lucrative business and skip the substantial student loan bill.
Today, over 35% of America’s work as freelancers. There are over 55 million freelancers who like working for themselves and don’t necessarily dig the 9–5 “standard” work day or answering to someone other than themselves. In the words of the philosopher Tupac Shakur: “I ain’t mad at cha”. Apps hoping to serve the freelancer marketplace (like Talnts, click here to download) have begun popping up over the last few years in an attempt to help strengthen this new growing gig economy. Technology is by far the freelancers biggest hype man as it can bolster any “do it yourself’er” from being a local part-time freelancer to landing full-time gigs and being globally connected all from the comfort of your own bathroom.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I work a full-time job, freelancing sounds cool but can I actually live off that?” know that 54% of first year freelancers made more money than their previous full-time job they left prior. Also, you don’t necessarily need to quit your job. Over 14 million Americans of that 55 million mentioned earlier hold jobs and freelance in their free time. Some example freelance categories we’ve found to thrive in this economy are graphic designers, writers, and make-up artists. Whipping up logos, guest blogging, and touching up photos in your spare time is not only a way to make more money, but also offers a way to channel passions and gain fulfillment from work.
If attending a university is one of your goals and will lead you to where you want to be in life, then by all means pursue this trajectory. We at Talnts are incredibly excited that we can help to serve others who might not have that same dream or opportunity. With the gig economy budding and projected to continue it’s growth pattern, freelancing full-time has become a viable option for the future as opposed to the traditional 9–5 office job.
To download the Talnts app click here.
— Axe
