Freelance Programming - How to become a freelance programmer

How to become a freelancer? It’s actually easier than you might think, but it takes a bit of patience and a painful transitional period. I am assuming that if you are reading this, you are already a programmer, working full-time for a develoment company, bank etc.

It’s very tempting to look at the contractors you probably have sitting next to you from time to time and think ‘I can do this and get paid 3 times what I am getting paid now’ - freelancing is not that easy though if you haven’t got experience, so I would personally suggest to start looking for freelance programming work online first; you will probably have to bid for quiet a few projects at first to get some work, but as your online reputation and earnings grow it will become easier and easier.

 Tip: make sure you only bid for freelance projects you can successfully carry out in the timescales agreed. Bidding for work you cannot deliver successfully will only harm your reputation. Remember that you also have a full-time job and don’t get carried away by the biggest, more lucrative freelancing projects.

Having new freelancing work in the pipeline is always tricky, so I would suggest you don’t quit your full-time job until you are confident you can get enough freelance work; be it online, or through personal recommendations and word of mouth.

What is your experience with freelancing?

Freelance programmer