Learning how to program has always been a personal interest of mine, and I often found myself kicking my own self to do better. I was good at what I did, and I’m even better at what I do now, but I always struck myself as some belittled developer. That is, until a some friends told me I should be making it a career with the work I’ve contributed. Doing this as a quick way to make money would be a misinterpretation, it takes knowledge and wisdom, but this does open others up to supporting themselves.

There are a few things I want to point out, in order to getting a better chance.

Building Profiles & Portfolio

Having a well organized portfolio to reference to makes discussions quicker and more to the point, and allows a better review to be hired.

• If you already haven’t, create some documents you can readily access. Obviously a Resume and a default Cover Letter are key, but keeping track of other things like Job Experience, Profile Links, References, ect. makes designing Job Applications more interchangeable and direct.
• Create/build and keep track of online profiles. Some common ones would be Linkedin, GitHub, StackOverflow. Make sure to have plenty of information that is well organized.
• Decide on a Portfolio to use as a central point that also links to other sites. I would be recommended using your own site, but using a public profile will do just as well.

establish and build profiles

Create Samples & Track Projects

Going by word isn’t always going to cut it, and of course you have to be able to walk the walk.

• Develop plugins & extensions. All this requires is the knowledge of what you’re building on. So you don’t have to worry about costs. Just make sure to link it to keep track of it; GitHub is pretty useful.
• Create the work beforehand, and allow others to demo it. Basically gotta prove yourself.

create Samples

Freelancing Websites

Perhaps this would be seen as the juicy part. However, that it is not for a few reasons. All sites in general want some kind of cut, and most don’t provide a proper environment to work in. Some provide some ideal features, but I personally haven’t found anything I fully endorse.

However, there are a few worth mentioning.

• UpWork – Considered ideal. The site offers the same thing as other public sites, but has key features that would normally be reserved in membership sites. For instance, they provide Skill Tests, Track Record, and a Time Tracker.
• Freelancer – Probably one of the more popular sites I came across. It’s more of just a job board if anything, and probably won’t produce the results.
• Indeed (That’s right) – As far as I know, Indeed provides the most central point for most businesses to post jobs, and that includes small businesses.

I’m always open to other suggestions, since there seems to be plenty of room for a site to become a general establishment to the public.

Quality Assurance

There’s 2 choices you’ll be faced with. A fixed price, or an hourly rate. I normally favor hourly rates since it can be hard to determine the severity of the situation. As a fixed price, getting from beginning to end is pretty much the only worry. However, as an hourly rate, there is the pressure from others worrying about the time being spent, and it’s completely understandable.

• Keep an open track of the projects. GitHub Projects or Trello are good examples.
• Visually prove the work. There’s freelancing time tracker apps to take screenshot, or you can record/stream your progress.