How to Make a Decent Living While Working As a Freelance Software Developer

The option of becoming a freelance software developer is likely a viable one if you have the passion for the job itself. Even though the independence it offers means that you are sacrificing the stability of a salary, it has many benefits as well – which include giving you total control of the tasks you pick and those you leave.

Many aspiring freelance developers have an important question though – how they can make a decent living through the job. It all comes down to two things at the end of the day: connecting with the right clients, and getting the right software development skillsets. We will examine both of these factors in this article.

Connecting to the right clients

As you continue to get work through your freelancing business, it is normal to spend quite some time looking for work – especially when you are new on the scene. The easiest way to get in touch with new clients is through freelance marketplaces, such as Toptal, Freelancer, or Upwork.

The first thing is setting up your own profile on the website, and then applying for jobs. Ensure that you showcase what you can offer on your profile since clients will look at this and send some work offers to you.

Each platform also has its own advantages and disadvantages – while Freelancer and Upwork allow anyone to join them as a freelancer for instance, others like Toptal and Gigster will only allow select freelancer applicants to join. The strict platforms will also require you to sign agreements of your work quality before they allow you in.

Other than freelance platforms, you can also source for clients on your own through doing some direct marketing. This can be through connecting to new clients on social networks like LinkedIn or Facebook, as well as email marketing. When you select this method of marketing yourself, it always helps to build your own website where you can showcase your own portfolio to potential clients.

The main advantage of connecting to clients directly is the greater number of opportunities to earn more, and the clients are more willing to pay you higher rates because you are not competing with other freelancers. In addition to that, the clients are paying you directly – there is no middleman to take a commission from your earnings anyway.

Getting the right skillsets

Even though you need more than just programming and web development skills to thrive in the world of freelance software development, these still remain as an important foundation. The education you have will help you to find work, but keep in mind that you do not need a degree in order to have a job as a software developer – there are many professionals in this area who are self-taught as well.

One of the major skills you must have is coding. If you are just starting out in learning this skill, it is always a good thing to have a specific framework to guide you through the process. The framework should provide you with some basic tools for coding, which will help you to learn how to implement customizations in your software – rather than programming all the basic functions on your own.

An instance of this would be the Spring Framework, which uses the Java language as its basis. It is a great starting point for freelance software developers because it focuses on web apps. Even though you can get some opportunities to work in both mobile and web applications, the mobile application space is heavily saturated, which makes it more challenging to find the work you prefer in it.

Other things to keep in mind

Aside from the two factors we have explained so far, it is also important to know what makes you stand out as a freelancer compared to other freelancers offering similar services. It is not fun being average anyway, but the good news is that standing out is not difficult – it mainly depends on how well you connect to your clients.

The tips you can implement include making a professional website that showcases what you do, and connecting to new clients in ways they understand – even the presentation of the pitches you make matters.

Starting a freelance software development business can seem intimidating when you do not know where to start. However, using these tips will help you in securing new clients, as well as building a loyal customer base for the future.