Freelancers: The New Face of the Workforce

According to Freelancing in America: A National Survey of the New Workforce, 40 percent of the workforce—21.1 million people—are independent contractors.  Another 5 percent—2.8 million people—are freelance business owners.

When faced with the prospect of underemployment or temporary employment many workers have decided to freelance and the number of freelancers is expected to grow to 65 to 70 million over the next decade.  This would mean that over half of the total workforce will be freelancers.

If you are a freelancer or considering making the switch here are the top ten skills that are in demand as reported in a surveys conducted by Freelancer.com and Elance.com:

1. IT & Programming
2. Design and Multimedia (These include: Illustration, Photoshop Design, Banner and Logo Design)
3. 3D Rendering, Modeling and Animation
4. Android and iOS Development
5. Social Media
6. Presentations (PowerPoint and Report writing)
7. Accounting
8. Writing and Translation
9. Marketing, Strategy and Public Relations
10. Business Management

Looking for freelance gigs? Here are some sites where you can find jobs just for your skill set:

https://www.freelancer.com

http://www.craigslist.org

https://www.odesk.com/

http://www.elance.com

http://www.peopleperhour.com/

Need to update or obtain new skills to launch your freelance career?  KnowledgeCity has courses in Business Management and Computer Software.  Try the first 3 lessons of any course for free!

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Create Your Own Festive Greeting Cards

Halloween is coming soon! Rather than spending a fortune on holiday greeting cards (which can cost up to $5 a card!), why not design your own?

Programs like InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Publisher, Word, and even PowerPoint allow you to create your own high-quality cards that are customizable with personal images and messages. You can even create customized labels for your card envelopes. Click here for our blog post on design and layout tips.

Tip: Remember, paper makes all the difference in the look of your card, so be sure to pick out a good quality or paper stock. Try printing out your card first on plain paper, to make sure everything looks okay and will fold the way you want it to. If you're using a card template, make sure to note the size of paper the template is using (these typically use the 8.5x11in. paper size). Envelopes can be purchased at a department or crafts store. A 6x9 envelope is a good size to use for a half fold card using 8.5x11in. paper.

People will appreciate the personal touch of a handmade card just as much, if not more, than a store bought card. Plus, family photos are a great touch when sending cards to relatives and friends.

Need help navigating the Microsoft and Adobe programs? No problem! We offer video training tutorials in both suites, complete with in-depth examples to really help you understand how to work with the available tools. Check out the first 3 FREE lessons of each course to get a feel for the programs!

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Digital Imaging with Adobe Illustrator CS4 Training

KnowledgeCity's introduction to Digital Imaging with Adobe Illustrator CS4 is the first step toward creating professional graphics and visual effects. Learn the power of 2 and 3 dimensional vector artwork, including how to improve your productivity with brushes, create new formats for text along curved lines, within shapes, and as objects, and customize shape and object drawing and image tracing with the Pencil and Line tools. This course builds a firm foundation for a future of creating dynamic images with the number one graphics software in logo design, illustrations, and Web development.

Additional Course Topics

• Use of rulers and guides
• Changing colors of objects and paths with fill and stroke
• Creating precise shapes with the Pen tool
• Color management and selection
• How to instantly clip parts of an image or objects with masks
• Applying transparency effects to native and imported objects
• Use of gradients to fade and mix colors
• Creating smooth transitions between objects and colors with the Blend tool
• How to organize, isolate, mask, clip, select, move, and edit with layers
• Making fine adjustments to letter spacing with the kern/track options

Check out our computer software courses and other digital imaging courses, including more Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop!

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Welcome to the Future of Knowledge

Employees at KnowledgeCity met behind closed doors today to discuss the company's future website and subscription structure.

KnowledgeCity.com, provider of high-quality online training tutorials in career skills, computer software, and financial strategies, plans to keep their current all-you-can-learn format, but now, for a limited time, they're offering a money back guarantee on their product. Sign-up now to become a citizen of KnowledgeCity and you'll receive thirty days to test the product and see your progress. If you're not happy, cancel for a full refund.

Currently, KnowledgeCity members, or citizens, receive full access to online training tutorials and manuals in such courses as Understanding Short Sales, Basic and Advanced Investing, Administrative Support, and even popular software programs, such as Microsoft Office Suite and the Adobe Suite.

Become a citizen of KnowledgeCity today!

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