ProgrammingJavascriptCareerProductivityGadgetsASP.NETWeb Design

3 Ways To Start A Freelance Career With Programming

Published on
Modified on
3 Ways To Start A Freelance Career With Programming
3 Ways To Start A Freelance Career With Programming

Want to make money with your programming skills but don’t want to work for someone else? There are many ways in which you can go freelance as a programmer and be your own boss. Here are just three options to consider.

IT repair and support

IT technicians play a hands-on role in fixing all manner of faults and glitches from software to hardware problems. Programming isn’t always necessary, although it can come in handy – a growing number of IT technicians extend their services to helping fix websites that may be broken, which often requires coding knowledge.

It’s possible to run an IT technician company without an office – many get called out to people homes and company’s offices and are constantly on the go anyway. You may want to invest in some software to help with diagnosing fault and some tools for repairing hardware. Parts such as current shunt resistors and laptop screens can be sourced online.

It technicians are constantly working with people and so need good communication skills. Problem solving is the biggest soft skill that is required – much like a doctor, you need to be able to read symptoms and work out a diagnosis before finding a cure to the problem.

Web design

Every company and organisation now needs a website if they are to be seen as credible. Whilst there are drag and drop website builders out there that can be used without coding knowledge, the demand for websites that are coded from scratch is still high as people want more complex and unique sites.

Becoming a freelance website designer gives you total control over designing clients websites. It’s a job that can be done from any location and you don’t really need any tools other than a computer (text editors and programmes like Photoshop for wireframing may be all you need).

Creativity and an ability to work to deadlines are an essential asset every web designer needs. Javascript is main language you’re likely to be using and it’s worth getting yourself to a fairly high level so that you’re competent enough to design a website to your specs without assistance (although there is plenty of open source code out there and tools to help).

Software development

Many companies are also now building their own custom software. Apps are one of the biggest new trends in software development and are a good opportunity for budding freelance programmers.

A software development startup isn’t easy to do alone – hiring a team of fellow developers will help you to complete projects more quickly. This could mean getting an office, although plenty of companies work exclusively online using cloud-based communication tools.

Software development requires a similar blend of creativity and ability to work under pressure. There are various languages that can be used to develop software including Java, SQL and Python. When it comes to apps, you’ll want to know Objective C or Swift. The more languages you know and the more proficient you are in each one, the better services you can provide.

Comments

No messages posted yet

Developer Poll

Q:

Stay up to date

Sign up for my FREE newsletter. Get informed of the latest happenings in the programming world.

Add a comment

Keep me up to date on the latest programming news
Add Comment

Stay up to date

Get informed of the latest happenings in the programming world.

No thanks