From My Desk: Becoming A Wordsmith

Why not? In my honest opinion, I can control my own time as I am my own boss. I can afford to be choosy (of course in the case of ‘beggars can’t be choosers’, this is not applicable). Let me tell you why. Well, it’s ok if you want to leave my article here. Although you know *kuis kaki I am kind of hoping you’d stay.

First, people like Yours Truly who have severe financial turmoil in her own purse, are able to get extra money. Be it for the new shoes (sales in Vincci), the new shirt (sales in MNG), new handphone (iPhone 4) or getting married (not to another wife). In my case, I do freelance work in campus to get extra money.

For undergraduates out there, freelancing will add to your resume. Imagine this; would a future employer look for a fresh graduate without experience or a graduate with some experience, even self-employed ones?

Second, we control our own time. Some people already have desk-bound jobs so they allocate certain time in a week to do some freelancing. Of course, this will need some time management skill. Well, we really cannot have workers blogging about a new iPhone 4 during working hour right?

Third, we can determine where to work. Ah, isn’t it nice to be sipping coffee in a kopitiam while typing away the latest project? Your office is anywhere; it does not have to be specifically at a designated office.

However, let us focus on writing as freelancing. I have good news for those who love writing and maybe, share some ways to get extra income.  

‘Worldwide online advertising is expected to rise 12.4% this year to $61 billion, according to a new report from MagnaGlobal, the forecasting unit of advertising holding company Interpublic Group of Cos.

In addition, the report noted that paid search has become the most important component of online advertising; Magna expects pay-per-click ads to account for $29.8 billion in expenditures, up 16.5% over the 2009 total. All other online channels combined will grow 8.7% this year, the company said.’

Cited from BtoBonline.

More online spending means more online advertisement. This means that more money is being infused into online publishing, hurrah for bloggers! But no, there is no need for everyone to have a blog now although you can do so if you want to, nobody is going to stop you BUT that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are some other ways to get extra income through freelancing.  

So, are you curious to know more about freelance writing? Want to know more on how to benefit from your talent? Here’s a perfect place to do so. Check out the ‘Wordsmith Seminar’ from Kapasitor, coming to you in July 2010.

Instructor: Siti Aishah bt Abdul Aziz
Fees: RM 80 (payable upon registration. Non-refundable)
Time: 9am-6pm
Location: FnD Mindspot, 103A, Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 KL
What can be expected: How to stand out from other freelancers, how to come up with good resume, tips and tricks to freelance writing, among others
Target: Anyone interested in freelancing; students, housewives (with recommendable English)
Requirements: Participants will have to write an essay of between 150 words and 250 words for discussion session. Topic can include anything, including 

Participants will get notes and materials during the seminar (other TBA). The speaker will also share some ways to earn extra income (not MLM and certainly not Skim Cepat Kaya ;). 

Please do not hesitate to PM me or email me at uculer[at]gmail.com for further enquiries :)