How Playing Around with New Technologies Landed Me a 6-Month Freelance Gig
blog.leif.io
blog.leif.io
I wrote a podcast transcription service using IBM's Watson API. And as a result, having realised it was getting a very crowded space and I had neither the energy nor marketing skills/money to launch it alone, I contacted the CEO of a leading transcription company and landed a gig to build out their mobile product. At least my app will now get a high profile launch, and not vanish without trace. Plus, I get paid.
If so, I'm glad things worked out for you! Well done. And if that wasn't you, congrats anyway :D
My recommendation is to start a daily project of some sort. Daily UI, Daily blog post, etc.
It gives you a chance to put out a steady stream of non-perfect work and show off your process to potential clients as well.
I suppose it's better than nothing. But then again, as mentioned, that's not saying much.
The message, I think, is that being conversant in new technologies gives you good opportunities to sell those skills. Author did not try hard, so his ROI on 6-month learning was measly (6-mo gig), but it shows opportunity is there if one aims for high ROI. At least that is how I read it.
A side project isn't strictly for learning or an investment to find a job. You fail to understand that a self employed person operates in a very different world of thought than an employee.
For me, side projects are "this is the diection I want to take my career (but no one yet has asked)." The crowd (aka The Market) might be "smart" but it can also be slow. If you're not ahead and/or anticipating then someone else (aka your "competition) certainly is.
The arc of the point - I think :) - is to get into a position where works chases you, and not you chasing it. It's not easy. But it's certanly possible.
The only acceptable way to "freelance", in my opinion, is to start or join a consultancy and sell something. And then you're not really "freelancing" anymore, so much as running a business.
Please note: I recognize that "not all freelancers" are like this. Generalizations aren't universal truisms, exceptions exist, and neither of those things is relevant to my comment.
You sound really condescending. Less than 150$ is not "essentially free labor", and the people working for those amounts are not illogically choosing to do so. Even among developers it's a small fraction that can pull in the amount you are eluding to making. 150$ an hour works out to $312,000 yearly at 40 hours a week.
A $150/hr freelancer who is busy for the year could reasonably expect to pull in about $100k gross (before any taxes, etc) assuming they take a few weeks off each year and bill about half their time or a little less. More if they automate a lot of marketing, have a local VA or someone doing the client phone calls, etc, allowing them to bill more. So the very successful ones are probably in the $150-175k gross revenue range before their taxes or paying anyone helping them.
I'm not saying @sidlls's implication that $150/hr is poorly paid isn't idiotic, because it absolutely is. Just pointing out that $300k will not happen strictly from trading 1 hour of work for $150 at any scale reasonable for a 1-person freelance shop.
Cue all the people saying it's "easy" or "just a matter of time" to get a $500k/yr job at Netflix or some garbage, but the truth is most software developers aren't going to work for any of the Big n companies, and will top out their comp around $125-175k cash and some RSUs that will be worthless 90% of the time. Even in Silicon Valley. So you get to make ~10% more in SV doing the same job you'd be doing in Minneapolis or Omaha or Pittsburgh or Charlotte or Reno for a cost of living that means you get to take home $500/mo in disposable income, sit in traffic for two hours each way, and pay one of the highest state tax rates in the country.
I'd rather make slightly less and have a maxed out 401k, Roth, be making double payments on my mortgage (how many people in SF can even have a mortgage, let alone pay it off in ~12 years, without being millionaires?), and be able to drive from my home to my office in less time than it takes the 2009 Patriots to make 5 touchdowns.
Government rate for unskilled workers is ~$1/hr over here.
That said, Congrats ishanjain28. I don't even get close to that :)
If they work for an hour a week, that amazing number really isn't that amazing anymore.
If they can sustain such a workload over time for hopefully much more than an hour a week (keep in mind, it was 1 free hour per 1 paid hour, so $75/hr average), then yeah, pretty freaking amazing.
I still don't know how to get out of that mindset.