Introduction

I’m fairly rusty with freelance. Frankly, my last freelance gig was almost a decade ago. A lot has changed since then…namely starting a family. But alas, with 2020 being so unique, I thought I’d take a stab at getting back into this arena part time and I wanted to outline some things which happened along the way.

Long story short, I did not get the job.

Denied

Through word of mouth, a colleague of mine connected me to one of his clients in Los Angeles. Their company – an app based service for home cooked meals. They had a web app written in AngularJS and looked to add new features on an existing screen.

After a few days and filtering the true needs to be met, I emailed a quote. Thereby getting this reply:

$…for one screen being updated is way out of our budget. I thank you for your time.  Perhaps we can do something together in the future.

– Client XYZ

What Now?

I can’t knock the receiving end for saying no. I too am a customer and I empathize that every scenario is already influenced with a prefixed budget in mind.

But could I have done something else to have supply and demand equal out?

Honestly…no. That said, I thought it’d be best to leave a checklist for those of you in similar scenarios. Here are my essentials I obsessed about behind the scenes before ever striking into a conversation.

Freelance Checklist 2020

✅ Do I really want the gig?

Seriously…do you? Have you spent enough time on your own deeds? Would family time be in jeopardy should you say yes? Decline immediately if you’re on the fence. Neither side will benefit if you’re not all in.

✅ Are my conversations free?

Some people charge like lawyers. I’m not one of them. Free conversations (albeit, you must time box them) is the opportunity for you to filter out what the true needs are from the client.

✅ What’s my quote?

The hardest part. Honestly, the best advice I received as of late came from two fronts.

First, my colleague who connected me. In short, billing from total project cost is recommended if you’re absolutely sure of everything you had to quote. If you have a sense of uncertainty, bill by the hour.

Second, what rate to charge? Make it up (thanks CareerFoundry.com).

Conclusion

At this point, what matters most isn’t that I didn’t close the deal, but the lessons I can uproot after the fact. I hope this checklist sheds some light on your next freelance endeavor.

How do you balance freelance with a full-time career and other lifestyle dynamics? I’d love to know your opinion. Feel free to contact me and hopefully we can get a conversation on this sometime in the future.

Thanks. 🤙🏾

Introduction

Developers. How many companies have them? The developer suffix is often prepended with any of the following: Front End, Back End, iOS, Android, Web, Full Stack, Embedded, Software, Desktop, Middle Tier, etc. 

But what about The Angry Developer? You know who I’m talking about. That one developer always wrapped in angst, flips out on scope changes or constantly punts back, it works on my machine. Okay, that last one might be a stretch because honestly, that could be any developer under any circumstance.

But back to the point and I must confess, I’m very much guilty of being that person. When I first got into this industry, I picked up some bad habits and I wanted to send notice on my mistakes and offer suggestions, in case you ever feel angry when in the trenches of code.

✅ Choose Your Role Models Wisely 

It’s your first day at the company and you’re meeting people left and right. You follow certain personalities on social media. Be extra mindful on who you choose to fold into your own. In the beginning of my career, I was seriously just excited to do web. But I never thought beyond the task and the level of detail which takes place after receiving the opportunity, namely your soft skills.

What I can tell you is that Austin 3:16 may work in the squared circle but you should think twice before bringing the rattlesnake into a conference room. 

Take a break and meditate.

✅ Embrace Criticism

Criticism – both good and bad will exist in the workplace. It just happens. It’s a song and dance you and your coworkers are playing at every turn, especially if you’re in a position which literally produces an experience. Rest assured, nothing is perfect. Facebook, Google and the start-ups of today still go through their examinations before throwing something out into the wild. Remember, your customer doesn’t know you by name. But they do know how they’d feel after a first pass at your product or service. Criticism, in my opinion is an inclusive exercise when inside your office space. But once it exits that door, the customer’s critique will always be exclusive.

✅ It’s Just A Job

This comment won’t win any stars with recruiters or your boss but when you distill all things into its basic parts, it very much is that…a job. Payment in exchange for your service and time. When you’re done with the day, go home owning that simple fact. There are no additional burdens to carry into your night and it’ll help you get that mental break you need in this insanely fast paced world.

✅ Additional Tips & Tricks

• Insight Timer – a FREE meditation app I’ve used since 2017. They have paid programs as well but their free service is honest enough for you to enjoy, FOREVER.
• Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual – a book which brushes on the hard bits of software development: dealing with clients, peers, managers, staying productive and more.

Conclusion

I had to get this one off my chest. 2020 has been quite a rodeo to say the least and with our zoom skills increasing and our soft skills not getting its fair shake, I figured now was the time to bring back the human elements needed in an ever abundant remote work ecosystem.

Thanks.

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