Ask HN: Being a learner as a freelancer? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Being a learner as a freelancer?

3 pointsraphinou3 comments

After 13 years of professional activity in IT covering multiple areas (sysadmin, data management, programming, project management) I went back to university to get a Master in CS. It was one of my best decisions! Now, the end of my studies is nearing, and I would like to continue learning in my professional activities as freelancer/self-employed. The problem is, a freelancer is called for his expertise, and not for letting him learn new stuff from the company's employees.

What is great at university is that you learn from people who really know their stuff, and that's what I'll miss most. I've always learn t by myself, but now I would enjoy learning from others, also in my professional environment.

I understand that could not be realistic, but in that case, do you have tips or suggestions?

Edit: shortened text

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Here's some advice that I took from HN a while back and have benefited greatly from:

Market yourself as an expert in your field and not someone that just 'wants to learn,' even if that is your primary goal. Businesses (and any potential clients) are in it for a profit, and they generally want people who appear to know what they are doing rather than someone who is looking to learn. Now, keep in mind that you will most likely be learning a lot through challenges that arise - this is actually the fun part (in addition to the paycheck)!

By now, you probably know a few people in the business. Email, call, or perform any other forms of reaching out to these people. Google "X freelance jobs in X city." Update your LinkedIn. Go to local Meetups (meetup.com is great) and hand out business cards (these can actually be ordered cheaply via internet sales). This may all seem like obvious information to you, but go ahead and add it to what you are already doing.

Also, the most effective resume is a portfolio.

Good luck in your future endeavors!

"The problem is, a freelancer is called for his expertise, and not for letting him learn new stuff from the company's employees."

Being called on for your expertise is not exclusive to learning new stuff (from anyone).

I suggest that you begin testing the boundaries of freelancing rather than trusting your own assumptions or the common beliefs of others.

>I suggest that you begin testing the boundaries of freelancing rather than trusting your own assumptions or the common beliefs of others.

That's exactly what I plan to do, hence my question, but I hoped to get better tips than 'try it'.... Sharing your experience would have been interesting.

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