Srinagar: Kashmiri youth have proved their mettle in different fields at local, national and global levels and graphic designing is no exception.
A youth Rubaitul Azad from Gulshan Nagar area of the summer capital has by dint of his hardwork and refined graphic design skills become a name in web design space.
“I was never academically inclined and preferred to spend his time exploring the world of technology and coding,” Azad said.
When he started his journey, his family members and relatives were “apprehensive” about how he was going to make a living just by using his laptop. “But I didn’t let my passion for technology go in vain and carried on to pursue my dream,” he said.
However, motivated by his grandfather, he started planning to make a career as a freelancer. Himself a businessman, his grandfather hand-held him in the initial years of struggle.“My grandfather is my inspiration. I always followed in his footsteps. He taught me everything. Most importantly, he taught me to follow my inner voice.”
The journey wasn’t easy. He used to feel “confused, lost, and anxious” about choosing freelancing as his career choice in his initial days. Azad worked tirelessly day and night to learn and gradually master the skills that would one day help him advance in his career.
As someone who developed a love for technology very early on in his life, he made sure to never let go of this drive and kept on learning new skills—from building websites and applications to immersing himself in the world of UI/UX designing and Search Engine Optimisation.
“There isn’t a speck in the web services universe that I have not managed to excel in,” he said.
Having worked on more than 300 plus projects and a clientele that is an exclusive mix of international, national, and local reputed brands, Azad has left an indelible print on each of his clients.
“I garnered a staggering 15 million+ views on the graphics sharing platforms Unsplash and Pexels and more than 100+ different businesses and organisations have adopted his designs, including industry leaders like Bloomberg, Business Insider, Android Police, NDTV, Hindustan Times, Yahoo, ABP News, MSN, Business Insider, India Today, News18, and AajTak.”
Azad’s work experience speaks volumes about his grit and determination.
“Am now committed to promoting the Gig Economy and the concept of freelancing among young locals,” he said. To further his vision of spreading awareness about freelancing among the people of Kashmir, Azad, a seasoned freelancer, has effectively trained more than 200+ students in the art of freelancing and various web services. When asked about his message to the youth, he said that “each individual should take up something they are passionate about and work towards building a life for themselves while making sure they are happy.”
“If a person invests in himself by learning new skills and working hard, then that person will definitely reach new heights.”
“A lot was going on during the pandemic. People were struggling to find jobs and feed their families; existing employees were getting fired at an unimaginable rate; and things started to go downhill even in the most established businesses and companies around the world. However, there was one industry that saw an exponential increase—freelancing. Freelancing not only allowed people around the world to work from the comfort of their home during a worldwide pandemic, but also helped people earn while people with regular jobs couldn’t,” he added.
“The gig economy is the way forward. Companies and businesses have started collaborating with freelancers instead of hiring long-term employees. Needless to say, freelancing has been a massive help to both businesses and individuals,” he said.
“I wish to keep encouraging and helping other people build a career for themselves in the Web Services and Freelance industries. I also believe that sharing his journey would be highly beneficial for kids and youngsters in J&K as freelancing is still a very new and alien concept for most of them,” he said.