If you’re a student, you’re lucky if your summer job is somewhat related to your field. (If you land an internship, it'll probably be related – but you might not get paid for the privilege of developing your skills.)



Freelancing provides high-end work for college students supplementing their summer income – or can even serve as your stand-alone summer job. Plus, freelancing over the summer could easily generate long-term clients you can work for throughout the school year as well. Who knows – you might get paid to complete a project that also satisfies class requirements!

What skills are perfect for summer freelancing? Here are some possibilities depending on your field of study:

Computer Science
Programming, web development, application development, social networking and media page setup and application development. Check out current projects here.

Business Management
Invoicing, business plans, project research and management, business analysis and admin. Check out current projects here.

Graphic Design
Logo design, business identity kits, brochure and catalog design. Check out current projects here.

English & Journalism
Article, web, and blog writing, copy editing and proofreading, and academic writing. Check out current projects here.

Marketing
In-field research, customer interviews and surveys, marketing plans, and product and market research. Check out current projects here.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of projects available for summer freelancing. To make sure your summer is as successful – and lucrative – as possible, here are some tips:

Choose projects with finite deliverables and timelines. Long-term projects may not be appropriate, especially if you only have a few months before you return to school full-time. A six-month market research project may not make sense, but completing 20 customer survey interviews over the course of two weeks does. Or if you’re a writer, taking on a book project could be problematic; writing 10 web articles due by the end of the week could be perfect for you.

Choose projects requiring skills you already have. While it could be fun to contemplate accepting a “reach” project that will test your skills, remember your time is limited. Instead of accepting a catalog design project, choosing several logo design project may be the better option.  

Match your workload with your capacity. It can be tempting to accept a number of projects, but make sure you can meet each buyer’s schedule. Don’t be tempted to take on too much work unless you’re sure you can deliver – remember, your clients are counting on you.   

Meet the buyer’s expectations. Each buyer is a potential source of future work. Even if more work does not come your way, feedback will. Good feedback is vital in building an outstanding reputation among  the virtual outsourcing community.   

Follow up – and don’t be shy about asking for more work when you do a great job. Your summer job doesn’t have to end when school resumes; working for a few select clients can be a great way to supplement your income during school while you continue to gain skills and experience. If you’ve developed a slick application for a web client, check in periodically to see if the client needs other work performed. Most clients want to develop long-term relationships as much as you do.