I’m having increasingly serious thoughts about becoming a ‘digital nomad’, i.e. finding a work/life pattern where I do piecework / gig work / contracts etc so that I can stop and start as I please and freely travel/rest/whatever in between.
This would be done either on a freelance website, or by going self-employed and gaining a reputation so that there are enough clients to pick and choose work when I feel like doing it. I think the self-employed option sounds better. Obviously this couldn’t happen over night, but people do it for all sorts of professions (I think programmers are by far the best placed of the digital professions to achieve such a thing).
I have professional experience in web and app development, but I think I’d aim for the web market for finding clients etc because there’s likely more work out there. Plus I have my own server space so I can host client websites etc without issue. I would probably aim for small web jobs, for little companies, start-ups etc who need something better than WordPress can offer.
So, .NET devs of Reddit, have any of you achieved this, or are considering doing it? Any thoughts? Thanks!
I have been a contractor for many years. Life is good. When I put my resume online my phone rings off the hook. .Net core is turning heads in corporations again. This is a good time to be .net developer.
As a contractor I still have to show up for work at 8am and work a full day even if I am working remotely. I’m not sure what type of work you want to do but in my world the idea that I can make my own hours and show up when I want is not realistic.
I spend A LOT of time on personal projects. I mean big projects – not hello world. I do this so I can remain current. I also like to have code ready to show if a client asks “Do you have experience with…”.
Plus I have my own server space so I can host client websites
Low margin high risk work. Someone hacks your server you are going to be hating life. Suggest you instead learn Azure and double your bill rate.
Yeah I always do personal projects to make sure I’m up to date. The thing about starting at 8am or whatever is totally fine with me – my main aim is to do something like contract work, ie 5-6 months of work, then take a break if I wish.
Fair point about learning Azure. I was thinking that might be a requirement. I I’ll look into it, thanks.
Most of the non-starving “digital nomads” have a stable job that lets them work remote. Freelancing takes a lot of connections to do well. That’s hard to manage when you travel a lot or live in the middle of nowhere
Yeah remote work is another big consideration, but it still seems a little restrictive. Lately I’ve seen a lot of contract work advertised, ie 5 months at £X per day. Perhaps something like that could work.
I’ve been freelancing since 2004. I would suggest having a starter contract before jumping in blind. Maybe an accountant as well. As for clients, be aware you maybe supporting your own code for a very long time. I get calls that I dread some days. The eternal WALP.
Yeah I definitely wouldn’t take a blind leap. Good to know that it’s possible anyway!
A couple of tips I can give about freelancing here:
create a well rounded portfolio of work, preferably with a few known projects. Be sure you can fully explain everything in your code, because you will probably be asked.
build up a significant amount of savings. Ideally, 6 months to a year is a good start, since sometimes freelancers have breaks in getting work like that. Keep this topped up too
on the money note, take whatever you think a project will probably cost and add 50 – 100%. You’re going to deal with revisions, changes etc so don’t shortchange yourself. Also you’ll need to pay for your own technology, internet, freelancing fees if you use upwork etc. Be prepared to have a high hourly number and back it up with why
but unless your specifically working hourly for a client, you don’t need to give an hourly breakdown, if you do, they may expect you to work every hour you charge. I’ve had it happen before, and it’ll cause a project to be overworked and sometimes cause it’s own issues.
don’t do discounts, if they need it, they can afford it.
charge a deposit up front, every time, unless your on a site that doesn’t allow. This weeds out thieves and losers, and gives you a solid proof they’re serious. 1/3 to 1/2 is good for small projects, or do milestone payments for big ones.
back up your projects by not giving final source files until you get paid. It helps make sure pay comes.
lastly, have a bulletproof contract template to cover your ass. Use it for every contract, be it your best friend or a complete stranger. It’s not personal, it’s a business. That contract makes sure you get paid. Use it every time too, I don’t care how well that client treats you, I’ve had great clients screw me before, when I made this mistake.
This all sounds extreme but really clients suck. If you’re careful however, you’ll weed good from bad and have smooth sailing.
Excellent advice, thank you!
Upwork freelance programmer here.
It’s lovely, I get to move between projects and have developed a good enough reputation to win almost any project I bid on, and I get to make my own hours and take breaks between projects when life gets in the way.
But, the hard part is getting your foot in the door. I’m using Upwork as an example, you need to make money on the site and have successful jobs in order to get jobs, so it’s a bit of a catch-22.
Also, if you’re working on small jobs a considerable amount of time will be spent writing proposals to find new work, so you need to take that into consideration.
I’ve never been able to get any work on that site. And there are so many super low bids sometimes. I feel like it’s people in India. I dunno. What’s your secret?
Yeah I agree with what the other person said – It feels saturated by super low bids and piss-take projects on Upwork! That’s great that it works for you though. Maybe I’ll reconsider it.
Definitely, I work remote from more than a year and it’s great but it has its downsides:
feel very lonely frequently
work more hours
don’t travel as much (thanks COVID)
In the end of the days, it’s great!
That’s excellent, good to know! I’m already working from home at the moment thanks to covid, so I’ve learned the hard (or easy?) way that loneliness just doesn’t bother me. I’ve been strangely okay with it all. But I don’t just want to work from home. I want something that isn’t full time, so I can stop at various points to enjoy a bit of freedom.
I have full time employment as a developer but my work is remote which is fucking fantastic. I basically work in my pjs all day and get stoned during company zoom meetings lol
Haha well that’s what I’m doing now too (not smoking weed but definitely working from home in my underwear haha), but ideally I’d prefer shorter contracts so I can have some amount of freedom for a month or so before picking things up again.
C# devs
null reference exceptions
