Freelancing

In the days approaching graduation, the number one question I was asked is, “What are you doing after?” Most of my friends were relaxing for some time and finding a job, a few had jobs lined up, and some were going to grad school. I fall in the third category. What exactly does that mean for me job wise for the summer now that I actually have a degree? Freelancing. I am finally at a point, I feel, where I can make freelancing my main source of income. I have grown a lot as a developer and a business man, and I actually have clients. More than one. While I have spoke about my business and some tips and advice, I have never talked about the subject of freelancing. Until today.

As many of my friends know, I think this is the best thing anyone can do. Start your own business. Work for yourself. Do what you love to do and do it your way. My brother and friend are into photography- sell your pictures. Take pictures for people. My friend is a teacher- tutor on the side. Why not? Anyone going into the workforce I encourage to open their own firm. Working for myself is an amazing experience that has helped me grow as a person. I get to work with people to attain some goal or idea they have. I get to learn new things as I go along, and get paid to do it. With web design, I have a tangible product on the web that anyone can view whenever they want.

So what do you do if you want to get into freelancing. Well for me it was a no-brainer. I was in high school and really had no expenses. I figured if people are willing to pay me to do what is essentially my hobby, why not. As I got older, I really started seeing value in my own work. It’s not just a hobby, it’s a commodity that people need and I am part of the few that can actually provide it. That is the most important lesson I’ve learned, and something anyone who wants to freelance should keep in mind. Do not short change yourself. I’ve spend a lot of time “cutting people breaks” and charging way less than I should have because I thought it was fun. I should have seen the value in my work. So that is the first thing you need to do to get into freelancing.

There is a lot more I could cover here, and maybe I will. But for now, Freelance Switch has a nice write-up on the basics of freelancing.