10 replies to this topic

[isuru]

Who works online as freelancers? How much you earn for a month? Is it possible to earn money with the knowledge of PHP, Java, Javascript, HTML, CSS and Python.

[Roger]

I only have experience hiring programmers online via oDesk.com, Guru.com and Elance.com. The problem is that you'll have to compete with programmers from India who will do work for much less. The only way to compete is to answer job postings with thorough proposals. I also found that some people who are very good just do the job first, host it on a temp site for the employer to see, then ask for the job. I have awarded 2 jobs where the person obviously can do what I'm asking for quickly.

Another tip for online freelancing is that you have to build up a good portfolio, since most non-programming employers will look at that closely because they don't know how to ask the correct questions.

[isuru]

Roger said:

I only have experience hiring programmers online via oDesk.com, Guru.com and Elance.com. The problem is that you'll have to compete with programmers from India who will do work for much less. The only way to compete is to answer job postings with thorough proposals. I also found that some people who are very good just do the job first, host it on a temp site for the employer to see, then ask for the job. I have awarded 2 jobs where the person obviously can do what I'm asking for quickly.

Another tip for online freelancing is that you have to build up a good portfolio, since most non-programming employers will look at that closely because they don't know how to ask the correct questions.

Thanks for your reply! It is quite obvious that freelancing sites are very competitive. I don't think there is a space for a newcomer.

[Alexander]

Certifications in programming are great too sadly -- although some people push it and literally get 300 BrainBench certificates for hundreds of subjects, makes you question the quality of some.

[WingedPanther]

If someone used a Brainbench cert to "prove" their skill, I'd probably laugh in their face. It's better than nothing, but is far from a controlled testing environment.

[isuru]

Nullw0rm said:

Certifications in programming are great too sadly -- although some people push it and literally get 300 BrainBench certificates for hundreds of subjects, makes you question the quality of some.

WingedPanther said:

If someone used a Brainbench cert to "prove" their skill, I'd probably laugh in their face. It's better than nothing, but is far from a controlled testing environment.

Well! What do I need to do??? :confused:

[LuthfiHakim]

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Well! What do I need to do???

Online certifications still has some merits, don't worry. Get some of them which relevant with the area you are after. But the most important thing is to build portfolios. While certifications claim that you could do the project, portfolios simply proof that you definitely can do the project.

In my freelancing time, if i'm not mistaken with my statistic, I won 8 out of 10 proposals I have made if I accompanied them with demo project (runnable but with very limited features or with time limited if I have completed very similar project before).

Added:
Some freelancing sites (like two that roger mentioned) give you free certification tests. Although it's only usable in that sites, but at least they're free and a good start to fill your resume.

Edited by LuthfiHakim, 02 December 2010 - 07:58 AM.
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[isuru]

@LuthfiHakim

So how much you earn for a month? What languages you use?

[LuthfiHakim]

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So how much you earn for a month?

I am not gonna give the exact number, lol! But let's say that averagely I get better income than most local coders who work regular job. But remember that I live in a developing country, so our average income is much much less than those in developed countries. So my "good" amount perhaps is "poor" amount in your eyes. Well, if you really want the figure, you can go and sign up to some of the freelancing sites then browsing for work history of some coders on that site. Most freelancing sites shows the project amount won by their coders. Just subtract around 10 or 15% and you get the amount actually received by the coders.

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What languages you use?

Delphi or Object Pascal. But I don't only do coding, sometimes I do specifications (for clients who had vague idea of a project and wanted fine details), sometimes I do conversions (like porting C, C++, JavaScript codes into Delphi/Object Pascal, also I often work on eliminating bugs (which usually require little coding but long time debugging/tracing to pinpoint the exact cause of the bugs).

[isuru]

LuthfiHakim said:

I am not gonna give the exact number, lol! But let's say that averagely I get better income than most local coders who work regular job. But remember that I live in a developing country, so our average income is much much less than those in developed countries. So my "good" amount perhaps is "poor" amount in your eyes. Well, if you really want the figure, you can go and sign up to some of the freelancing sites then browsing for work history of some coders on that site. Most freelancing sites shows the project amount won by their coders. Just subtract around 10 or 15% and you get the amount actually received by the coders.



Delphi or Object Pascal. But I don't only do coding, sometimes I do specifications (for clients who had vague idea of a project and wanted fine details), sometimes I do conversions (like porting C, C++, JavaScript codes into Delphi/Object Pascal, also I often work on eliminating bugs (which usually require little coding but long time debugging/tracing to pinpoint the exact cause of the bugs).

Oh! I live in Sri Lanka which is a developing Country too. So I don't need to earn lot. But I need to enter to freelancing. You reply is very helpful! Thanks!

[LuthfiHakim]

^ No problem, glad if I can help. Good luck freelancing!