How to Make Money as Freelancer with Programming and Software Development skills
>> Thursday, December 22, 2011
In today's difficult financial climate, more and more businesses are beginning to see the wisdom of outsourcing various aspects of their work to freelancers. Freelance resources have always been readily available for many business functions, including administration, content writing, accounting and web design, which can all be done from pretty much anywhere.
More recently, the amount of outsourced work available for programmers and software engineers has been on the rise, to the point where demand is beginning to exceed supply. So if you are stuck without a job, or in one you do not like or that is poorly paid, becoming a freelancer is something you may wish to consider.
A Few Considerations
Anyone can go freelance but, as with any life-changing decision, it is prudent to do a lot of careful thinking and research first. Being a freelance usually means working from home, at least to start with, so there are implications related to the ways you are permitted to use your house if you are renting it, for example.
If you have children at home, will you be able to find a quiet space to work where you will not be plagued by interruptions or inquisitive little fingers? Are you happy working totally on your own and do you have the motivation to mange your time sufficiently well to achieve deadlines? These are the type of personal questions you need to be asking yourself.
You will also need to research the implications of being self-employed in both financial and legal terms. There are some very good one-day courses available from the government-funded Business Link advice service.
They cover all aspects of self-employment from personal finance through to VAT, Income Tax and Accounts. The courses are run free of charge and supply plenty of valuable information and handouts to take away.
Advantages
• Choose when you want to work and for who
• Healthy work/life balance (with the right approach)
• Fewer work-related expenses (clothes, lunches, travel, etc.)
• Opportunities to broaden skills as you work
• Potential to earn more by working for several clients
Disadvantages
• Boredom + Lack of motivation = Lack of Productivity
• No guaranteed work or income
• Seasonal variations
• No company benefits (company car, pension scheme, sick pay, etc.)
Finding Freelance Work
Once you have become a freelancer, you are a business in your own right and you will need to promote and market yourself as a professional programmer and software developer.
One of the most important things you will need to work successfully from home is a good reliable broadband connection (you can check how good yours is free of charge at the Broadband Expert website) and ideally a website or blog of your own.
As a professional, start by creating a good profile on the networking website LinkedIn. You will not need to be a broadband expert to achieve this, as it is all relatively simple. Spend some time on the site exploring, interacting and joining some industry-related groups.
Lastly, register with some industry-related agency websites which specialise in matching up freelancers with potential clients. Most work on the basis of a freelancer bidding against others for advertised projects. Some sites are free of charge to use, but will take a fairly high percentage of earnings for work completed. Others have a monthly fee for registration but the percentage of earnings they take is lower.
Conclusion
Becoming a freelancer can offer the perfect work/life balance to those suited to the lifestyle, but it is certainly not a decision to be taken lightly or on the spur of the moment.
About The Author :
Lisa Jane is associated with various internet security related companies as their freelance and staff writer. She has been linked with some of the best web media companies and offers various ways for internet solutions. She excels in writing articles related to internet security, internet plans, Broadband Expert, Xfinity internet solutions, comcast deals etc.
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3 comments:
It is hard to get started as a freelancer, because it takes time to build up a reputation and a clientele. But once you get going, there is no life like it.
Yes, I guess, the hardest part is to start. I really want to be a freelancer but its too difficult to find some who can trust my work for I am a newbie. I guess I should work on my portfolio first.
Building a reputation is very difficult as you start to go on freelancing job. But you should strive harder in order to get your first job and if that happens, many more job will be available for you in the future. You should not also master one skill. You should develop more skills that are in demand in the online market like SEO, article writing and graphics design.
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