Earning a decent crust in the modern world can seem like a very tough thing to achieve.
Once upon a time, it would be the very simple notion of hard work and persistence would pay off in the end.
These days this doesn’t seem to be true in the slightest.
Instead, it appears to be about having the skills that truly set you apart.
Skills like coding and more complex skills appear to be more in demand.
One of the more hot topics out there, ChatGPT, has led to an increase in demand for those people who can effectively communicate with AI to bring about results.
One of the toughest parts of differentiating yourself in the modern world is about having the right skills to ensure that you can stand out and therefore earn a good wage.
While there are many skills that take months if not years of preparation, here are a number of easy to learn skills that could help you earn money pretty quickly:
Photography
Photography is one of those subjects that can reap dividends, as long as it is in the right setting.
You can learn how to take great photos through some simple techniques and while many professional photographers have been at this practice for years, it’s important to remember that you utilise this skill in a larger context.
For example, it’s not just about taking great pictures but rather ensuring that you can put your specific photography skills into the right avenue, whether it’s as part of a booklet printing service or putting photos on a stock image website.
Transcription
Many freelance workers are undoubtedly concerned about their future in the content writing field.
Many people can offer their services as freelance writers, but if you have any doubts as to whether your career will last doing any content writing, you may want to put your skills to use in transcription.
There are many transcription services out there that need market research and medical hearings transcribed and pay pretty well per second of audio.
If you have a good pair of headphones, this is a great place to begin because some recordings can be muffled, but if you have concerns over your typing speeds, you can do one of two things.
Firstly, you can work on improving your typing speed.
You can start by taking a typing test and then looking at your weak points.
Or secondly, you can start using voice typing tools.
There are an abundance of great resources out there that you can use to your advantage and if you have a good piece of software that learns how you speak, you can create a document in as much time as it takes to listen to the audio.
Typically transcribing things can take hours and if you start to use voice typing, you can profit as long as you get enough work.
Virtual Assistance
The great thing about being a virtual assistant is that it’s a career that’s in demand but it’s also something that anybody can do.
A virtual assistant will conduct a lot of basic admin, scheduling and professional support.
If you feel like you don’t have very specific skills, one of the best ways to work up any career ladder is to start in admin.
The added benefit of being a virtual assistant is that you can work directly from home.
You could get started by looking at any of the freelance virtual assistant job offerings on the most popular freelance websites.
As an additional bonus, because there’s an abundance of great tools out there like AI assistance, you can start using these to do your job much quicker and earn extra brownie points from the professional you are assisting.
Social Media Management
Most others have social media accounts and if you see job postings for social media management positions, you might think you don’t have the professional experience.
In reality, social media management is about understanding the platform you are using, and, in terms of customer service, replying to posts and generally monitoring the account.
It’s generally considered a key marketing role that over time can prove to be a stepping stone into a communications position or another marketing discipline.
The great thing is that you can learn the basics of social media platforms in combination with content creation, which can get you paid opportunities.
Basic Graphic Design Skills
Another offshoot of communications and marketing roles, basic graphic design is something that believe it or not, most people can do.
There are tools like Adobe Spark and Canva that can help you create simple graphics for blogs, social media posts and other promotional materials.
Having some basic graphic design skills will serve you in good stead if you want to progress into promotional roles.
You can find a number of graphic design courses online that you can access for free.
Digital Marketing
While digital marketing is a massive skill in itself that encompasses copywriting, social media management, and graphic design, digital marketing can also be an invaluable skill that can help you profit.
Businesses need marketing savvy and while there are those who have very streamlined skills, if you can start to understand how graphic design, social media monitoring and content creation works in terms of marketing practices like search engine optimisation, you will have an abundance of opportunities.
There are courses online that can instantly show you key points of search engine optimisation and when you see just how much is out there for free, you can start to create a side hustle or even a career path that will help make you money.
Learning how to make money in the modern day is way beyond sheer application and hard work.
We can spend years working for a company only to have limited opportunities for progression.
We must take the law into our own hands and start developing skills that will help us find the ideal career, earn a healthy wage, or a combination of the two.