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Lee Warrick and Edwin Otero explore what it's like to break into the Tech field as junior developers as well as how to stay up-to-date on new technology.

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Roy Jossfolk talks Freelancing for Junior Devs

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Freelancing is in the back of a lot of developers' minds when they get started in the industry. They have thoughts like:

"I can be my own boss... Make my own hours... I could even work from the beach."

Sound familiar? We've also had those daydreams more than a few times.

However, there's a lot more to freelancing than sipping Mai Tais and writing a little bit of HTML.

How do you get clients? How do you keep said clients from driving you crazy? What should you charge for a website? Do you need a contract?

The unknown can start to snowball and most people think, Well, maybe I'll freelance later. And later never comes.

Roy Jossfolk has taken all those lumps already in his 14 years as a freelance developer. He came on the show to tell us how junior devs can get into freelancing, how to identify good clients, and how to avoid bad ones. Most of all, he talks about how to safeguard your time and energy as a freelancer so you can be successful and avoid burnout.

Show Notes:

  • 1:20 - Should Junior Devs even attempt Freelancing?
  • 2:20 - What if you have no experience or portfolio?
  • 5:30 - How complex are most freelance sites?
  • 8:03 - Should you use Fiverr or Upwork to get clients?
  • 11:32 - Should you give discounts? Pricing your work
  • 17:00 - Competing with Wix and Squarespace
  • 20:20 - Where and how to get clients
  • 28:44 - 'Junior Developer' doesn't mean anything to a client
  • 30:37 - Where to network, and how to find a niche
  • 34:01 - Why you should be giving talks, but not just to developers
  • 35:29 - 'Champion Clients': how to find them, and how to say 'No' to the rest
  • 52:31 - Results Driven Development: How to communicate the business value of your work
  • 56:50 - Identifying what clients and projects lead to a steady paycheck
  • 1:02:37 - Scope Creep and How to avoid it

  • 1:04:09 - Roy talks about his coaching business

  • 1:06:12 - Nerd Minute!

    • Roy talks football, basketball, and how his passions led to client work
    • We also talk about the new Star Wars

Watch Roy's talk from the Project Codex meetup:

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Wed, June 19, 2019, 1:50 PM UTC