Freelancing as a Techie
November 30, 2024
Freelancing can be rewarding, but are you doing it the right way?
Latest in tech
Freelancing as a Techie
Every techie has at one point in their tech career freelanced. As a matter of fact, some have taken freelancing as their major method of earning off their tech skills.
While freelancing might seem like a popular choice among techies, it still comes with its hurdles, though not without the cool things about it too.
In our tech community, I conducted a poll, and 75% of the participants chose being an employee over being a freelancer, which the remaining 25% chose.
That is understandable; freelancing can be unpredictable, and in this article, I will be taking you on a journey on what it means to become a freelance techie. Stay with me.
Why Freelancing Appeals to Techies
Flexibility and independence
Let’s be sincere: being in tech, either as a developer, designer, security professional, technical writer, product manager, or whatever it is—it is hard. Technology is always on the go, new technologies are coming out, things to keep up with, and with the AI wave hitting every single niche in tech, it’s a whole lot of frenzy. With all of these, many techies, especially those at entry-level or intermediate-level, would rather freelance than be boxed somewhere.
Global Opportunities for Remote Work
It's easier for freelancers to work remotely than normal employees. This makes freelancing ideal for those who are more enthusiastic about remote work.
Survival
Students make up a significant amount of entry-level techies; some work in a non-tech environment, and one way they can get the experience is to take up side projects that can fetch them money while still retaining the thrill of their tech skill.
The Ability to Choose Projects and Clients
There are people who value their flexibility so much that freelancing becomes the perfect model for them, as they can always switch to any client they wish with ease without having to worry about the overly formal nature of working as an organization’s employee.
Some even freelance while still having a main job. That’s the kind of flexibility freelancing brings.
Skills Needed to Succeed as a Freelance Techie
Technical Expertise in Demand
Unlike being an employee, a tech freelancer should be aggressively improving in their skills as they are always applying for new gigs. Employees may decide to update their skillset once a year, but for a freelancer, they would need to stay ahead of new trends to become the best applicant.
Soft Skills Like Communication and Time Management
Since freelancing involves gigs, they would have to be excellent communicators. Their medium of communication must be up and running at all times because gigs could come by anytime. Recently, I lost a $100/hr gig because I was on DND mode when I was contacted, and before I could respond, the gig had moved to someone else. Knowing how to manage these two areas is something every freelancer should master.
Marketing and Personal Branding
Apart from having the real skills, which I addressed earlier, this is the second most important skill every freelancer should possess. Being highly skilled with no visibility means that one won’t get any gigs. Freelancers, regardless of whatever skill they are freelancing in, should be proficient in sales. Never get tired of telling the world what you do.
Integrity and Accountability
From my experience, many freelancers lack this necessity, and this is something that not only makes it hard for them to succeed in the industry, it destroys their personality. If you want to keep getting gigs without hassles from a particular client, you should stick to honesty. Some often cut corners, overpromise, and underdeliver all because they lack accountability and integrity.
Freelancing is like multitasking; you can take up more than one gig at a time, and if you know that your workload would impact the quality of your work or your delivery, it is better you don’t take up that gig, or better yet, find a reliable hand to outsource to. Ochai Emmanuel, a top-rated freelancer on Upwork, once said that to succeed as a freelancer, one must take up gigs they can overdeliver on. It shows competency on the side of the freelancer.
Steps to Start Freelancing as a Techie
Choosing a Niche or Specialization
This is the very first thing one must do. Whenever anyone reaches out to me, telling me that they want to learn a skill, I tell them to choose a skill that has a balance between passion and the money. The passion will keep them going when the journey is rough, which it is going to be, and the money is what they are looking for.
Some skills are hard to monetize; some are more difficult to monetize as a freelancer. Find a balance between your passion and the money. This entails that you must do your due research before delving into it.
Building a Strong Portfolio
Your portfolio is your proof of work. It shows what you have done and helps you get a gig easily.
Depending on your skill, there are different ways you can create a portfolio.
For developers, a GitHub repo is standard; for designers, Dribble or Behance can do; for technical writers, Dev.to, Hashnode, or even Clippings.me should do.
Ideally, having a website of your own is the best, but for starters, you can use any of these or Google them up to check for what’s best for you.
You can work on personal projects, from simpler ones to more advanced ones, and add them to your portfolio. You can also share them on your social media handles, as this helps in building a brand identity.
Creating Profiles on Freelance Platforms
Next is to venture into freelancing platforms like MySpurr by Tobi Akinyele, Upwork, Fiverr, etc. in addition, social media platforms have themselves become a place to get gigs. All the gigs I have gotten as a freelancer, I got them from Facebook. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should choose a platform because others are there; I chose Facebook because I have more visibility there. Choose a platform and focus on building your presence and authority there.
The Upsides of Tech Freelancing
Earning Potential
The amount of money one can earn from freelancing isn’t fixed. It depends on your skill, expertise, the connections you have built, and sometimes luck.
Exposure to Diverse Industries and Projects
Being a freelancer means that one can work with multiple organizations in a year, garnering exposure from these places.
Skill Enhancement Through Varied Challenges
Unlike a job where what you are expected to do is actually predictable, freelancing can be very challenging, which is a good way to grow really fast.
I remember the time I had to write a 15k word technical guide for a product. It was the longest I have had to write, but I did it, and later on, it became something I could do quite well.
Challenges of Freelancing
Inconsistent Income and Lack of Job Security
Despite the fact that freelancers have the potential to earn more than their counterparts that are employed, the same can happen to them with lower income. Every freelancer has a bad month when gigs are hard to come by, except for the more experienced ones.
Managing Multiple Clients and Deadlines
It could be very difficult to manage multiple clients at a time, and more difficult to say no when one’s desk is full. One way to manage this is to outsource some gigs to others.
Staying Competitive in a Crowded Market
Since you are constantly applying for new gigs, you need to be very resilient to stay afloat. It can be draining, though.
Scams
Freelancing has a higher rate of scams than normal job seeking. Even on reputable freelancing platforms, there are still possibilities that unsuspecting freelancers can get caught up in the web of scammers. I have been a victim myself twice.
Conclusion
Being a freelancer is an exciting way to earn from a skill, especially if you are just starting out. The journey isn't always smooth, but one advice I will leave for every freelancer in tech reading this is, ‘Do not remain where you are. Upskill and upgrade. You can still be a freelancer and be doing well, but start from somewhere.’
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