Freelancing as a College Student: Start Earning Through Side Hustles

https://medium.com/@priyankatariya.26/freelancing-as-a-college-student-start-earning-through-side-hustles-d693a3d63213

I began my freelancing journey during the summer break after my third year of a four-year B.Tech in AI degree. It wasn’t an easy start, and landing my first gig took more effort than I initially thought it would.

The Struggle of Landing the First Gig

At the start, I didn’t have any reliable reviews or previous work experience to showcase. All I had was the passion to earn some money while doing something I already knew: working with machine learning and development projects. I started applying for ML/DL development gigs and other related projects on various freelancing platforms. However, three months went by without any luck. I was constantly met with rejection, and this was the point when I realised my proposals were part of the problem.

Most of my initial proposals looked and felt AI-generated — probably because they were. This made them generic, impersonal, and uninspiring. Clients likely dismissed them right away.

The Breakthrough

Once I identified this issue, I began writing genuine, short proposals that specifically addressed the client’s requirements. I briefly explained how I would approach solving their problem and provided a simple overview of my process. Almost immediately, I started getting responses from clients.

My first real gig came when an M.Tech student approached me to code a Python project for a machine learning and deep learning-based mood prediction model. The project aimed to predict the mood of university students based on factors like their financial background, family support, and mental health. It also provided suggestions on how students could be helped in various aspects of their life depending on their moods pre and post-enrolment.This project took around two weeks to complete, as the client kept requesting additions.

Despite the complexity, I was able to deliver it successfully, and the review the client left felt like the sweetest victory of my life:

“Priyanka did outstanding work within time and budget. Her diligent efforts are truly commendable. Excellent problem understanding and remarkable responsiveness. I highly recommend her for any future endeavours!”

This review was a turning point. It not only gave me confidence but also helped attract more clients to my profile.Building MomentumShortly after completing the mood prediction project, I was approached by a client who needed a SR-GANs-based image and video reconstruction and evaluation system.

Although this project was complex, it had an extremely tight deadline of just five days. My previous experience with similar projects during college helped me manage the workload, and I successfully completed the project on time. The client was impressed and has since become a regular for various machine learning-based gigs.

Over the past 5 months, I’ve completed more than 10 projects, ranging from frontend website creation to a mentor-mentee connection platform and even stock options automation and API integration. Each project has added to my portfolio, skill set, and reputation as a freelancer.

Tips to get started

If you’re looking to get into freelancing as a college student, here are a few tips based on my experience:

1. Write Genuine Proposals: Avoid generic, copy-paste proposals. Take the time to understand the client’s needs and provide a clear, concise plan of how you will solve their problem.Mention your experience, and keep timelines within 7 days if possible, as it makes you appear efficient and quick.

2. Bid Wisely: Analyze the bid amounts that other freelancers are charging and find a middle ground. You don’t want to be too expensive or too cheap.

3. Client Communication:Regularly communicate with your client. Jump on calls to understand their needs and give updates after reaching each milestone. This helps build trust and keeps you on track.

4. Use Milestones:Create milestone checks with corresponding payments. This way, you get paid progressively and avoid potential scams. Clients are more likely to commit to milestone-based work as well.

5. Ask for Reviews:Once you’ve completed the work, always ask for a review. Good reviews help build credibility and make future clients more likely to choose you.

6. Keep Learning:Freelancing exposes you to different types of projects. Take this as an opportunity to learn new tools, technologies, and domains. The more versatile you are, the more projects you can land.

   EVERYTHING IS A LEARNABLE SKILL

   
   

   Freelancing has been a rewarding journey for me, providing not only financial independence but also hands-on experience that complements my academic learning. If you’re passionate and ready to put in the effort, it can be a great way to build your skills and career while still in college.Feel free to reach out to me via the comments section or through my mail id (priyankatariya.26@gmail.com) if you have any more questions!