I'd like to know if a job like freelance webdesign is a good job. Is it profitable, difficult, time consuming, is it hard to get clients, etc. I'd like to know your experience as proffesional freelance webdesigners.

I'd like to know if a job like freelance webdesign is a good job.

Its pretty sweet

 

Is it profitable,

as there is almost no outlay the GP margin is around 90-95% compaired to a bar where its around 40% yea its profitable.

 

difficult,

yes, stupidly difficult... but fun.

 

time consuming,

somewhat.

 

is it hard to get clients,

at first its pretty hard, but i hear it gets easier.

it's not a tough job when you enjoy it..but of course since people are different and have different thoughts you might found some clients a little too..let me say it right..IDIOTS..some of them will not listen to your thought as a designer..and then you have to convince them what's right and what's wrong..also since we all have different tastes you have to convince them about colors, what goes and what doesn't and so on...others may want you to do other things that are not in the job description for the same money...and so on....overall i learned that money is not everything when it comes to design..it's better to lower the prices and have that client as a regular one than to take the money for the job and goodbye.

but you can also get good clients and everything to run smoothly...i did a 4 day shopping cart and the client was more than pleased for 900$..but also did a 2 months site (which was supposed to be finished within 1 week) because of the client color stupidity..like hmm..the blue is not how i like, or the font is too small or too big...of course after a mockup was created and we agreed upon it.

the bad thing about freelancing is that there are a lot of people who work (or at least claim they work) for less money..anyway from my point of view it's better to stay home, do your own schedule and get the money instead of going daily to the same office and have your boss over your head with deadlines and God knows what

It's definitely preferable to going to an office everyday and having a boss and daily commute etc to deal with, but it can be hard to stay motivated and can also get a bit boring stuck at home all day with no-one to interact with.

 

It's hard at first to find clients but it does get easier, but it can be hard trying to manage your money because pay cheques arrive when you finish a job and not on the same day every month like a regular job.

 

It can be useful to have a credit card to help you manage, but only as long as you're good and you pay off your card as soon as a cheque from a completed project arrives!

highly recommend it - but's it can be tough! You've got to keep ahead of the rest and be a good all rounder - not just with your coding/design, but with marketing, networking, project management, client liason, finances, book-keeping, accounts etc etc.

i will agree with mark too...a steady pay check can be the best thing..but then again...paying 30% or more taxes out of that check..seems a bit tough...there are pros and nos too..you might want to test the road for a while...i tested it for about 4 years and can't complain..as for the social interaction..you can sit at your desk at work and don't talk to anybody..your boss will not throw a stripper party every day..right?..but you as a freelancer can go out all nights long

Hi,

About 5-7 years ago life was easy and better for a freelance career. Business was better and there weren't that much mergers. I probably would suggest, if you can have both a full time job and freelance too. Nowadays you need a backup income as a contingency. Or if you could get a semi-full time job on a regular retainer basis while freelancing.

 

Freelancing can be fun with flexi work schedule and you get to choose what type of projects you want. You also have some ups and downs like delinquent payments from clients, nasty clients and prolonged, unfinished projects delaying your payment collection.

 

Good luck and take care. Thanks.

Ideally, you have a signed contract outlining your services with detailed payment instructions. Many business owners (and this is what you are) require 50% upon acceptance of proposal, 40% upon apporval of design, final 10% upon completion of the project

i think its not it is very tough job

If you know what you are doing

Two main benefits are that you are your own boss and how hard you work is directly related to how much money you make.

 

Some of the downsides have been mentioned above (uncertainty, working alone etc) but for me the ost frustrating aspect is when you give a client a reasonable quote for a website but still end up being undercut by sometimes 90% by people who do not know what they are doing and cannot design to save their life - which totally devalues our industry.