Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Expanding Your Job Opportunities

The main idea behind Random Day Job is to create a steady income from random freelance jobs.  All of the jobs together create a portfolio of work that highlights your career capabilities.  Like I've said before, focus on jobs you enjoy and naturally have a skill set already in place.  In the beginning, devote time to the area of work the comes the easiest, this is a great way to gain confidence and work jobs quickly. 

After a while, it may be time to challenge your skill set and look for ways to grow.  There are probably skills you would like to develop and if you did, it could open new income opportunities.  As a freelancer, it's smart to slightly diversify your hiring potential.  First of all, most freelancers like a change from time to time, but also it's easier to make $10,000/year from 5 different skills sets than $50,000/year from one. 

For example, my goal is to make money in each of the following areas -

1. Promotional Model/Brand Ambassador/Tradeshow Spokesmodel
2. On Camera Work - Commercials, Corporate Videos and Hosting Gigs
3. Voiceover Talent
4. Writing
5. and maybe one day - My Blog!!

So far this year, the majority of my work has been from promotional modeling opportunities.  Usually, my on camera work takes the lead, but I currently live in Tucson.  The on camera market here is not strong and that's a reality I must face.  I've also had the opportunity to work a little in the voiceover area, though I need to keep searching and submitting myself for new voiceover opportunities.  For now, the brand ambassador/promotional modeling area is really strong, so it's time to start adding another area to grow my earning potential.

Personally, writing is an area I would like to develop.  Obviously, I write this blog, but I believe with some effort, I could also be writing articles or blog posts for other people/companies and create an additional source of income.  My biggest hurdle is having the confidence that I can succeed in this area.  With little professional writing experience (does my college newspaper count?!), it can be intimidating to step out, submit myself and hope editors take me seriously.

It's very possible I will fail at this attempt to add writing to my income potential, but something inside tells me I must try even if I fail. 

What about you?  Is there an area you would like to grow and develop into an income opportunity, but a lack of real experience is holding you back?  I would love to hear about your adventure of growth and what you learned in the process!


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