Page 1 of 1

Freelance prospects

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:46 pm
by dpivs
Is everyone doing fairly well? In terms of getting freelance contracts? I'm in southern california, and I see a fairly decent number of postings on craigslist, but haven't really made much headway in getting new clients. Is the php/mysql dev market just saturated around here or something? Just slightly frustrated I guess.

Re: Freelance prospects

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 1:21 am
by Gabriel
With Silicon Valley and a ton of web companies in that area, I'm sure there are a lot of PHP programmers taking up all the jobs. If you don't already have a decent portfolio, I recommend getting one together by either volunteering for open-source projects or taking freelance jobs over the Internet.

Re: Freelance prospects

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 2:46 am
by onion2k
dpivs wrote:I'm in southern california, and I see a fairly decent number of postings on craigslist, but haven't really made much headway in getting new clients.
The most common mistake any freelancer makes, or any business for that matter, is thinking clients will come to you. Very occasionally they might, but not often enough for you to make a living. You have to go out there and find work. And I don't mean advertising. You need to go to the sorts of events that business owners go to and network. Sell your service.

Being able to sell is, in my opinion, a more important skill than knowing how to code when it comes to being a freelance developer.

Re: Freelance prospects

Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 6:43 am
by supermike
I'm having quite a lot of trouble, myself.

So off I go to the freelance sites listed here...

http://phpkitchen.com/2005/01/php-freelance/

...and I tell you, this is frustrating. They either have one or more of the following issues:

1. Exams. They require an exam. Look, I've got enough work on my own working on learning new skills, finishing previous contracts with warranty work,

2. Free Is Not Free. They require payment from the developer to do anything, even though they claim the service is free.

3. Escrow Sounds Like S c r e w. They require an escrow, which I believe is a good way for developers to get ripped off because the clients can merely say, "I'm not satisfied." Instead, I wish to get paid on my terms, which are 20% up front on tasks costing $3000 and up, or $2000, whichever is less. Then, I like to get paid every 2 weeks or every $2000, whichever comes first, unless I'm missing milestones. If the task is under $3000, I am flexible and either ask for nothing up front or perhaps only $200 up front. My estimates are free unless I need to request proofs of concept. Proofs of concept are negotiated and usually run in the $50 to $250 range, per task. And I think that's pretty reasonable.

4. Weak Search. They only have permanent positions and don't give one a way to break out the search in various ways.

5. Not Enough Jobs. They don't have enough jobs.