Whether it's an economic crisis, a pandemic, politics or for no apparent reason at all, a once-certain job can disappear at any time.

That's the nature of the market and there's not much we can do about it.

In fact, if we consider that a large proportion of jobs are being replaced by machines and not so many new jobs are being created, it is likely that in the near future the unemployment crisis will be even greater.

There are suggestions of universal basic income projects and other possible ways of keeping the population from falling further into poverty, but I don't think we can count on that here in Brazil any time soon.

Considering this whole situation, what can we individuals do?

  • Look for another job
  • Study and train
  • Vote better in elections
  • Organize or participate in protests
  • Start a new career
  • Do odd jobs

These and other ways out are options that, in one way or another, will help us get through the difficulties, give us a purpose for this time of lack of perspective and also, hopefully, generate income.

What about freelance work?

Although some may think that it falls into the “Doing odd jobs” category above, I don't think so.

The way I see it, working as a freelancer professionally is an outlet in itself, and it can either be categorized as ‘Starting a new career' or in a new category of its own:

  • Working as a freelacer

Freelance work can be done either in your area of expertise or in a new area, because what really matters is how you approach the situation.

Bonus: I've made my course available to freelancers and self-employed professionals 100% free of charge.

What it's like to work as a freelancer professionally

I like to distinguish professional freelance work from doing odd jobs. A professional freelancer is someone who considers himself or herself to be a one-person company and deals with that company in the same way that partners deal with their businesses.

Marketing, sales, finance, strategies, legal issues, productivity, communication, customer service, etc. Everything is part of a freelancer's scope of attention and work, just as it is for a company.

In the beginning, there is a need for investment, then you reap the results of your efforts and think about how to grow the business. Over time, the amount you earn tends to exceed what you used to earn as an employee, since you now own your hours.

Slowly, the value of the hour worked increases and the need to work hard decreases.

I know professional freelancers who work all year round and make a lot of money. But there are also those who prefer to dedicate themselves for just a few months of the year and take it easy for the rest.

This type of choice comes about when you have already made a name for yourself in the market and have a good understanding of the type of problem you solve for your clients.

Bonus: List of articles on freelance work.

Freelancers solve problems

The role of a freelancer is to solve problems for their clients. Regardless of the type of profession you have or had, you were probably a contributor to solving a problem for your company's clients or your own company.

The difference when you're self-employed is that now there's no other person or institution to tell you how to solve problems or even what the problems are. You have to find out for yourself.

As a website developer, I solve my clients' web presence problems. They need attention, sales, contacts and opportunities and they know they need to have a strong online presence. Knowing this, I can guide them to not only hire my services, but also guide them to the next steps.

This relationship of trust between freelancers and their clients is what will really make us grow and get more and more good clients.

Generating results, providing good service and solving our clients' problems.

The moment of unemployment

When you're made redundant, for whatever reason, there can be a feeling of despair or hopelessness.

After all, it's a delicate and insecure situation. If before you had a source of income, now you may not. If before you had the security of knowing what to do, now you may not. And so on.

This delicate moment is super important for making decisions because it's exactly when what's on the line isn't so great. You don't have a job anymore, so it's easier to make a move to study, change areas or take on new projects.

And I think we really have to take advantage of this moment to make those decisions that were perhaps previously kept in the back of our minds as mere desires.

Whether it's starting a business, working independently, changing areas or whatever, the time to act can be right now.

Of course, every situation is different and there's no problem in looking for a new job in another company in the same position you held before.

If that's what you want, great.

However, if you're still reading this, it may not be exactly what you wanted.

Maybe you were unhappy, frustrated or tired of your job to begin with. You wanted a change.

How to start

If you're looking to take a new career path and working as a freelancer professionally is something that appeals to you, then I want to tell you that this is how I've been living for a long time.

I've served more than 450 clients and today I receive new job opportunities almost every day.

I'm not saying this to brag, but to show you that it's possible and that, with the right strategies and, especially, the right mindset, you can do it too.

I'm not going to tell you that the solution lies in taking an expensive course, because the course I used to sell is now 100% free on YouTube, but I will tell you that there is an abundance of online content and resources that you can take advantage of.

The first step, therefore, is study.

It's understanding what it means to be a freelancer, understanding what kind of service or product you can offer by working individually – or perhaps with partners – and especially what problem you can solve for people or companies.

Each of us has unique skills, knowledge and experience that can come together to give us a strong personal brand and a reliable place in the market.

Freelancing and security

One question that often comes up is about the security of working as a freelancer. It's natural that, as with companies, some markets are more affected by certain types of crisis and others less.

However, the advantage of working autonomously is that you have the flexibility to change both your offer and your location easily.

A large company can't change its entire structure in a short space of time. An individual can.

There have been times when I've focused my services more on clients abroad because the market was slower here. At other times, I've preferred to focus more on one type of service than another.

Having this flexibility greatly increases our chances of being successful and achieving growth and financial returns with greater confidence and security.

Conclusion

Throughout this article, I've tried to put forward some questions for those who are in doubt about what to do at this time of unemployment.

At the time of writing, we are in the middle of the COVID-19 quarantine and many people are losing their jobs at an alarming rate.

It's delicate, but we also need to focus on what we can do as individuals to solve our problems.

Taking responsibility for change is the way forward.

Does that make sense? Is there anything about this topic you'd like me to explore further? Let me know in the comments.

Have fun!