What skills are you working to improve on?

TheArticulate Level 1

September 1, 2017, 10:19 am

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What skills are you working to improve on?

I've found that when it comes to freelancing, at least for me, the best way to make money and find jobs is to have a particular set of skills you can market. I've found my niche in video and photography and have been marketing those skills for a couple years now to some good success.

The interesting thing about video is that there are always smaller areas within in that I can hone more skills in. Right now, motion graphics is a growing field within in video, which deals a lot more with graphics and animation than traditional video, which I find fascinating. I was recently given an assignment to build a motion graphics package, and I found that I had a blast doing it! As a result, I'm interested in learning more animation, and I've enrolled myself in a graphic design course so that I can better understand Adobe Illustrator as well. It's exciting knowing that you're developing a new skill that you can market yourself with soon!

What about you? Do you have any newfound skills or niches you're working to improve on? And if so, how are you going about doing that?

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DarthHazard

The best thing that you can do is to focus on one area because you can then put all your effort into that particular niche. If you try to work on different niches then things can become a bit confusing sometimes and it may have an impact on your work as well. At the moment, I am trying to just focus on making and developing websites for clients at the moment. It is something that I am good at and something that people are always looking for.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

I think that you are right in that it is best to just focus on one skill at a time if you can. I am not a jack of all trades, so I really do have to focus on a singular task, or niche, as you said, and then practice it over and over until I am happy with the level of proficiency I have achieved. I am also, admittedly, a bit ADHD, so I have to be careful when multi-tasking because I run the risk of going off on too many potential tangents.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

That's probably the same with a lot of people to be fair. I am not a jack of all trades either so I try to remain within one industry/niche as well when doing work. It's probably the same with a lot of people. I would love to be one of those people that are just good with everything, it would be lovely trying to find work when you can do almost anything.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

What industry or niche do you operate in mainly? I agree with you wholeheartedly that focusing on one skill or niche and becoming very skilled in that area is a very, very good idea. You'll be able to market yourself very well if you're proficient at whatever you're doing.

From what I've found though, is that there are smaller areas of expertise or niches that I can learn about or specialize in in addition to the main niche I'm working in. I do photography a little on the side, and besides portraiture, I've found that stock photography can be a great source of online revenue if you're dedicated to the craft and spend time building up your portfolio as well.

Sometimes you can branch off of your main niche and find similar ones that are easy to transition into!

7 years ago

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Corzhens

My main line in freelancing is paid forum posting that I can say doesn’t need any improvement at all. What I am trying to learn is the SEO with the different kind of methods I have read. Now I am thinking if I can be an SEO specialist someday. The answer is positive but I have to be patient and persevering in learning the SEO methods completely and diligently.

6 years ago

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Authord

Well, am trying to improve on almost all my skills, from graphics, programing to comic drawings, because we learn everyday and as the day comes by, a new skill or feature follows it, and to stay afloat on top of your niche, you will need to keep up with the new trends and new developments.
And the new skill am really trying hard to improve is my drumming skills, i started drumming not long ago, although am really cool with the sticks on my hands, but i just can can't maintain my composure and flow when i start singing, am trying to improve on my singing and drumming, combining the both of them.
And also my C++ skills, am trying to master almost the whole libraries. Then move to Ruby to perfect my DEV skills on Rails, with my comic illustration skills.
And the last of it, my pick up skills

, i really suck at that , whole lot things to improve on

7 years ago

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augusta

I don't think I have ever stop horning on my skills.I try to improve on them almost everyday.

I think the only time we will stop learning and improving on our selves is when we have gone.

I work on my writing,proofreading and transcription skills daily and I'm giving the improvement.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

You're absolutely right! We should never stop working to better the skills we have or to learn new ones. The more we learn and the better we are at what we do makes us that much more valuable to clients and that much more marketable to the public.

I've started branching off of video and teaching myself animation and even enrolled in a graphic design course to get better understanding of Adobe Illustrator so that I can start designing my own graphics.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Authord,
I applaud you on trying to improve your drumming. I tried to learn once, and I could not separate the movement of my hands and my feet, if you know what I mean. I could not find the proper coordination, and it drove me nuts. I also applaud you being so dedicated to your graphic design work and your art and comics. You definitely said it when you mentioned that we are all learning every day, that is as long as we are truly dedicated to what it is we are working on. I also try to learn something new everyday about my craft or to at least improve upon what I already know.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Great question here, and it is a question which automatically forces the person answering it to analyze their skills and what he or she is currently doing with this said skillset. I know that I can always improve my writing skills, that's for sure. I feel like I can be too repetitive in my phrasings, and that makes me sound like a poor writer, so I am working on that. Also, I need to work on being consistent with my blogs--I know that is not really a skill, but if I could stay consistent and disciplined, then my skills would have a chance to improve. I also need to improve my networking skills and start to utilize and capitalize on all of the connections I am making through social media, forums, and blogging.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

I am trying to improve my time management and writing skills. I just don't have the time to sit down and dedicate 10 hours a day to writing. If I could I would but I do various things thought the day and I have a wife that I love very much and that I give a lot of attention.

So I need to find a time of the day that I can get the most writing done without interruption and try to write as much as I can in the given time. Because right now my blog/forum is really suffering because I can't give it the proper attention that it needs.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Soulwatcher,
I think that time management is crucial. As a part time English professor, I can tell you that many students make poor grades not because of their aptitude but because of procrastination and the simple mistakes they make, which add up, because of rushed or late work. A lot of students are under the mistaken impression that they do their "best work under pressure", but, in my thirteen years of teaching college level English, and grading thousands of papers, I do not think this is the case for many of them. I think that your writing skills are great, from what I have seen, and I think that all of us could probably say that we could improve our time management skills. That's a lifelong struggle, right?

7 years ago

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Tronia

I agree with you that improvement and growth is extremely important, not only for freelancing but also in general for you as a person. That is why I never stop developing my skills or interests. Right now I am quite heavily focusing on affiliate marketing and seeing how successful I can be. I never tried it before but I always wanted to.

Now I am learning all the tricks and how to get people to even click the affiliate links let alone buy things. It is really interesting and so far it is going great

7 years ago

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Pixie06

I think that the more skilled you are, the more likely you will succeed online. I am actually taking a part time Accounting course mainly to help me with my business. I have previous experience as a teacher and this is what has actually helped me to get an online job as an online tutor. Experience and skills are really important.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

I think it's a great idea to take a class in an are that will benefit you in such a way. I was a communication major, and thus didn't have to take any graphics-related classes, but the avenue I've found myself in makes it so that it would be very beneficial to know graphic design.

Luckily, I work at a college and can audit a class for free each semester, so I've found myself enrolled in a graphic design course in order to increase my knowledge of the Adobe Suite. It's always a good idea to take courses from someone who knows what they're doing, and that instructor is a powerful resource whenever you have questions, concerns, or trouble with what you're doing!

7 years ago

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Corzhens

I have joined writing sites and forums for the purpose of enhancing my written English. As part of my function in the office, I write communications like memo, reports and other writings that sometimes include procedures. My boss called my attention on the matter. That was in 2014. And now, I know that I have improved a lot although I'm still working on my vocabulary. Admittedly, I have a small vocabulary that I am trying to expand so I am reading a list of synomyms and adverbs once in a while to add more color to my writing.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Corzhens,
I think it is awesome and commendable that you are using forums and other methods to improve your writing skills. That's really smart. I have also always been told that watching television programs in the language you are trying to learn is also helpful. If you do not mind me asking, what is your native language? You seem to me to be very dedicated to improving this skill, and I know firsthand that trying to learn a new language, especially after the age of seven or something, is very difficult.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

Watching television in the native language you're learning is a great way to get your bearings on how well you know the language. My dad lived in Japan for a while as he finished up college, and he said he knew he was getting the language figured out when he could understand what the people on the television were saying, and that he could understand their jokes.

Languages are difficult, and I respect anyone who has taken it upon themselves to be bilingual. It's an impressive feat!

7 years ago

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overcast

I am personally need to be working on networking and communication skills. I have to learn how to make friends in business. And another thing is the communication skills. Here you have to find out how convince other users. I think the skill of the networking takes whole life. And it's not really something you can be always thinking about in that case. But you can see that people also get into the networking too. I guess it all depends on how people are focusing on small things which leads to the results.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

overcast,
I am with you on needing to improve my networking and communication sj\kills. I know I am articulate, so, by communication, I mean I need to keep up better with my online correspondences which can be overwhelming at times. The art of being persuasive, which is the skill I think you are alluding to here, always can be improved upon.

7 years ago

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overcast

Yes communication skill is very important. I have found out that while dealing with local clients. We have to explain them why some of the things are the way they are going to be. And this way we are going to tell them how we can be of good value to their problem. So that's one skill I think takes a lot of effort. I wish to learn that skill and make sure I can get my roots deep into the social aspect of freelancing.

7 years ago

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kgord

I am working at learning more about blogging and marketing, and this site is very helpful in that regard. It is simply one of the ways that I can work on improving my craft and putting my ideas out there to share with the world. This site is very instructive and all the information is free. I don't have to pay someone a gazillion dollars to learn it!

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

Sometimes, joining a community of people who share a similar interest and passion to you is the best think you can do! Regardless of how well you understand marketing, there are probably perspectives here on SEOclerks that you won't find easily or as accessible other places, being that so many of us are from different parts of the world.

That kind of information is invaluable, and as you said: free!

7 years ago

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explorerx7

The skill that I am aspiring to acquire is to be able to come up with topics that would be able to easily grab mass appeal This way, I would probably be able to be a successful relater which would enable me to earn something decent from my writing efforts. There are numerous writers and bloggers that are competing for a piece of the writing pie and for one to be reasonably successful in this regard they will have to be able to be more than just an ordinary attention grabber.

7 years ago

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TheArticulate

Mass appeal is something that I'd love to know more about as well. I'm beginning to study viral marketing techniques as precursor to some graduate-level studies I'm doing at university, and being able to understand mass appeal would help me greatly in determining how to make a successful viral marketing campaign.

Some people have it down pat on Facebook and YouTube, which is where I'll probably start studying when it comes to their methodology and tactics for spreading their content like wildfire.

7 years ago

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vinaya

I have learned web designing through self-study. However, my web designing skills are rudimentary. I am looking forward to improve my skills. I also use photoshop for graphic design, however, my photoshop skills are also basic. I want to attend a course and improve my photoshop skills.
I am a hobbyist photographer, I want to improve my photography skills. There are so many things that I want to improve.

7 years ago

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JonathanS98

Well, because I type 91 words per minute. I realized that the easiest niche for me to earn an income from online was a typing job. This led me to several areas. However, I landed on article and content writing. So I decided to build a career around that, which then turned into a somewhat passion I now continuously do. I like article/content writing because it leads me into other online niches. From freelancing per article to hosting my own content I produce and monetizing it for a profit. The goal is just to find a niche that works for you and your abilities, then expand upon it. So I guess my skills I want to improve on is monetizing my own content so I won't have to work as hard.

7 years ago

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PinkTurtle

I'm trying to improve my writing skills, I would like to come up with content more easily and faster. Also I would like to type faster, I haven't count how many words I can write per minute but I guess it would be a good idea to do it. You can make money by writing so easily but you need to be good at it so that people would actually buy your articles. Also I'm trying to make less and less orthographic mistakes when I write in english.

7 years ago

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giovanniiiii

I used to practice comprehensive writing but I gave up when many content writing mills have rejected my articles. It somehow hurt my ego so I had to stop for a while. I try to write articles sometimes to retain my skills as a writer while also practicing how to design too. It is better to develop not only one skill but also try to develop those skills that have relevance with that skill too.

7 years ago

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Barida

I have been in the freelancing business for just some months now and I agree with you that one needs to have some sets of skills to make it online. One thing is that it does not only help one to get works online, but it also increases one's chances of making more money while doing specific works. I would like to be a graphic designer simply because I've had that desire to doing drawings all my life.

7 years ago

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vhinz

I am currently developing my communication skills both in writing and speaking in English because I want to create good contents. I am from Philippines and English is not our primary language that is being use in our every lives. I found out that creating good contents in a blog or making e-books gives decent in come. I actually knew fellow Filipino that become a millionaire in creating and selling e-books in just 3 years. So having able to write and to speak in English will possibly help me to earn money. And this will help me to communication to many people around the world that is using the same language. I could share and exchange ideas to different kind of people. Just like what I am doing now, if I couldn't write or speak in English, I won't be able to become a part of this community.

7 years ago

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Krisleen

I focus on developing people skills. I once attended a self development training conducted by one of the motivational speakers here. I remember him saying that people skills is the most important skill. This includes communication skills (both verbal and written) that help you enhance negotiating skills as well as handling objections and rejections. Come to think of it, technical skills are useless if you don't know how to face clients and communicate about it effectively.

Since English is widely used worldwide, I focus on developing it even more so I can communicate more effectively as I develop my people skills. I keep up with English skills by writing everyday and communicating with my foreigner friends. I do freelance work that involves writing while interacting with people. With this, I can improve my skills while monetizing them. It's a win-win idea.

7 years ago

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ColdFlameChris

I want to improve my photo editing skills and writing skills as well for me to generate income from those two, which I haven't until now. Once I master on my photo editing skills, that the time that I'll try to sell my service to others and earn some money from it. Writing skills, on the other hand, has really needed a lot of practice to improve it and I also want to become a blogger or write an e-book but still haven't had an idea on when or how to start this up.

7 years ago

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mildredtabitha

I have only been focusing on my writing skills. I am still few months old in writing online.

I haven't paid attention to other skills that I can be able to do online and maybe it is because it never crossed my mind. I will now start focusing on it.

7 years ago

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jaymish2

I would say that I don’t have a fixed set of skills. I write a lot. I am trying to improve my writing skills, especially my copywriting skills. I’m also seeking to improve my affiliate marketing skills because I have started promoting products as an affiliate.I take an affiliate course every three months and I follow a popular copywriter religiously to upgrade and update my copywriting skills. I’m also thinking of learning Chinese so that I can get into translation. If you want to work online I think you need to have multiple skills.

6 years ago

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katrinasparks

Communication! Effective communication is essential for both individual and team success as it can help you reduce misunderstandings, develop strong relationships and establish yourself as an active team member. Learning to communicate effectively requires time and practice to master.

3 years ago

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shanzaaltaf123

If you're studying for the accounting exam help, there are a few things you can do to help yourself out. First, make sure you have a good understanding of what financial statements are and how they can be used to assess business performance. Next, make sure you have a solid working knowledge of accounting principles and how they apply to your specific business. Finally, practice accounting drills and questions from the accountant's examination kit to get the hang of it. online accounting tutor

2 years ago

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SEOClerks

What skills are you working to improve on?

What skills are you working to improve on?

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