The gig economy is where “a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.”
In the gig economy, the meaningfulness of a full-time job fades away, and contract-based freelancers do most of the work.
As the meaningfulness of a full-time job is already fading in today’s society, sticking to only one job in the future is highly likely to be a risky choice. Therefore, having a freelance option is becoming quite important.
What can I do to develop my skills as a freelancer?
1) Do not become complacent stay in one company and do not neglect learning
2) Establish a network outside the company
3) Utilize various platforms for freelancers
- Do not become complacent stay in one company and do not neglect learning
The first step is to stay away from the temptation of job stability.
Many Korean people seek job security and hope to work in public domain, despite low salary. However, the skills learned at public domain are often very specific and limited, which often makes it difficult for them to move to other companies or industries in private domain.
Hence, it becomes important to consider if the skills you learn at a company will be transferrable when choosing a job, because having widely-applicable skill is much more useful and will guarantee your job security.
In addition, not neglecting to learn new skills is important. It is quite easy to fall into mannerism at work because it is physically and mentally tiring when you come back home. But life gives opportunities only to those who constantly learn and develop.
- Establish a network outside the company
No matter how good one’s skills are, they are of no use if there is no place to use them.
Therefore, it is very important to create a network outside the company. This will help you not only for finding freelance work, but also for finding a new job opportunity.
In order to build a network outside of the company, you should actively use LinkedIn and attend other networking events, such as seminars and conferences, on a regular basis.
- Utilize various platforms for freelancers
Nowadays, hobbies can become source of income. There are a lot of freelance platforms, where many people are selling their talents.
Popular freelance websites in Korea include places like K-mong and Taling.
Next, I will write about the foreign websites related to freelance that I am currently using and my personal experiences using them.
Korean article can be found here.
