There is a saying that says you will not survive this world if you don’t move comparable with the technology world! This saying is so relevant today more than ever, technology is running, and people are chasing it down. It is either you chase it, or you trip and fall and then get trumped by the packed crowd. If you are one of those chasing the technology, “Gigs” must be a familiar word.
Perhaps you have already been trumped on by the crowd, don’t worry, take my hand and let us find out together what in the world are gigs!
How would you define a gig?
I know you have heard of part-time jobs/daily wage labor, or maybe you have been in one. A non-permanent job is called part-time or sometimes if it’s a non-skilled referred to as a daily wage job where you work and get paid per the specific task done. Gigs are just another way of saying part-time jobs or even daily wage jobs. Gigs can be both offline and online. Offline gigs are those part-time jobs that require you to be physically present in a specified area of the job can be an office or even a field for you to perform your job while online gigs on the other hand have transitioned from the offline gigs because of the digitalization but also, we cannot leave behind the adverse effect of COVID-19.
Want to join the gig economy?
The gig economy is not a new concept in East Africa, although it has gained popularity in recent years due to how fast technology is growing and people are chasing it, remember! It is mostly associated with digital platforms that facilitate the availability of short-term or freelance work. A freelancer is anyone who works in the gig economy world, that is obtaining gigs from the digital platform and is paid with digital money without considering the location.
Wondering how you can pick yourself up from being trumped on and start running with the tech world, don’t worry, the GetPaid community is the right place to begin your journey. Join our network and meet with other freelancers as well as gig workers, you will find a community of people to run with so that you won’t have to run alone.
Opportunities to grab in the gig economy in East Africa
GetPaid Africa has made life easy for the East Africans in the digital world, and also for those who want to start in the gig world. It is a platform that gives basic needs as a gig economist which are the community, the wallet as well as the cryptocurrency trading platform, learn more on how to get these basic needs for survival by clicking here.
The important thing to note is that digitalization has facilitated the transition of some traditional offline gig work to online gig work. Opportunities are in the digital platforms where you would see all skills that are needed, and you can build on any as long as you are sharpened and ready to work. Is it not exciting to know that you can use just your talent and skill to earn a living? Digital platforms have made it easy for you to meet with your dream clients from every corner of the word world who can appreciate the skills and talent you have. To learn more on how to start winning as a freelancer in East Africa, then read the stories here!
The gig economy isn’t smooth sailing!
Despite the gig economy being the working model of the future, it is not smooth sailing as it may sound. Perhaps after reading this, you are going to be motivated to enter our GetPaid community, which is the number one thing to do.
One of the early challenges that you encounter will be the need to have a ready-made portfolio of the skill set you would like to offer to your client. This is a challenge because most people entering the gig economy have not built many portfolios yet on their skills, hence it is hard to acquire the client at first. Picture this, when it’s your first time starting a business, you will need to give yourself and your customers time before you can start to make a profit in the business you’re doing. The same is in the gig economy you will have to spend time some time making little or no profits at all. But you will come to see that it’s worth it in the end.
While waiting to settle in, just allow yourself to learn from the community of those who came before you. Do not hesitate to take online courses of your respective skillset from e-learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, edX, etc.
Gig Economy is the future!
The gig economy in East Africa is growing vastly because of the need for work independence, more income, and as well as the undeniable unemployment challenge. East African youths need to grab on to the opportunities out there. There is a search for rear talent like it has never been before and all we need to do is never let go of the opportunity to go a step further in the gig world, this is the direction technology is headed!