

Ask HN: Learning through freelance work - Shankem

Hello,<p>I recently read an article I think I found on HN, about somebody doing freelance work and learning as they went, until they had become pretty knowledgeable and a strong programmer. I thought I might try to do this, but when I went looking around on some of these freelance sites the jobs were over my head, I didn't even know where to begin.<p>I'm interested in web and mobile development, I've learned a few different languages (c, c++, java) but I really have only been using java outside of school. I'm trying to expand my knowledge, but I'm just not sure where to begin. I've been working on an android app currently, but I feel I only learn what I need to.<p>I was hoping to get a broader understanding of web and mobile development, and then from that I could learn whatever I needed. Any advice, ideas or comments are appreciated. Thanks!
======
kls
My suggestion would be to find senior level freelancers and offer them your
services, See if they have low hanging fruit that they can throw your way with
the understanding that you get to take a crack at new challenges as well. This
way, you always have a back up should you get in over your head. You always
have someone that has a vested interest in the project at you disposal that
you can call and say hey I just don't get this, can you give me a hand to get
through it. A lot of freelances need another hand but they don't need a senior
level price tag. Enthusiasm goes a long way to convince them that you can be
that second set of hands.

~~~
Shankem
I really like this idea, any suggestions on going about finding people willing
to do this? Or just finding senior level freelancers to ask. Thanks.

~~~
freshfey
ask on forrst, there are a lot of developers who would give you a shot ;)

~~~
Shankem
That site is pretty intriguing, I'm not a member though and I don't think I'd
currently qualify for an invite since I don't really have anything to show.
Maybe I'll check it out when I can show something I've done. Thanks.

------
jrsmith1279
I did this after giving up on ever having a career in I.T. and being fed up
with my 8 year job at Wal-Mart. I already had some knowledge of PHP,
JavaScript, ..etc and I got most of my work from oDesk.com. I took a couple of
weeks to go over some training at Lynda.com before I started taking on work
since I was mostly self-taught. I found that not already being an expert in
Web Design/Development meant that it took me longer to do the jobs that people
wanted done and I ended up spending more time on projects than it should have
taken. I obviously couldn't bill the client more for my lack of knowledge so I
ended up working 12 to 14 hour days and made about the same as what I made
when I left Wal-Mart.

I'm definitely not discouraging you, but if you've already got a job I'd test
the waters with some freelance work before quitting. In my case, quitting my
job at Wal-Mart and doing freelance web design/development actually landed me
a career in the I.T. field and 3 years later I'm on the verge of making a
6-figure salary doing what I love to do.

~~~
Shankem
I wouldn't quit my job, I'm just working as an intern currently and I learn on
my job as well, but I was looking to learn more and different topics outside
of my job. It's a limited term internship and I'll be going back to school
next September. I only started learning to program in University, and I'm
pretty happy I was able to get a job considering I started knowing nothing a
few years ago. However, now that I've come this far I'm not really satisfied
with my current level of knowledge and I don't think I will be unless I push
myself to learn more outside of work and school.

Thanks for the reply, it's good to hear from people who have worked hard to
teach themselves.

------
damoncali
Get some clients through your network. Freelancing sites are pretty awful.
Start with something you know you can figure out how to do, make sure you have
enough time to learn on the job (pad your deadline), and take on a new
challenge with each job. Don't be afraid to turn down a job that is too tough
- sometimes there just isn't enough time, billable or otherwise, to learn
something on the job.

------
phektus
This particularly works well with web development gigs. You get to work from
home, with Internet connectivity providing the communication to the client.
This way you can work on several part time projects simultaneously. Do this
with a focus on a single language or framework and you'll reap benefits in
just a couple of months.

------
rcavezza
Mark Cuban talked about this. When he first started he would say "yes" to
everything a client needed and then worked around the clock to make sure he
delivered it to them and learned along the way. This probably includes many
unbilled hours but it forces you to learn.

------
devs1010
Why not get a job as a programmer for a company directly? You'll learn more
this way. Freelancing is generally easier once you have more experience under
your belt

