Ask HN: As a young developer, how can I launch a successful freelancing career? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: As a young developer, how can I launch a successful freelancing career?

#41

Post by r-cid » Tue, Feb 17, 2015, 7:23 AM UTC

Get a job at a successful development company. Learn all you can about the business from inside of a place that has it down.

I was freelancing as a teenager up until my early 20s, and I thought I was doing alright. Then I took a job at a place and learned a LOT. How to set more accurate deadlines, client interaction, how to properly hand off a project, how other successful developers are building software... a LOT.

I left that job after a year and started freelancing again but at a whole new level. I had made a ton connections at work for one, so finding a freelance project became a lot easier from that alone.

Re: Ask HN: As a young developer, how can I launch a successful freelancing career?

#42

Post by confiscate » Tue, Feb 17, 2015, 8:43 AM UTC

j45 wrote: post #30

confiscate wrote: post #18

why do you want to be a freelancer? Especially when you're a young dev with lots of energy and passion.

Freelancing teaches business skills that transfer into building a business, which is what every startup wants to grow up and become. Learning to create value that people want and will pay for, is also a very transferable skill.

i don't see the connection. if freelancing is such a transferable skill, then you'd see a lot of successful startup ceos with freelancing backgrounds

Re: Ask HN: As a young developer, how can I launch a successful freelancing career?

#43

Post by CalRobert » Tue, Feb 17, 2015, 2:05 PM UTC

kiraken wrote: post #31

cweagans wrote: post #21

Also, I hate to be "that guy", but spelling and grammar are both important if you're going to be selling $x0000 projects (and you should be). In this post alone, I noticed "wandering" and "tide to a platform". It's important. Always write as if a client is going to read it, because it's very possible that they will.

Didn't really proofread my submission, and i do apologies for the poor quality of my post

You submitted to hackernews. It made the front page. Whether or not you're a meticulous person by nature, not proofreading will suggest you have a lackadaisical attitude towards quality and correctness.