Top 9 Freelancing Skills with Less Competition

Freelancing is a popular career choice for many people these days. But with so many freelancers out there, you might be wondering how to stand out from the crowd. The best way to do this is by choosing an underserved niche or skill set that has less competition.

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Freelancing skills in demand 2021

In this article, we will discuss nine skills and niches where there’s low competition, but high demand!

1. Graphic Design

In the age of social media and branding, logos have never been more important. Companies need something to help them stand out from their competitors and create an identity for themselves. A logo can also be used on items like pens or t-shirts, which means there’s a lot of profit potential here if you’re good at it!

Graphic design examples:

As a graphic designer, you can work on different aspects of a business. You can help with the branding of a company through logo design, or create more tangible pieces such as infographics. A freelancer who excels at graphic design will have no trouble finding jobs in this field because it’s so needed!

As a bonus, you’ll likely be able to charge higher rates for your work than other freelancers due to the high demand and limited supply.

There is a wide range of freelancing opportunities available for graphic designers, such as:

Logo design
Infographic design
Postcard or banner ad creation
Book cover design (for indie authors)

You can find additional freelance work on websites like Upwork or freelancer.com. You can also use social media to find clients in your niche who need design work for their businesses.

2. Programming

There are so many programming languages that having some knowledge in one niche area can give you an edge over other programmers vying for jobs with clients. For example, by specializing in Python or Ruby on Rails for web development, you can quickly become a go-to resource for this type of work.

If you’re more interested in programming mobile apps then an Android app developer might be your best bet! With the constant rise of smartphones and tablets over the last few years it’s important to keep up with the latest trends.

Many people are interested in learning how to program, but few actually take action because it’s not always easy to find the time or get started. You can make yourself stand out by offering programming courses online where you teach other aspiring programmers what you know!

This is a great way to start building your brand as an instructor and can lead to future work opportunities as well!

Popular programming languages:

Python
Ruby on Rails
Javascript
C#
PHP
Java

Programming courses:

Websites like Udemy allow freelancers to create tutorials and sell them. With so many people wanting to learn to program, this can be a great way of earning passive income each month!

If you want to pursue programming, here’s a full list of free programming courses to get you started.

3. Machine Learning

Machine learning is an area of data science that focuses on giving computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.

The amount of data available in every industry these days means there’s a huge demand for people who can come up with creative ways to use it. This involves everything from building models, creating algorithms, and extracting insights through analysis or visualization techniques.

The great thing about machine learning is that it can be applied to just about any industry you choose, which makes this a freelancing skill with low competition and lots of potential!

Machine Learning Examples:

Stock market predictions
Predictions for IoT devices (which products people will buy)
Fraud detection in financial transactions
Image recognition (finding specific objects in photos)

Machine Learning Resources:

Machine Learning by Stanford University – Coursera course
Udacity Intro to Machine learning

There is presently little competition for this career. Finding machine learning experts may be difficult. It is also one of the most lucrative IT skills right now.

4. Voice Over

The voice-over niche is great for freelancers because it’s always in demand, but not many people are doing it. If you have experience with audio or video editing this could be a perfect place to start your freelancing career!

Even though there’s no shortage of organizations needing voice-overs, freelancers can often charge higher rates because they’re in demand. You can expect to earn around $100 per hour or more when freelancing in voice over. This is significantly higher than most other freelancers charge!

To get started, you’ll need a good microphone and some audio editing software like Adobe Audition, Audacity, or Apple’s Garageband. If video editing experience is also part of your skillset then offering video voice-overs is another option!

While freelancing in voice-over can be lucrative it isn’t for everyone. You’ll need to have a good speaking voice and the ability to use professional recording equipment without sounding too ‘tinny’. It’s also important that you can create an impactful performance within 30 seconds or less of reading off the script.

Voice Over Examples:

Telephone system recordings (IVR)
Company phone greetings and messages
Training videos for businesses or employees
Podcast introductions, commercials & message on hold systems

Voice over resources: freelancing websites like UpWork, Freelancer.com. Freelancers can expect to earn anywhere from $30-$100 per hour freelancing in voice over.

This is a great freelancing skill with low competition and high demand!

5. Accounting and tax calculations

Accounting and tax freelancing is another great freelancing skill with low competition because there’s a demand for it.

Accounting is not a rare profession offline. It is the most common and popular profession. What makes it unusual in the online world is the presence of numerous little companies, startups, and individuals who can’t afford full-time accountants. As a result, they seek accountants when necessary and as required.

If you’re looking to break into this field it might be worth getting some extra training or certification in accounting, bookkeeping, or taxation so that you can demonstrate your expertise. In addition to having the right skillset for freelancing in accounting, you’ll also need to have a good understanding of all the relevant government regulations.

This is another freelancing skill that can be high-paying with low competition if done successfully.

Freelancers are typically paid anywhere from $50-$100 per hour for their work freelancing in accounting or taxes! Accounting and tax freelancing is a great freelancing skill with low competition and high demand!

Read more on how to find freelance accounting and tax jobs.

Accounting courses

Financial Accounting Basics – Alison
Introduction to Finance and Accounting Specialization – University of Pennsylvania – Coursera
Getting Started in QuickBooks Pro – Alison
Intuit Bookkeeping Professional Certificate – Intuit – Coursera

Accounting freelancing jobs

You can find freelance accounting jobs on freelancing websites like UpWork Freelancer.com, Craigslist, and Gumtree.

Read more on how to become a freelance accountant.

6. Pharmaceuticals and online doctors

Pharmaceutical freelancers are in high demand!

Pharmaceutical freelancing is another great freelancing skill with low competition. This is because there’s always a demand for pharmaceutical freelancers, but not many people are doing it!

While anyone can set up shop as an online doctor or pharmacist, most of the time this doesn’t result in success due to a lack of credibility and expertise. The freelancing field of pharmaceuticals is highly competitive and there’s a lot you need to learn before you can compete.

Freelancers offering their services as online doctors will likely find high demand for dermatologists, pharmacists, psychiatrists, family doctors or ophthalmologists…etc.

If your goal is freelancing in pharmaceutical freelancing then you will need to have a website and some kind of online presence. It’s also important that you can communicate with your clients in such a way that they feel like they’re getting personalized service from their doctor or pharmacist.

This freelancing skill is high-paying with low competition!

Freelancers offering pharmaceuticals freelancing services are typically paid $60-$120 per hour freelancing.

Read more on how to become an online pharmacist freelancer.

Atrius Health and CVS Health are examples of places where you can find pharmaceutical freelancing jobs.

7. Ethical Hacking freelancing jobs

Data security is the most difficult task in today’s environment. Every year, billions of dollars are spent to secure information.

Hackers are hired to test and break a company’s firewall and security mechanism to verify that its data will not be accessible to others.

Ethical hacking is a rare talent, but if you have it, you might be rich in no time. In online freelancing, ethical hackers are hard to come by.

Hacking courses

Learn Ethical Hacking – Alison
Introduction to Cyber Security Specialization – University of Michigan- Coursera
Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Course – Udemy
Cybersecurity MasterTrack® Certificate – Arizona State University – Coursera

If you are interested in freelancing as an ethical hacker, then you should have IT security experience. You’ll also need to build a strong reputation for yourself and you’ll need to be able to communicate your expertise with others.

Ethical freelancing jobs for ethical hacking are considered high-paying with low competition as long as you can prove yourself. Depending on the freelancing website, freelancers offering their services as ethical hackers are typically paid $50-$150 per hour. Some clients pay per project. You can earn anywhere from $200 to $5,000 per project or even more.

Read more on how to become a freelance ethical hacker.

The Ultimate Ethical Hacking Bundle is a great resource for those that want to learn more about this freelancing skill!

There’s a lot of people that want to learn ethical hacking, but they just don’t have the time or inclination to do so. This means there are not many freelancers offering their skills as ethical hackers…and this makes it less competitive.

8. Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amazon Web Services developer is another great freelancing skill with less competition. Amazon has become the biggest retailer in the world and they continue to grow! With cloud computing becoming more and more popular, there’s always a need for people that know how to work it all out.

While you can find thousands of freelancers offering their services as freelancers, there are only a few freelancing websites that focus on Amazon Web Services development.

The key to freelancing in this area is knowing how to use the right tools and having an understanding of the different services offered by AWS. The more you know about what you’re doing, the higher your chances will be for success!

Freelancers offering Amazon Web Services are typically paid $30-$80 per hour.

Read more on how to become a freelance Amazon Web Service developer.

If you’re interested in freelancing using AWS then you should have the right certifications and have some kind of experience under your belt first! You can earn a certification from Amazon – AWS Certified Developer.

9. Zendesk Customer Service

Zendesk customer service is a freelancing skill with low competition. The demand for customer support agents and freelancers continues to grow as more people turn to the internet and mobile devices (smartphones, iPads) for services and information.

Freelancers offering customer support are typically paid $10-$50 per hour.

Read more on how to become a freelancer that offers Zendesk Customer Service.

If you’re interested in freelancing as a Zendesk support agent then you should have experience under your belt first! You can earn certificates from Zendesk – Customer Service Certification.

The freelancing market is growing each year and it continues to grow! Many freelancers want to be hired for work, but there aren’t that many with the right skill set. That’s why the competition remains low in most cases. But don’t get too comfortable because things can change quickly.

Find your next freelancing job!

Too many freelancers try to compete head-to-head with those who have been doing this for a while. By choosing a niche or skill set that has less competition, you will be able to stand out from the crowd and win more jobs!

The great thing about freelancing is that it’s scalable. There are always new projects coming up and more money-making opportunities than you’ll know what to do with! With the right skillset, freelancers like yourself are in high demand, which means you can increase your rates or charge for additional services. If freelancing is something that interests you, it’s important to consider the skills needed and where there might be less competition. There are always new projects coming up on freelancer sites, so look around today to find a niche that fits what you want.

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