Launch Your Successful Freelancing Business. Get paid for your talents. Explore how to become your own boss by monetizing your expertise and obtain the freedom that comes with operating your career as a freelancer.

4.9

stars

30 ratings

Tatiana Mulry

2,736 already enrolled

Offered By

Building Your Freelancing Career SpecializationCalifornia Institute of the Arts

What you will learn

How to increase your success in a new business venture through overcoming your fears of failure, avoiding perfectionism, and staying motivated
How to find and win clients by standing out in a sea of competitors
How to package, price and pitch your services or products with confidence
How to manage your business operations through both lean and plentiful times

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

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Do you want to go from surviving gig-to-gig to maintaining a steady flow of income through your own freelancing business? How about gaining the confidence to leave your steady but stifling job and launch into a more rewarding career that will let you pursue your passions? If so, you’re in the right place! In this specialization, you will learn how to overcome imposter syndrome and finally get paid for your talents by equipping yourself with the basic skills to operate your career like a business and avoid running out of money through smart financial planning and a solid business plan. CalArtians who do not see a "Sponsored by CalArts" notice when enrolling can access this specialization by joining through the Coursera for CalArts program linked in the FAQ for this specialization.

Applied Learning Project

Will your business succeed? You will develop and refine your business idea and assumptions about it throughout the first four courses of this specialization, and finalize it with a plan you can use right away to launch your business in the fifth and last course of the specialization.

You also won’t be in this alone - there will be other freelancers in this course to help you practice the skills of networking and providing support to others to win new business. You’ll hone your skills in assessing the potential outcome of a business by reading the business plans of your peers and ultimately reinforce your belief in yourself to take the leap into full-time freelancing, or keeping a steady stream of additional income through your side-hustle.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 6 months to complete

Suggested pace of 2 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 6 months to complete

Suggested pace of 2 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 5 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Plan a Successful Freelancing Business

4.8

stars

27 ratings

The first course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization is focused on freelancers looking to define and solidify their philosophy, values and goals within their future business. Coursework will discuss the importance of understanding their competition and market position in a competitive business landscape, help them define what their unique value is, and how that relates to possible business approaches.

Course2

Course 2

Making Money as a Freelancer

4.5

stars

11 ratings

The second course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization is aimed at freelancers looking to integrate financial analysis and strategy into their business. Learners will discover and apply accounting best practices through creating a budget and financial plan and using it to set financial goals with rates and prices backed up by their own research.

Course3

Course 3

Launching Your Freelancing Business

The third course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization will help learners get their business plan ready to be public-facing and start finding work. The course will cover topics such as how to set boundaries with projects, how to build a public-facing portfolio and materials, and how to present one's work.

Course4

Course 4

Protect and Grow Your Freelancing Business

The fourth course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization includes an overview of laws surrounding freelance work and how to navigate them, how to prepare for taxes, intellectual property considerations, and how to protect one's work through legally sound contracts and agreements.

Instructor

Tatiana Mulry

Faculty

Extended Studies

6,951 Learners

5 Courses

Offered by

California Institute of the Arts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
I'm a CalArtian (student, faculty, staff, and/or alumnx). How do I take this specialization for free?
CalArtians can access all of the content in the specialization and earn a certificate at no additional cost by joining through the Coursera for CalArts program and then using their CalArts email address when registering for a Coursera account.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
Learners will get the most out of the Specialization if they complete the courses in the order in which they are offered.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
University credits are not available for this Specialization.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Building Your Freelancing Career Specialization

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project