Home ›› 29 Aug 2021 ›› Biztech
From his passion to his profession, freelancer Yasin Arafat shares his experience with The Business Post’s Rifat Islam on how newcomers can ace in their fields
The Business Post: How did you get into freelancing and what platforms did you use?
Yasin Arafat: I started learning photoshop as a hobby when I was studying in high school. My career began in 2009 when I joined a designing firm as a junior assistant designer.
After finishing my Secondary School Certificate exam in 2013, I started learning more about freelancing where I got to know that there are many online markets where I can sell my designs.
I expanded my skills with Illustrator and Indesign and started earning from online marketplaces. I sold my designs at GraphicRiver and Fiverr. I made $50 in the first month, and then it rose to $180 in the second month. After that I didn’t have to look back as I continue to try new skills in brand designing and do newer courses.
TBP: Your educational background and how you become proficient in this sector?
YA: Currently, I am a student of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at City University.
I have been working in GraphicRiver since 2013 and have become more dependent on selling templates online because the idea of a passive marketplace goes well with my nature. Then in 2018, I joined the Elite Author list.
TBP: How much do you earn per month?
YA: I made $2,400 in February 2018 and since then I have stopped entering my earnings from freelancing in the ledger because now both the source of income and my expenditure have increased.
While I am living in Bangladesh, I created Limino Agency with two Americans to provide technical and creative support to various New York-based startups.
I earned more than $1,000 monthly by selling the designs and templates I have made in the last one decade on three small passive market sites. I also run a skill-sharing boot camp on my platform.
TBP: Which areas offer higher income for freelancers?
YA: Freelance is a way one can sell their skill to a buyer and the product can be anything. Now, high income or low reward depends on one’s experience and choice of the client.
A typical designer charges between $50 and $150 for a logo. But I don’t take any project unless it is at $500 because we sell experience and philosophy.
However, website customisation and search engine optimisation can be easily mastered and help make a good income.
And, if you think you want to make more money in the long run, then brand design, website development, webapps, javascript, editorial design, among others, can be very lucrative sectors for you.
TBP: What problems do you face when it comes to freelancing?
YA: Freelance is a kind of taboo in our country. The idea is easy for those who are well-educated and are constantly updated with information from home and abroad. But, the rest of the world views it from a negative perspective.
Lack of payment gateway or PayPal is one of our primary problems. That’s exactly why I have to partner with Americans as we don’t have an established payment method in our country.
Besides, some fraud companies are more interested in extorting money from trainees rather than teaching them actual skills. It can be said that there is no proper department for freelancers from the government.
Apart from this, there is always the issue of slow internet connection and lack of technical support.
TBP: There is a saying that Bangladeshi freelancers bid the lowest to get work, what would you say about that?
YA: Our country is somewhat cheap when it comes to education and learning and the schools don’t provide students with marketable skills. But to learn any skill or achieve a degree in Europe or America, one has to invest a lot of money.
We also have geographical reasons. When we start negotiating from $5 to $500 but most foreign projects start from $1,000 dollars. So, we are in a somewhat convenient
place.
If we had got more support from the government in making our education system more skill-focused, more people could have become good workforces with hands-on experience.
TBP: Who are the competitors for Bangladeshi freelancers?
YA: I think India, Pakistan and American freelancers are our main competitors. In many cases, our growth in the IT sector is stymied by our
lack of proper skills and competencies.
When it comes to competition, it comes down to experience, skills and knowledge. The education system or skill development sector is less prevalent in this country. But on the other hand, India is putting more emphasis on technology and skill development. Thus, they can give good service and they are a bit ahead as they have rates similar to us.
TBP: What are your tips or suggestions for new freelancers?
YA: I advise the fresh freelancers to pursue continuing education as well as researching on certain topics or areas of interest to master the arts. Learn subjects like wordpress, content writing, SEO, marketing, graphic design, visual design, coding, video, animation, etc.
Focus on your talent and willpower on a particular work; it will save you both energy and time.
Advice for the matured, on the other hand, is somewhat different. Do a professional routine for six months, keep researching on any topic and keep the samples of your work as a portfolio and enter the market. You will move up the career ladder smoothly.
TBP: What are your expectations from the government in stoking further growth of the sector?
YA: I demand the government to allow PayPal operations in our country. So that we can hold PayPal accounts and bring in foreign currency from clients across the world.
Add skill or practical-based curriculum to the country’s education system, downgrading the taught courses. The government can help smart freelancers bloom so that the country witnesses a revolution in
freelancing.
I urge the government to make the internet more accessible and try to make bank transactions easier for everyone. Some 90 per cent of banks do not like freelancers as customers.
TBP: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
YA: I want to be a successful entrepreneur in this country. I will focus on making people’s social life easier using Artificial Intelligence.
In the next 10 years, I want to integrate my startup — ‘LifeStyle’— into everyone’s daily lives, directly and indirectly. I want to see myself as a successful Python developer.
