Which Freelancing Course Is Best For Beginners

Gaurav Upreti 29 September, 2024

With more and more companies outsourcing instead of hiring full-time professionals, freelancers are always in demand. This boom in the market has led to a substantial increase in the number of people shifting from conventional full-time jobs to freelancing or starting it as a side hustle.

The job market is indeed vast and there are thousands of projects available on freelancing platforms at any given point of time. However, this does not guarantee success. If the demand for freelancers is high, then so is the supply.

Many budding freelancers find it challenging to penetrate the market and establish themselves as successful freelancers when pitted against experienced freelancers who have already accumulated great reviews and testimonials required to win projects.

Those who are initially unable to navigate the obstacles often get disheartened and decide against pursuing a freelancing career altogether.

Fortunately, many expert professionals are willing to share their recipe for success as a freelancer and introduce newbies to freelancing. They offer online freelancing courses that provide a crash course in the world of freelancing. Isn’t that wonderful?

If you’ve been toying with the idea of enrolling in a freelancing course but don’t know which freelancing course is best for beginners, then you’re at the right place!

Listed below are some of the best freelancing courses for beginners by trusted online learning platforms.

1. Online Freelancing Essentials: Be a Successful Fiverr Seller by Fiverr Learn

Fiverr is an online marketplace that enables freelancers to create gigs to sell their services to prospective buyers. Fiverr Learn is a platform where expert professionals and experienced freelancers have curated multiple courses to guide other freelancers.

These courses train freelancers in in-demand skills, along with gearing them up with the tools and techniques required to become successful freelancers, especially on Fiverr.

Online Freelancing Essentials: Be a Successful Fiverr Seller is one of the most popular freelancing courses for beginners with a 4.9 rating and 500 reviews.

Online Freelancing Essentials Be a Successful Fiverr Seller by Fiverr Learn

Key Features:

Fundamentals of freelancing.
Platform-specific tips for success on Fiverr. For example: Learn how to make the most out of Fiverr job filters, utilize Fiverr dashboard and analytics for growth, and so on.
Expert guidance on creating a stellar Fiverr profile and seller gig, to stand out in the Fiverr marketplace and distinguish your services. Tips on adding the right gig images, gig descriptions, and work samples.
Advice on constructing an environment and lifestyle that works as a catalyst for your success as a freelancer.
Marketing knowledge for effective promotion on Fiverr Anywhere.

Why It’s Good for Beginners:

From answering basic questions like what Fiverr is, how to earn money on Fiverr, and how to create a gig to managing orders and promoting yourself on Fiverr, this course provides a step-by-step guide for Fiverr newbies.

This course is a great resource for someone who is still trying to find out which freelancing course is best for beginners

2. Complete Guide to Freelancing by Udemy

Udemy is one of the most popular online learning platforms. It offers both free and paid courses and plenty of discounts. Designed by top-rated freelancers, the Complete Guide to Freelancing is an intensive course that prepares learners to stand out amongst the competition and bag the best projects available.

It includes a signup tutorial for the freelancing platform, Upwork, and provides valuable insight into building highly targeted specialized profiles. The purpose of this is to help freelancers find their niche client and project type and then proceed to grab the attention of the right people and companies.

Apart from teaching how to write amazing proposals, it also trains freelancers to efficiently communicate, negotiate, close, and successfully deliver a freelancing project.

Key Features:

Upwork centric starting up process. Learn basics like Upwork profile settings, how to create a stand-out profile, and the technique to write winning bids.
Lessons that hone the ability to create highly targeted specialized profiles.
Tested steps and templates for success on freelancing platforms.
Guidance on growing and managing a freelance business.
Especially beneficial for developers who are beginning their freelance careers.
Browse through in-demand freelance skills like digital marketing, copywriting, graphic design, SEO, and web development.

Why It’s Good for Beginners:

From zero experience to running a profitable freelance business, this well-structured course covers the fundamentals of freelancing, teaches the optimal use of Upwork features, and helps freelancers understand their services and how to promote them in the market.

The primary goal is not to merely earn well, but also to grow as a freelancer and become successful.

Moreover, it is one of the few courses that discusses some of the biggest psychological challenges a freelancer can face during their journey. It helps budding freelancers acknowledge and recover from imposter syndrome and build habits and a mindset that would pave their path to success.

3. New to Upwork: Getting Started Course by Upwork Community

Upwork, one of the largest freelancing platforms, offers a comprehensive Upwork community that provides freelancers with all the tools they need to succeed on the platform. The courses are designed to help freelancers understand how to navigate the Upwork marketplace, optimize their profiles, and attract clients.

The New to Upwork: Getting Started course is ideal for people who want to learn everything from scratch. Whether you want to understand how a freelancing marketplace works or how to set up your freelancing profile on Upwork, this course offers all the necessary information in a simplified manner.

New to Upwork Getting Started Course by Upwork Community

Key Features:

Platform-specific guidance for Upwork:
- Tips for writing an Upwork freelancer description and creating an attractive profile.
- How to price services on Upwork.
- The best way to approach clients and make winning bids.
Invaluable insights on how to get more gigs on Upwork.
Client management, contract negotiation, payment verification & withdrawal, and other confusing aspects of freelancing broken down for beginners.

Why It’s Good for Beginners:

Who could better explain every minute detail about the platform than Upwork itself? This course inculcates lessons on understanding Upwork, pricing services, setting a profile, writing winning gifts, client management, project management, and how to scale a freelancing business.

For beginners who are certain they want to work on Upwork, this course provides everything you need to know.

Since it’s a course by the platform itself, it contains insider information on how to optimally use Upwork features and filters as well. What’s more, is that these guides are usually free so freelancers don’t have to invest anything before committing to the course.

4. ProBlogger’s Ultimate Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Get Paid Blogging Jobs

As the name suggests, ProBloggers is a platform mainly created for bloggers that want to earn money as freelance writers. This course is especially beneficial for people who want to turn their journey as freelance writers into a successful and well-paying career path.

ProBloggers provides both guidance and job opportunities for people who enroll in this freelance writing course for beginners.

This is a practical guide course with 15 chapters and practical tasks. The comprehensive module introduces freelance writers to multiple ways in which they can improve their project search. It encourages freelancers to find their target clientele and charge their services equal to their work’s worth.

ProBlogger's Ultimate Guide to Freelance Writing How to Get Paid Blogging Jobs

Key Features:

Segment for writers to find their niche and learn how to write blogs for the same.
Guidance on setting your service rate, seller proposal, producing content, and tracking income.
Access to Jobs Board with hundreds of fair-paying freelance projects.
Tips on how to identify fraudulent clients and scammers in the freelance circuit.
Practical tasks to test the learners’ progress after every chapter of the 14 -chapter freelancing guide.
Introduction to and solutions for common obstacles faced by freelance writers.

Why It’s Good for Beginners:

This course acquaints beginner freelance writers with the basics of writing. It takes them through the process of becoming a freelance writer and empowers them to instill self-confidence.

This course presents tips to find a niche market, make a stand-out profile, write winning bids, avoid scams, multiply at multiple jobs, and complete freelance work at good rates. It covers almost all aspects of the process of becoming a freelance writer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which freelancing course is best for beginners?

When it comes to freelancing, there is no ‘one-size fits all’ option. Every freelancing course offers something unique and caters to a wide range of freelancers. The course that is best suited for you, depends upon your freelancing goals.

In this list, we’ve enlisted different courses for various platforms and freelance skills. You can decide which course would suit your needs and start learning.

2. How much do freelancing courses cost?

Course prices vary by platform. Udemy offers some of its best courses from $10 to $200. It also provides frequent discounts. Coursera offers free-of-cost courses, but charges for certification. Skillskare and LinkedIn Learning provide courses to subscribed members of the platform.

The annual subscription fee for Skillshare is $50. The monthly subscription fee for LinkedIn Learning is $12. However, both of these platforms provide a free trial of 7 and 30 days respectively.

Upwork and Fiverr provide many free-of-cost courses since the courses are directly related to their services.

However, they do have some courses by extremely experienced mentors that come with a fee. Fiverr courses usually start at $24. The courses by SmartBloggers cost around $2000, whereas those by ProBloggers are comparatively cheaper.

3. Do I need a certificate to become a successful freelancer?

No, certification is not mandatory to become a successful freelancer. However, certifications from popular online learning platforms can add credibility to your profile.

Additionally, if you’ve completed a certification in your skill area, it increases your chances of getting hired. For example, finishing a freelancing course for developers would be seen as upskilling.

More than a certificate, what matters most is your ability to showcase your skills and deliver valuable services. As long as your profile highlights your value proposition, you’re on the right track.

4. Can these courses guarantee freelancing jobs?

No, freelancing courses do not guarantee jobs. Success depends on your ability to apply what you’ve learned.

These courses offer a framework for earning money, but other factors influence your freelancing career, such as the demand for your skills, the quality of your work, your ability to create an attractive profile, write compelling bids, and build a good reputation.

However, some paid courses offer the benefit of consulting with the course facilitator, allowing you to address specific challenges, get personalized guidance, and gain insights into industry best practices.

5. What are some of the common challenges faced by new freelancers?

Some of the common challenges faced by new freelancers are:

New freelancers often struggle to find clients due to a lack of experience and an established portfolio.
To distinguish themselves in a crowd of experienced freelancers, new freelancers often end up accepting projects at very low rates.
While one of the main benefits of freelancing is a flexible schedule, if projects are not managed efficiently, a flexible schedule can turn into a lifestyle with no work-life balance.
Juggling multiple projects can lead to burnout and stress, with no one to delegate tasks to or rely upon.
Setting rates, managing finances, and understanding contracts can also seem a bit confusing at first.
Additional stress to single-handedly deliver projects, promote services, and manage customer relations.
If not managed well, a freelancing lifestyle can lead to demotivation and feeling isolated.

Freelancing courses are usually curated by experienced freelancers who’ve overcome these obstacles and created a profitable career out of freelancing.

It is essential to choose the right freelancing course to ensure that you are geared up with the tools and techniques to take the freelancing marketplace by storm. This is why, before enrolling in a program you must check whether it caters to your preferred platform, freelance skill set, and budget.

If you want to build a career as a developer, you could choose Udemy’s course as it offers special guidance for developers. Similarly, for writers or bloggers, ProBloggers courses could be very useful.

For platform-wise learning, going directly to Upwork Academy or Fiverr Learn would be a great idea, even though Udemy also offers exceptional programs for these platforms. One common thing is that all of these freelancing courses are best for beginners.

Take time to assess your goals, and pick the course that best aligns with your interests to jumpstart your freelancing journey!