When personal computers first hit the market in the 1970s, a whole generation of technophiles got their first taste of computer programming. They’d wait for monthly deliveries of their favorite computing magazines with names like Byte, 80 Micro, and Compute!, anxious to try the latest type-in program or read about ongoing programming projects looking for inspiration.
That environment eventually gave birth to major software companies like Microsoft, which began in a garage in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And they weren’t alone. In the years that followed, household names like Apple, Google, and Facebook all got their start in a similar fashion.
But today, many up-and-coming programmers spend their time angling to work for one of those big companies. And even more toil away in nondescript offices for companies nobody’s ever heard of, working on whatever projects their employers hand them.
For many, work life resembles a scene from the 1999 cult classic Office Space—complete with tedious TPS reports, obnoxiously upbeat coworkers, and bosses that wouldn’t know the difference between an operand and an operator.
For such programmers, the sudden shift to working from home caused by the Coronavirus pandemic may have been a welcome respite from their cubicle-dwelling workweeks. Amazingly enough, companies started to recognize that letting employees work from home didn’t have much of a downside. And in most cases, it even saved them some money.
And that new reality begs the question: Should office-weary programmers even bother going back to the pre-pandemic status quo? And with so many businesses now receptive to the work-from-home concept, is there a better option available to programmers?
The answer is undoubtedly no to the former, and an emphatic yes to the latter.
In fact, 2021 is shaping up to be the year of the freelance programmer. It’s a return to the days when people who loved to code could make their living on their own terms, and unlike the early days of computing, they don’t have to launch a software company to do it. They just have to make a decision that they’re going to do what it takes to secure a steady stream of work.
Here’s a look at why freelance programming is set to have a Renaissance and how you can take advantage of the trend to break away from the 9-to-5 crowd.
Shifting Attitudes and Growing Opportunity
For years, businesses remained resistant to letting employees work remotely even when they had the infrastructure to support them. For some, it was a matter of managers not being willing to stop looking over employees’ shoulders. For others, it was a perceived loss of productivity that they thought would result from homebound workers slacking off.
Well, the pandemic served as a massive experiment in flexible working arrangements. And guess what? Most of the assumptions that businesses made turned out to be wrong.
One by one, major companies started to report that they weren’t losing productivity and, in many cases, were seeing productivity gains stemming from remote work. And managers quickly started to figure out that all of their check-ins, stand-ups, and all-hands-on-deck meetings did little but frustrate employees and waste their time.
As a result, a growing number of businesses are planning to make work from home permanent. And that’s not all. There’s even evidence that the success of work-from-home programs has opened up the eyes of hiring managers concerning freelancers.
In particular, a staggering 73% are now planning to continue or increase their use of freelancers after the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. In other words, working remotely has lost its stigma, and freelancers are about to be in great demand.
Obviously that’s great news for programmers, but there’s more: A recent survey by Upwork revealed that 12 of the top 20 most in-demand freelance skills are all related to software development. And in case you’re wondering what that sound is, it’s the sound of your bank account loosening its belt in anticipation of all of the paid gigs you could have coming your way.
How To Go Freelance (Without Going Crazy)
Of course, it’s one thing to say that opportunities for freelance programmers are plentiful. But it’s quite another for you to turn that opportunity into steady work. And doing that will take a bit of effort. That’s because being a freelance worker is not all that different from starting your own home-based business. And since you’re going to be the only employee, you’re going to have to wear a few hats.
You’ll have to do all of the work that other employees at your nine-to-five job now do for you. Things like finding clients and working out project rates with them. Or managing your work schedule so you don’t fall behind and end up damaging your reputation. And you’ll have to do all of it without anyone else around to keep you on track. It’s not as easy as some freelancers make it look.
But before you dive right into the freelance pool—only to realize you don’t yet know how to swim—here’s an overview of how you can make the transition to freelance work without burning out or going crazy.
Begin by Building Your Personal Brand
If you’re going to try to make a living as a freelance programmer, you need to make sure that your reputation always precedes you. It will make it easier to obtain steady work at a rate that’s worth your time. And that means you’re going to need to build your personal brand before you ditch your salaried job in favor of freelance life. However, doing that takes plenty of work.
Fortunately, there’s an excellent rundown of all of the things you can do to build your brand available from Coder Academy on Medium. Chances are you’ll already be active in many of the places it recommends frequenting. All you should have to do is to pull your online footprint together into a single coherent form, burnish your credentials, and start letting people know you’re available for hire.
Learn the Basics of Digital Marketing
For the most part, programmers want to code. And every minute they don’t spend doing it feels like a waste of time. But if you want to be successful as a freelancer, you’re going to have to spend a great deal of your time marketing yourself and your work to potential clients. That means you’re going to need to learn the basics of digital marketing if you want to survive.
Of primary importance are concepts like SEO, content marketing, and social media management. Those are the primary tools you’ll use to turn your personal brand into a full-fledged marketing effort. But don’t try and get a master’s level degree in any of them; just learn the concepts involved and how to apply them to your freelance business.
As you gain customers, you won’t have to be as aggressive with your marketing and should start building up a client network that creates a steady flow of work for you. And once that happens, you will be able to set aside a real marketing budget and pay a few freelancers of your own to handle your ongoing marketing.
Set Rates That Work for You
One of the common issues that new freelancers run into involves learning how to establish rates for their work. The problem you’ll face is a natural tendency to undervalue your output, worried about scaring away customers with a price that’s too high. But the reality is, if you don’t value your work, nobody else will either.
The truth is that your base rate is a function of how much money you need to make to replace your previous salary and keep your bills paid. And an appropriate hourly rate has to take into account all of the unpaid hours of work you’ll be doing between projects. In other words, you'll want a rate that can sustain you with no more than a 20-hour workweek.
That will probably lead you to a rate that you find exorbitant. But you have to remember that the companies that hire you are saving a fortune on things like infrastructure, benefits, and liability by hiring freelancers. Plus, you’re worth the money, right?
Understand How To Deal With Clients
Once you go freelance, you’ll start to learn one thing right away. It’s that potential customers are going to try and get you to work as quickly and as cheaply as possible. But if you know how to handle clients, you’ll get yourself a fair wage and the time you need to do good work. I suggest you check out The 6-Figure Freelancer: The No B.S. Guide To Land Your First High Paying Client, by Danny Holmes.
It’s loaded with tips on how to negotiate with clients. It’ll teach you how to spot nightmare customers before you agree to work for them, how to write proposals that justify your cost estimates, and even some strategies to negotiate retainer agreements to secure some steady income for yourself. Mastering those skills is one of the most critical things you’ll learn as a freelancer, so you’re better off getting it out of the way right up front.
Prepare for the Long Term
You can earn a great living as a freelance programmer. But if it was easy, nobody would bother taking a staff position in the first place. And while the previous four steps will get you on the path to steady freelance work, that’s only half of the battle. You’re also going to have to learn how to plan for your future and do all of the little things you used to call HR to take care of.
And for that, you won’t find a better resource than The Freelancer’s Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Have the Career of Your Dreams―On Your Terms by Sara Horowitz. She’s the founder of the Freelancers Union (which you should join, by the way), and the book contains exactly what the title suggests.
It’ll teach you everything about freelancing, from how to keep your taxes straight, to getting recalcitrant customers to pay you, and everything in between. If you end up freelancing for good, you’ll find yourself checking it at least once a week, if not more, for enlightening advice.
The Future of the Workforce
There’s one more reason that you should be considering going freelance this year. It’s that the trend line indicates that the majority of the U.S. workforce will be freelance by 2027. That means you’re going to have a lot more competition in the coming years. And before you do, getting yourself established and building a reliable stable of clients is a great way to secure your future.
And while the lessons of 2020 are still fresh in the minds of businesses and their hiring managers, you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The iron is hot. And if you’re ready to ditch your cubicle, take your red Swingline stapler, and chart your course to freelance success, there’s never going to be a better time to do it.
