I was interested in gathering insight on what life is like being a freelance graphic designer/webprogrammer. I will be going back to school this fall and I have one year left to complete my degree in Web programming and a minor in graphic design. I'm curious to know what is life like having a career in this field? (1) What are you likes and dislikes about the career? (2) With the time you have spent in this field...what would you do differently if you could start all over again? (3) What makes a successful freelance (Webprogrammer and/or Graphic Designer) (4) What are some common pitfalls to avoid? (5) What are some things you would suggest to someone looking to get into a career in this field? Thanks Gents.
Hi Champster Here's my input: (1) Likes- freedom, work hours to suit (well, in our case anyway), choices, not having to "work for the man", pride and motivation because we are working for ourselves not making money for someone else for which we get a little cut, working mostly on our own sites mean we work on something we are interested in and care about. . Dislikes- main dislike is how uncertain a steady income can be at times. Also, sometimes (though this doesn't happen often, as usually there is some leeway and we try to keep on top of things), no matter how late it is or how sick or tired you are, there can be something that just can't wait, has to be done, so you have to do it. (2) Start working for ourselves much sooner- realising we didn't have to "work for the man", that there is another, hopefully better, option. If we'd started, even on a part time basis, years ago, we'd be much more advanced by now! We wasted so many years doing the same kind of things for someone else, and have nothing to show for it. (3) Creativity, talent, ability to work out and stick to a plan of action, self motivation, reliability, good customer relations with your clients. Or if you are mainly working on your own sites and making money from them, all of the previous to yourself. (4) Don't go it alone with no money behind you (unless you live at home with parents who are happy to support you while you get going.) Make sure to put aside a good buffer of savings- 6 months to a year of expenses is good- and keep that there always for emergencies/times of no income! They do happen! Don't just spend all day in your little computer world. Make sure you allow time for other things, and for your family. Get enough exercise, do regular stretches. Don't fall into the trap of munching all day on easy unhealthy stuff while staring at your screen. You can go through a lot of junk that way, and suddenly look in the mirror and wonder who that mountain looking back at you is! Make sure you have proper contracts, and that the client understands fully what will be included for the quoted price, and the sort of things that will be considered extra. Some clients have a continual list of changes or additions... especially "just this little thing" which ends up requiring massive changes of almost everything and hours more work! Get payment, or part payment, before you hand everything over, if possible. (5) Start now! While still at college, start creating your own good sites (if you haven't already) and monetizing them with Adsense or other affiliates. These will bring you money to start you off- and can grow to quite substantial amounts if done well (but don't fall ino the trap of creating just crap, especially with Google's latest crackdowns)- good original content and fresh design. They will also be good examples of your work for prospective clients. (You may even end up making enough from your own sites that you decide you don't need to take assignments from anyone else, or can be very choosy.) Also, advertise your services on DP and elsewhere. And provide really good work and service. This will make you some money, but also more examples and references for prospective clients. Never stop learning, researching and keeping up with this rapidly changing medium! Read books, industry magazines and journals, make use of the wealth of online information (but realise not everything online is necessarily 100% true, legal, or even relevant to your particular situation.) You could always try to get at least a part time position (or even an unpaid work experience position) in a business within the industry, for on the job experience, contacts and future references. However, if this doesn't sound like what you'd like to do, you may have what it takes to get there by yourself. Network- make contacts on DP and any other places of a similar nature. If there are any appropriate local conferences where you live, get along to them and get to know people who work in the field. Hope this has been helpful. Oh, I'm a "Lady" not a Gent.
Hi, I've been a web developer for 2 years now, so here is my input: (1) What I like about this is the liberty you have, I mean you can organize the time as you wish. What I don't like is also the liberty because at first you have to learn to be well organized to be able to joggle with 3-4 projects at a time and have also a personal life. (2) I don't have many regrets on this, maybe I could of worked harder but I am content with what I've done so far. (3) The success comes firstly from talent, perseverance and discipline. And the willingness and interest to ever learn new things. (4) You should avoid customers that don't respect you. And you should avoid getting in business in which you will not have the certainty you will get paid. (5) If you are looking to get in this I suggest go learn a lot, advertise yourself on the local market, there will always be a friend of a friend that needs a website done and be a good manager because you will be a one man company responsible with marketing, client relations, developing and so on. And last but not least respect your customers, it's better to have a working relationship than to go from flower to flower. How you find some use for my humble advice
Thanks a bunch for your valuable insight. This is a wealth of information for me on what to expect and the common pitfalls to avoid. As you two mentioned, I think the liberty is what I like the most. Particulary so because I can relocate and go anywhere in this career. This has to be one of the most important things to me. Next would be that I would be the owner of my operation and like you said Night Owl 'not work for the man'. I'm a FedEx driver now so I do plan on keeping that job as I like it very much. However my goals are to have something of my own outside of the "Purple Promise"
Champster the main idea is to do what you like to do in life. Freelancing is also risky if you can't find business and it can lack teamwork if you appreciate that. I wish you good luck!
yaeh, freedom! no pressure from your boss, you own your time, lunch break anytime, you build your own idea.. dislike, sometimes you just get too lazy to work and skip your job...