Working Professionals Continue Shift to Freelance and Remote Work
Virtually every industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year and a half. Companies and organizations in finance, healthcare, IT, education and many more have scrambled to adapt to the new normal that is remote work. In turn, many employees have come to the realization that they are happier and just as productive in their jobs when working from home. As some companies and organizations have begun to require that employees return to the office, workers are weighing their options and beginning to think in ways that they might not have before the pandemic.
A recent study by Upwork estimated that 10 million workers in the U.S. are considering becoming freelancers, or independent contractors, due in large part to the fact that the vast majority of freelancers work remotely. The trend has been coined “The Great Resignation,” as the majority of workers consider themselves “neutral” or “not excited” at the prospect of going to the office and have considered resigning in favor of a position that offers remote work or leaving the full-time field and freelancing on their own. Among those surveyed, 20% are considering becoming freelancers and 73% of those respondents cited the ability to work remote or flexibly as a reason why they would seek to work as a freelancer.
Many workers are so invested in staying in a remote job that they would even take lower pay. The study found that 15% were willing to take a pay cut to be a remote worker, and another 26% would possibly take a pay cut. And among workers who consider themselves unhappy to be returning to the office, nearly two-thirds would consider taking a pay cut to work remotely. Some remote workers are moving to Kansas City or other low cost cities across the United States.
Begin Your Remote Work Career
CTeLearning offers courses designed to prepare individuals for the next steps in their career—whether that be finding a new remote position, or learning or developing new skills to be a freelancer and work directly with clients. Our new Remote Working Professional (RWP) course features video interviews with professionals from a variety of industries, who discuss the transferable skills required to succeed in the remote workplace. The course is also offered as a freelancer version for those who are interested in working with their own clients and being their own boss.
RWP course completers have talked about how they learned from the course how to design a remote workspace, communicate with colleagues and bosses when working remotely, work with difficult clients as a freelancer, and even master job interviews to land remote positions. The RWP course is designed for anyone learning or working in the remote or freelance world, or anyone who desires to do so.
Our STEM courses prepare you to land that new remote job or develop your freelancing career. The courses are media-rich and highly interactive, teaching hard skills, soft skills, and offering certifications and professional memberships to those seeking comprehensive career prep courses. In fact, CTeLearning has hired numerous freelancers and remote workers over the years to help with course development.
If you are ready to take the next step in your freelance and remote work career, contact us for a free demo of any of our courses. And if you are a teacher, student, or parent of a student, ask us about our work in middle and high schools to equip the next generation of students to thrive in the remote learning and working worlds. We can help prepare you for your future, and future-proof you so that you can succeed in any economic and labor environment. One of our development team members would be happy to talk with you about how you can enter the exciting world of freelance and remote work—call us at 877-828-1216 or email us at hello@CTeLearning.com today.
