Fulltime Freelance?

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Jenk
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Fulltime Freelance?

Post by Jenk »

Do we have any fulltime freelancers here? If there are any at all?

I've not long been dabbling in the arts of freelance web-work, mostly just installing eCommerce products for clients, including setting up their catalogs and templating etc.

I've only been doing this in my free time as an extra income, but it's got me wondering if I could do this fulltime and so wanted to ask if there is anyone who does and if I have the right idea about it.

Basically, my main concerns are of course reliable income/job security - is there a market out there for people who freelance and gain "contracts" for say a period of atleast a couple of months of secured employment, or is that asking too much of the freelance market?
Charles256
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Post by Charles256 »

depends.i'm no expert (not by a long long long long long long long (repeat for me) shot) however I have had one client that we've worked together for a month now, it's nothing to write home about but i've made a few hundred and chances are i'm getting more work from him here in a week with a few more hundred coming in.. So i write all this tos ay I imagine if you had a big enough client base from the go it's possible....
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shiznatix
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Post by shiznatix »

I believe it is possible to make a living off freelancing depending on where you live. If you live in some horribly expensive city then no, probably not. But! If you live in some cheeper city then yes, its possible as long as you are only supporting yourself.

Me being a college student I have lived the past month off of freelance work but I don't recommend doing it. The work is there and the pay is not THAT bad, but having a steady job where you can go to a office and see your boss and talk to other employees is much better and has a much more secure feeling.

Heres how I play it: I get a job here in the city. If the pay sucks or my boss sucks or I just hate the work then I leave and I freelance while I am looking for a new job. That way you will have money no matter what to pay the bills so you don't have to worry about much and you are constantly building on to your portfolio so once you do get a job then you will be able to get more money because you are that much better.

Final conclusion: Only freelace as a way to be able to have the job that you want. It keeps you out of being stuck at a dead end job.
Ree
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Post by Ree »

shiz, do you freelance for locals only (Tallinn/Estonia)? If so, how do you find your clients?
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onion2k
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Post by onion2k »

Ree wrote:shiz, do you freelance for locals only (Tallinn/Estonia)? If so, how do you find your clients?
Other devnet forumites PM jobs to him. ;)
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Post by josh »

I freelance but i let the local web design companies find work for me, in return i work "through" that company. my current project has a 4 month contract and im always swamped for work. probably cause of my affordable rates
Ree
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Post by Ree »

onion2k wrote:Other devnet forumites PM jobs to him. ;)
Really? Good for you, shiz! :D

Now seriously guys, you're lucky to have enough jobs to forward them others.
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Post by timvw »

I've noticed that if you post enough helpful messages people will start asking you if you can do a couple of projects for them... As always, start small and grow from there... That way both sides can build up a relationship of trust (And for both sides the chances for being ripped off are reduced)

The same applies for offers in the "real" world.. Usually you start with a couple of small projects, and mouth by mouth does the rest :)

I don't think it's very sane to start as a fulltime php freelancer. At first do it after hours and ater a couple of months evaluate where you are.. This way you get better insights in your possible markets... And which ones you want to target (local companies, online bidding, ...)
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John Cartwright
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Post by John Cartwright »

I consider myself half-freelancer. I go on a per-contract basis, but these contracts usually span over several months. So to answer your original question: Yes, I would say it is possible.
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Jenk
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Post by Jenk »

righto, I'll add this to my potential money earning list.
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m3mn0n
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Post by m3mn0n »

I'd highly recommend buying project management books and business books. Specifically, business books that talk about contract negociations, marketing, and working with clients.

It's a very viable career option. You just really need the right setup and skill set (both technical and business) to pull it off long-term.

With me, it worked great but I eventually decided to just go from "freelaner" to "CEO/Lead Developer". Why? Because I thought it was so annoying having to do the same things over, and over, and over, when I could simply create a few products once, then sell them a thousand times. But you need to have a very high quality product (and make sure it's entered into a viable market) and you need the right resources (finances and whatnot).

A massive business grant wasn't really an option for me so I've taken up a full time job so I can financially support my venture and create the products in my spare time and days off.

So far the plan is going good, but I'm a bit worried because I got promoted at the full time job I got and it's sort of turning out to be a very well paying job and it seems like it could be a career. =P

Decisions...decisions... ;)
Ree
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Post by Ree »

Yeah, just I'm having a really hard time getting ANY freelance job... For example, I tried scriptlance... well, I think it's just a joke really. Bids are terribly low, I simply get mad when I see them.

The 'problem' with me is that since I'm a newcommer so to say, I have pretty much nothing to show others. I have been reading up on things more than I've been coding. However, it was much more useful for me than simply writing low quality code instead.

The locals aren't willing to pay fair price either... actually they aren't that interested in web development services at all, they simply think they don't need a website or just don't care if they have a half-working one.

It really IS difficult when you're starting out.
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Post by Shaneckel »

I attempted free-lancing but failed. I guess when me and shiz went to barnes and nobles, I should have picked up a php book like he did instead of lightwave and graphics.
:roll:
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raghavan20
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Post by raghavan20 »

Ree, I understand you are a student like me. I know how difficult it is to get technical jobs when you are a student. I do not know where you are? But you can get jobs in London...there are so many contract jobs available but most of the people would not expect a student to have so much skills to do those jobs. But we have to meet them and convince them of our capabilities and we should have really good projects on our side, if not commercial ones atleast projects that we developed to fill our resume.....

I see most of the contract jobs are asking for people with atleast two years of experience and very rarely I see people asking for developers with less experience....if somebody asks for developers with less experience then you would be involved more in Web design projects since employers prefer people with considerable commercial development experience for Web development jobs.
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Nathaniel
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Post by Nathaniel »

Volunteering has worked out well for me. I answered a request for free php work a while back, did the work satisfactorily, and whenever he's needed more php work done, he's contacted me. I now have a contract to overhaul his entire site.

Of course, that's for me as a student - I have the time to devote to volunteering like I did, and with my small portfolio, it's almost necessary.

Having relationships with people who will need such work done is much better than spending your time bidding for scriptlance projects.
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