Freelance Programmers

spm_uk

spm_uk

spm_uk

Associate
Joined
5 Dec 2004
Posts
678
Hey all,

just finished University and trying to work out a career path :D just wondering if anyone here was a freelance programmer and your experiences being one. I know it's not a guaranteed pay check each month but the flexibility is very tempting :D

Cheers
 
I work freelance. As a supplement to my current job as a web developer.

Pay can be rewarding, as well as 'doing it for yourself' but it's a juggling game and for myself, trying to allocate enough time to my own clients has been a little stressful now and then.

Indeed I would love to go completely freelance, but getting that client base up first is a must, I'm not willing to start from scratch with no income.
 
I'd definitely try and get some experience first mate. I've only been out of uni a year now and there are a few self employed guys who work with us and they all say you would need about 5 years experience minumum before people would really take you serious out there. Its all about building up experience and contacts - only after a good few years and after getting some decent qualifications would I chance going freelance or contracting or whatever.
 
I'm a contract/freelance software & web developer and I would pretty much echo what ringo747 has said.

My advice would be to get yourself a permanent role with perhaps a small software company where there is a likelihood of having direct contact with the end customer, rather than being hidden behind a project manager/business analyst as might happen in a larger organisation. In this way you'll also be developing your customer-facing skills which are equally as important as your technical skills when freelancing. If you feel confident then you can start to take on little side projects - but make sure there is no conflict of interest with your employer.

I know individuals that have made the jump to contracting successfully after only a couple of years, but to achieve this they were highly motivated and keen to learn as much as possible. Getting yourself a mentor can also accelerate this process and give you a head start.
 
Im really interested in becoming a C# developer having experiance in the language and .NET framework im always learning trying to keep up with the times. Ive been looking for a .NET job but the majority require a few years work experiance even some junior roles. Does anyone have any advice to get into the industry im very motivated and self taught and have a great understanding of OO and development lifecycle, and thats a lot of ands sorry im half asleep lol
 
Just search search and search. Eventually you will find the right opening. I fell lucky I guess, came out of uni and landed a job as a developer/designer after a month. 2 years later I'm now senior developer for a large online marketing company.

Maybe look at some local design companies and see if they have any positions available, give them a call, a personal touch always helps rather than an email. Also try signing up to a few agencies that are web design orientated. First week off signing up I had 3 job offers, never went to the interviews so can't say how good they may have been. But definitely worth a try.
 
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