Is freelancing the best way to start your career?
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It might sound dumb until it doesn’t.
If you’ve read some of my other stories, if not, you can check them here and here, and also here, you know that I have started my programming career through freelancing, and in this article, I want to discuss this way of starting out in your career the same as I did.
So, let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room;
Why should you make the start your career through freelancing?
Well, because it might be more accessible (In my case it was; being a high-schooler it sure more accessible taking freelancing gigs than applying for jobs with no high-school diploma), and it’s also a good way to get some real-life experience.
A great entry benefit is that there are plenty of smaller gigs you can take, which require minimum field knowledge and would allow you to get some experience prior to getting a job (If that’s the path you want to take still).
Not only that, but I found it’s great to build some really nice connections and improve some essential skills such as selling yourself well enough to get a steady flow of clients, networking, social skills, and most importantly, it’s a great competitive market that helps you gather skills much faster due to high competition (Which for me is a really good perk, not sure how’s that for you though).
Is it even possible to get freelance work without prior experience?
Well, the best and the worst thing with the Freelance market, or at least with the freelancing platforms (Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer) is that your experience and qualifications aren’t really verified officially.
What does that mean?
It means that you can simply list the services and the gigs you are willing to take and have clients decide for themselves whether they trust you enough so you can take care of their work.
Now, with the first handful of clients, it’s really just sharpening your marketing skills (Supposedly you have bare minimum field qualifications) so you can sell yourself and your services.
