Elsa Monteith, 23, knew that she wanted to find her feet in the creative industries after university, but she felt she did not fit into a single job title. Her portfolio career is now made up of co-presenting a breakfast radio show, editorial work for an ethical design studio, producing film work and writing stories for digital publications. When she was at university, Monteith says: “I never thought of [freelance work] as realistic, wise, or possible. It was only when I was presented with mentorship, guidance, and the assurance that it’s a realistic possibility did I think I could reasonably avoid a conventional 9-to-5.”

Monteith took the unusual step of going freelance straight after graduating. Rather than taking an entry-level graduate job, she stitched together her ideal career from a variety of roles. She’s not alone. In a tough jobs market for recent college graduates, half of the US Gen-Z workforce (aged 18-22) have freelanced in the past year, and of those, more than a third (36 per cent) started doing so since the onset of Covid-19, according to a recent report from Upwork.

As the pandemic threatens mass youth unemployment and shakes up the labour market, more young people are expected to strike out on their own. So how do you go it alone from the start?