4 ms·

why not to become independent consultant ... once you get enough references and track of success ... What are the steps one takes to get to this stage - to bec

by dragons 15y ago

why not to become independent consultant ... once you get enough references and track of success ... What are the steps one takes to get to this stage - to become an independent consultant? From what I've heard, it doesn't sound easy. Companies (apparently) prefer dealing with large body shops, not individuals. To get work as an IC it seems like you need inside contacts? Or maybe you need special, in-demand skills? My previous company doesn't hire contractors from inside the country, so those contacts are useless. I'm a good developer but not a rock star, and I don't have special skills (Java developer). I'm asking because I'd really like to know. In truth, I want to develop a lifestyle business, doing part-time work building something I enjoy with plenty of time off for other things. But meantime it would be nice to get some income doing short-term jobs as an IC.

hippich 15y ago
In my case I started as IC. I accidentally choose Drupal for a blog for me and my friends. I found Drupal architecture fascinating and started playing more. At the same time I registered at oDesk.com doing some small stuff for people - fixing perl auction software, writing Delphi tool to parse some pdf file to excel spreadsheet, etc. I started from $8/hr there (I am from Belarus - it's more or less enough). At some point I found a job posting where client wanted to build simple social site - forum, posts, Q&A. I applied and recommended Drupal as a base. I was still novice, but I "felt" it was good enough long-term wise. By this moment I was charging $15/hr - this is after 3 months after starting at oDesk.com After another 3 month I was top one for Drupal on oDesk.com and was charging $35/hr for Drupal projects. I felt pretty self-confident in this area. Also, I figured out there much more to learn - I continued. After another 6 months I stopped to apply for new contracts since existing clients kept me quite busy. By this time I was charging $50/hr. For someone from Belarus (where average monthly salary is $250) getting from $8/hr to $50/hr is pretty good. So. You already have expertise (which I was lacking back in the time). You now need to find place to look for Java contracts (I am not sure oDesk is good place for this. May be eLance?). If this skill is not work good for IC area, learn new skill. Seems like ruby/php/python/nodejs is popular with remote contracts. Stick to it. Eventually you will build clients base and you will not need to market your self that hard. You will be able to choose projects and work as much as you want.
- dragons 15y ago
  hippich, thank you so much for telling your story. I will give it a try!

by dragons 15y ago

hippich 15y ago

In my case I started as IC. I accidentally choose Drupal for a blog for me and my friends. I found Drupal architecture fascinating and started playing more. At the same time I registered at oDesk.com doing some small stuff for people - fixing perl auction software, writing Delphi tool to parse some pdf file to excel spreadsheet, etc. I started from $8/hr there (I am from Belarus - it's more or less enough). At some point I found a job posting where client wanted to build simple social site - forum, posts, Q&A. I applied and recommended Drupal as a base. I was still novice, but I "felt" it was good enough long-term wise. By this moment I was charging $15/hr - this is after 3 months after starting at oDesk.com After another 3 month I was top one for Drupal on oDesk.com and was charging $35/hr for Drupal projects. I felt pretty self-confident in this area. Also, I figured out there much more to learn - I continued. After another 6 months I stopped to apply for new contracts since existing clients kept me quite busy. By this time I was charging $50/hr. For someone from Belarus (where average monthly salary is $250) getting from $8/hr to $50/hr is pretty good. So. You already have expertise (which I was lacking back in the time). You now need to find place to look for Java contracts (I am not sure oDesk is good place for this. May be eLance?). If this skill is not work good for IC area, learn new skill. Seems like ruby/php/python/nodejs is popular with remote contracts. Stick to it. Eventually you will build clients base and you will not need to market your self that hard. You will be able to choose projects and work as much as you want.

dragons 15y ago
hippich, thank you so much for telling your story. I will give it a try!