I Tried Freelancing with Zero Experience. Here’s What I Learned (and What I’d Do Differently)
Let me be real with you upfront: I didn’t think I was cut out for freelancing. I wasn’t some marketing expert. I had no niche. No portfolio. Just a tired brain from my day job and the sinking feeling that I needed to find a way to make something work—fast. So I did what most people do. I googled “how to make money online” and ended up drowning in YouTube tutorials and Reddit threads that made freelancing sound easy, but also somehow terrifying. I gave it a shot anyway. Here’s exactly what happened—what worked, what didn’t, and what I wish I knew before I sent my first awkward pitch. Week 1: The Overwhelm Is Real I thought freelancing was just... signing up somewhere and getting paid. Spoiler: it’s not. I created accounts on Upwork , Fiverr , and a few Facebook groups. I filled out profiles, tried to sound professional, and realized I had no idea what kind of jobs to apply for. What I did wrong: Tried to apply for everything (“I can do data entry! Also blogs! And desig...