

Ask HN:How to break out from online freelance marketplaces to find quality work? - umenline

hello all<p>i experiment with freelancing as c++/java developer for 2 years mainly along with my day job
in well known freelance marketplace site.  
i probably dont need to tell you folks how very hard it is to get good quality work there and get the pay that your work is worth.<p>i call it "red light district of freelances" . even though i managed to do very well there and got very high reputation for my work manly to learn how is it to be freelance.<p>but the pay is low .and i found out that employers that usually using those sites don't like to pay more if you keep working for them out side the site. (maybe a little more)<p>and the competition with the low bid'rs from developing countries is very hard. 
BUT now as i want to go full time freelance i can't count on such site's. i want to get to known by people that needs contractors and willing to pay as i deserve.
not 20$ for hour for c++ job hi.. i got 15 years experiences. and from where i am 
my type of developer worth 70$ and more. 
how do i break out ?
======
thifm
Contribute to open source projects. As soon as you have commit access to gcc,
you will be making at least $200k+ year, hehe.

But seriously, devote sometime to create your image, whether writing open
source or giving presentations. It's good and it makes you more skillful. I
actually love writing OSS, even more than money.

A good freelance job offer usually COMES to you. The one I've been working to
I've got from a HN spreadsheet. I contribute to one of the libraries that they
used internally in the project so... they accepted me at first sight.

I don't have your amount of experience and I make ~$40/h(which is low by
market's standard!). Having good communication skills and being able to let
your client have almost no overhead from managing you can clearly be VERY
VALUABLE. It's actually the employer's dream to find someone like this.

I've also worked with bad freelance jobs: didn't pay me in time, codebase was
shitty and so on. I advise you to drop ship and look for something else. I
have pleasure when I work

Aim to be a contractor bringing way more on the table than just flipping bits
skills. :-)

~~~
umenline
yeah thanks, this is why it was important for me to try out to be freelancer
before i intend to be full time freelancer , i know its hard.

------
timjahn
We're building matchist (<http://matchist.com/talent>) to solve this problem
by creating a place for quality developers to find quality work.

We've found that our clients prefer developers who are great communicators and
can provide guidance on their projects. They're looking for partners, not just
somebody with Rails skills.

As a few have commented here already, your written communication could be
improved to help inspire more confidence in potential clients. (I mean this as
constructive feedback, not criticism.)

~~~
domrdy
Are you going to accept non-U.S. citizen developer sign ups any time soon ? I
guess this is coupled to stripe offering their service outside of the U.S.

~~~
timjahn
We plan to but don't have a timeline of exactly when yet. It is indeed coupled
to Stripe at the moment, but it's also a conscious decision on our part to
start small with what we know (US culture, law, and how it relates to
freelancing) before growing into other countries.

------
wallzz
I recently start working in freelance , and I think that the payment doesn't
worth it ,and the employers are not generally serious, you keep waiting for
the payment , and they usually don't pay , now I deliver work like a demo , it
only works for a few days , just so that I can be sure they pay . ps: what
websites do you use ?

~~~
umenline
odesk

------
pm24601
A developer that makes $70/hr is more than a developer - they are an
architect, a persuader, a researcher and a leader.

In other words, soft skills, non-technical skills - communication skills. Yes
there some recluses that can get top dollar and not be social but they are the
exception.

~~~
umenline
how much c++ / java 15 years experience take ? (Linux/windows server/client )

~~~
pm24601
I hire on odesk regularly ( over 4100 hrs ). I would not hire based on the
English structure used in your question. I don't think you would be able to
communicate successfully. So personally not much.

So improve the English or find the subset of jobs that do not require English.
(apologies for English being such a pain to learn)

~~~
umenline
i have dyslexia its very hard for me to write in English but hi i craft great
applications (: and i do understand you , and if we where talking in Skype i
guess you could understand me very well also . 1200 hours in odesk and 5
star's reputations can prove it

~~~
pm24601
Great. Glad to hear it.

Most communication I have with developers is in the form of comments and email
- written communication.

High-end developers are doing more than creating their own code - they are
commenting on ideas and design documents.

Your dyslexia is a barrier to communicating and persuading. How are you going
to minimize its impact on your life?

Maybe you can try using a font to help -
<https://www.google.com/search?q=dyslexia+fonts>

but in the end - it is your problem to solve.

