I’ve been writing a lot about Freelancing in my previous articles. In this article let’s discuss Freelance web developers. How to become one and change your life. Being a self-employed person you’re able to grow, learn new things every day, and say no to what you don’t like. I always recommend you to never learn a skill because of how much you can earn by learning it. Instead, find a niche for which you’re made.
Who are Freelance web developers?
Freelance web developers are coders who are self-employed, doing business with clients all over the world without leaving their comfort zone. Some of them choose to work on short-term projects while others prefer to work for the long-term on a contract. For Instance, a Hotel requires a web developer to develop and manage its website. They will hire for a longer period of time.
Remote Job vs Freelance
Choosing either of these is your preference. Both of them have their own pros and cons.
- Freelance web developers need to struggle more with marketing, building their personal brands to get more projects coming. Most freelancers choose to Work on Freelance Marketplaces because getting jobs on those websites is relatively easy, especially for beginners. In Freelancing, Learning opportunities are way more than remote jobs. The reason behind that is a freelancer communicates with clients with different mindsets and projects.
- The Network of Freelancers also grows quicker as compared to the people who are doing remote jobs. Because The web developers who are doing the remote jobs will stay with one client for a long time.
- Remote Jobs on the other hand have their own perks. you’ll have a stable income, unlike freelancing jobs Where you have to struggle every month to find clients and projects to keep things running. Furthermore, you can start a side business with the remote job and schedule some time each day for passive income.
Freelancing will Change your Lifestyle
If you’re a complete beginner in freelancing and web development. Firstly, You’ll have a choice to work any time of the day or night. Secondly, You are going to learn time management because freelancing itself is not one thing. It’s a complete package of duties that you have to manage on your own if you’re a beginner.
Positive Impacts
With the Freedom of working from anywhere and anytime, you’ll become more productive. you’ll get time to spend with your social circle. Going out on weekdays will not be a problem anymore. And lastly, Good-Bye to the commute in the morning, Do your Breakfast whenever you want and get back to the work.
Negative Impacts
There are some negative impacts of freelancing on your life. especially, If you’re new you’ll have to do so many things together. 24 hours will become shorter for you. I remember back in 2019 when I started working as a Freelance Web Developer. I used to work 16 hours a day to manage everything. Furthermore, I had no time to spend with my family even on weekends.
How much does a freelance web developer make?
There is no limit to how much you can earn, it’s all dependent on several factors
what you’re capable of, How much time you can spend, H
- Amount of time you’re willing to spend?
- Your Speed?
- Your experience in the market?
When I started working as a Freelance Web Developer. My First Income was around $15. I had to struggle. Learning new stuff, Understanding Fiverr Algorithm to rank my gigs and get orders. But within a year, I crossed $500 a month. I know many freelancers who are making $5000 to $15000 a month offering web development services across several platforms.
Skills you need for Web Development Freelancing
Learning is an essential part of your carrier. you should schedule a time each day to learn new things within your niche. You can start entertaining basic website projects by learning HTML and CSS. To take your skills to the next level. You’ll Learn Javascript and some backend coding language if you’re niche is full-stack development.
What HTML is actually?
HTML Stands for Hypertext Markup Language is a code that represents the structure of a webpage. without HTML, Web development is incomplete. Start learning the basics of HTML and keep practicing each topic you learn. A mistake that I used to make when I was a new learner. I watched tutorials but didn’t practice what I learned. Due to this, I was unable to remember things. Start with the basics of tags and attributes. and then move to more advanced topics. You can refer to developer.mozilla.org and W3School for HTML code learning.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
CSS is actually styling part of web development. In CSS, you define the layout of your website. It works by selecting a certain component of a website and styling it according to what the developer has defined. developer.mozilla.org and W3School are again two great websites for beginners to learn HTML CSS.
Javascript
Another coding language that you need to learn. Javascript is one of the most important and popular. All the trending Frameworks and libraries of JS are in demand right now. For Instance, There are thousands of jobs on Upwork and other marketplaces. People are looking for ReactJS Experts to get their job done. In a nutshell, If you’re willing to continue your carrier in any frontend technology. You have to master the Javascript first.
Top In-Demand Web Development Skills in 2022
Web design and development jobs have a tremendous increase in number in the past couple of years. To build their presence on the internet, people need a website. This is where Freelance Web Developers are required. You need to learn web technologies and contact individuals and businesses that need you. Here are some top trending web technologies that are in demand.
ReactJS
What is ReactJS?
It is one of the most popular JavaScript libraries used for building user interfaces. Developed by Facebook. ReactJS was a game-changer to the internet world. It took websites and web applications to the next level in terms of Speed and optimization.
Learn ReactJS, practice your skills, and begin your journey as a Freelancer. It’s still new, in demand, and growing. Moreover, It’s the only language that allows the development of frontend, backend, and mobile applications as well. For developing a Mobile Application, you’ll need to learn React Native.
Furthermore, There are a lot of libraries packages of ReactJS that you can practice to add to your portfolio.
Python
Python is another great programming language that gained a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. Its use case is not just web development. You can do a lot of amazing stuff with Python. For Instance, Automation, Scripting, and Data Science.
The two most popular Frameworks of Python are Django and Flask. Django is a full-stack framework
Ruby
Ruby is similar to PHP and Python. It’s easy to learn as a beginner. One of its frameworks is Ruby on the Rails which played a role in its popularity. Rails is basically an MVC-based Framework.
PHP
Finally PHP, A programming language well known by every programmer. It’s a Server-side scripting language that supports the backend of a website. WordPress is an example of what PHP is capable of. WordPress CMS is built on top of PHP. Furthermore, you can learn Laravel. A PHP Framework is being used widely by developers all over the world.
How to start freelancing as a web developer?
Before you get started with offering services as a web developer, you need to keep a few things in mind.
- Firstly, you have to understand what you’re made for, what your passion is. Would you be able to dedicate your time and efforts to freelancing for the next 10 years? Freelancing is not for everyone. Some people are not able to spend much time due to jobs or study, while others don’t like to spend much time on screen.
- Set Goals: If you’ve decided to begin freelancing as a web developer. Set your goals, what are you going to achieve in the next 12 months, and so on. For Instance:
- Year 1: I’ll learn HTML, CSS, JS. Practice the skills and create a Portfolio to tell my clients what I’m capable of. Moreover, I’ll set up an account on Fiverr and take it to Level 1.
- Year 2: I’ll create an account and Upwork. Learn ReactJS, Gatsby, and NextJS to take my skillet to the next level.
- Year 3: Struggling hard, I’ll reach level 2 on Fiverr and win a top-rated badge on Upwork.
- Year 4: I’ll start a brand and build our reputation in the market.
- Learning: Never ever stop learning. Schedule a few hours each day dedicated only to learning new stuff. Stay up to date. Whenever you stop learning, your competitors will leave you behind and gain a competitive edge.
- Schedule: Create a Schedule of what you’re going to do every day. and stick with the plan.
- Portfolio: A portfolio is one of the most important things that will help you win jobs much easier. Get a portfolio website developed by a professional or create a free on Behance.
Conclusion:
To sum up, freelancing as a web developer is really a profitable idea in long run. But it requires you to be consistent, create and follow the plans and keep learning. And in the end, the results will be fruitful.
