Well, I’m now living proof that if you pursue doing what you want to do in a field you want to be in you can end up doing it for a living.

It was less than a year ago that I went on Craigslist to try and rustle up some side work as an HTML handyman when I landed a few gigs with a successful SEO company.   Now I’m going on board with them full time as their Lead SEO Technician.   I’ll be making more money with them than I do at my current 9 to 5 office job, and I’ll be working from home.   We’re busy as hell, so there will be a lot of work for me, but it’s fascinating stuff that I love to do.

And, they are a good company.   As many of you know, finding a good, trustworthy SEO company is like finding a good, trustworthy mechanic…next to impossible.   That’s one thing I dug about this company from day one: they’re straight shooters that don’t promise what they can’t acheive and often acheive results beyond what they do promise.

I’ve been trying to hustle up web design work in order to bulk up my own portfolio before implementing a hardcore SEO campaign on my own web design site. As I’ve mentioned before, Craigslist is a great place to snag small web design gigs, but there are also several sites out there that specialize in helping freelancers find work.

Here’s a few I’ve been checking out over the past few days that look really promising. These also offer freelance opportunities for other skill sets such as writing, media production, marketing, accounting, etc.

All of these have free basic memberships, but most require some level of paid membership to get real benefits from the service:

Guru.com

DesignQuote.net

WebDesigners123.com

iFreelance.com

Project4Hire.com

ContractedWork.com

FreelanceAuction.com

eLance.com

GoFreelance.com

Whether you’re a web design guru or just know enough HTML/CSS to accomplish the simplest of things, there’s always someone, somewhere on this planet who could use your help.

A lot of people and businesses with websites need help in updating them for various numbers of reasons. You could help them out for a few bucks. This is how I got my start on the road to extra income…

I had done web design for myself and a few friends but had never attempted it professionally. Eventually it occurred to me that I might be able to become a full fledged web designer guy - even though at the time I only new the basics of HTML and hardly any real CSS.

So I went to Craigslist and started looking for any jobs or gigs in the web design listings that I thought fit my skill level. Here’s how to do this quickly and easily to find gigs anywhere in the world:

1) Go to Craigslist.

2) Select any city to start with.

3) Select web/info design under the jobs category.

4) In the search options at the top of the page put a check in “telecommute” and then click on “search.”

This will bring up all web/info design jobs that allow telecommuting - meaning you can work from anywhere - even sitting on your toilet…but turn your webcam off. Email any ads with jobs you feel comfortable performing a bid and then repeat the steps for other cities.

The first gig I found doing this was with an SEO company that needed me to take a few static layouts and turn them into multiple page websites. It paid $400! Added bonus: I still get enough regular work from this company that the money earned amounts to that of a part time job.

Granted, I got a bit lucky with that first shot, but even if someone just needs a one time update to a single page on their website, jump on it! Tell them you charge $35 per hour (or something reasonable) with a one hour minimum. If the job only takes you 15 minutes you’ve still made $35 that you didn’t have before! And if you do a good job, you will be remembered. I have a few people that periodically email me for help with small jobs like this.

Set up a PayPal account and you can email invoices for your fees all over the world!