from Hacker News

The truth about freelancing

by jonathanstark on 2/7/17, 5:26 PM with 15 comments

• by sulam on 2/7/17, 5:48 PM

  In addition to everything else listed in the article, you should also learn to proofread, and especially learn the correct usage of "your" vs "you're".

  And before someone accuses me of nitpicking, keep in mind that as a consultant you are very often communicating using written media.

• by sandworm101 on 2/7/17, 6:08 PM

  Freelancing, for me, rarely involves working from home. If and when you can work remotely depends on the type of work, not your employment classification. This article was written from a very narrow perspective. Even the 100$/hour dream is misplaced. 100$ is nothing for many freelance contractors. I make more. That said, I spend 2/3 of my time on non-paid tasks such as proposals and giving talks at conferences.

  Fyi, most lawyers (or their firms) operate under some form of "freelance" as an outside contractor charging by the hour. Recent surveys show that even at "big law" firms only 25% of lawyer time is actually billable hours. The rest, like me, is spent doing all the other things you must to bring in work while maintaining your freelance status.

• by k__ on 2/7/17, 7:44 PM

  I worked as employee and as freelancer and prefer the last.

  I just can't do this office 9-5 stuff.

  But it's not the end game for me.

  I don't like how most companies are structured and I don't like the attitude most CEOs have. So working with one, or a few, customers is only a bit better than working as an employee.

  I think the optimal case is to create some products and have >100 customers, so if one tries dumb shit with you, it doesn't threaten your existence. Also, I think it's easier to motivate yourself to work on something that is your own and you believe in, than to implement "the visions" of other people on a constant basis.

• by BigChiefSmokem on 2/7/17, 6:04 PM

  Best advice: "it’s all about finding value for your client and getting compensated for that." The less people on Earth that can do what you can, the more you should be charging, especially if it's a decent-sized organization footing the bill.

• by xherberta on 2/7/17, 6:12 PM

  An unmentioned corollary: freelancing's finest hour is when you don't really need the money.

• by sofaofthedamned on 2/7/17, 6:15 PM

  Seriously, this is HN worthy?

• by hkon on 2/7/17, 6:13 PM

  Yes, or you can learn to develop software professionally and never worry about money again...