As a web professional, I've found myself in both full time positions and in freelancing roles - and most IT skills-led jobs can be fit to either pattern. While the majority of people working in IT are in more conventional permanent (or at least, semi-permanent) roles, freelancing can prove to be a lucrative and challenging type of career move.
While the economic climate may be a little bit discouraging at the moment, if you fancy going freelance it's probably not a bad time to bide your time and make plans for the day that you do decide to go it alone. The freedom you gain from working for yourself can be most rewarding, although you do lose much of the comfort of a regular 9 to 5 position.
It is important, then to hedge your bets and be prepared - and there are a few things you might just need to consider. The first - and most immediate - is your finances, particularly on day one.
Savings & Finances
You can't just dive straight into freelancing work - inevitably it will take time to build clients, and during this time you'll still have all your usual expenses. It's typically recommended that you about 6 months worth of your salary - at least 6 months living expenses - in reserve, before you even start thinking about heading out on your own.
You also need to seriously consider cutting down costs - pay off any extraneous debts, be sure you're not paying too much on a car loan or mortgage, and generally cut back as far as you can without it infringing on your ability to do work. Low expenses and a healthy amount of capital to fall back on will both help get your freelancing career off the ground. If things get rough, you'll need a cushion until the situation improves.
A Good Portfolio
A portfolio is vital for those working in an area remotely creative or production-based - from designers to programmers, web-oriented or otherwise. If you don't have the means to show off the things you can do, you'll struggle to sell yourself.
It doesn't necessarily have to be of epic proportion - just a couple of strong examples of your work should suffice to impress, but it is this proven ability that will close deals. If you're looking to freelance, get a portfolio and make it available to as many people as possible. Solid examples of your own work that are demonstrable are invaluable.
A Means of Client Acquisition
Important one, this - you need to think long and hard about exactly how you plan to snare work. When you're first starting out, this will take up the bulk of your time, so it's important to be aware of the avenues through which you can get work.
Simply putting together a quick website and printing some business cards won't be enough - you'll need to take a more proactive tack if you are to succeed. The traditional means - endless telephone calls to prospective clients - can work, but the internet opens a few more doors in terms of hooking up with those people who might require your services.
Freelance job sites, viral marketing, blogging, participation in social media, forums, etc. Are all good ways of increasing awareness and getting contacts - some are better than others, and can be dependent on specific situations, but the internet does provide a lot of good ways for getting work. The trick is to be flexible, try new approaches - and with a spot of luck, you might just be able to get a steady stream of new clients.
Pre-Existing Clients
Even better than a plan to get new clients is a pre-existing set of clients. There's no reason why you can't start to dip your toes into the world of freelancing whilst remaining in full-time employment - and if you can slowly build up a client base in your spare time, you'll find the transition to freelancing full-time much more easy.
It can be a bit of a chicken/egg type conundrum, as working full time can hamper your ability to get clients, but it's certainly not impossible to take on smaller jobs in your spare time, get some good contacts, and a little spare cash in the meantime. It does, of course, mean a little extra stress and a few more hours to the working week in the interim.
I wouldn't recommend forgoing the above point regarding the acquisition of further clients - new customers are always a benefit (assuming you have spare capacity to handle them) - and there's no guarantee that today's clients will return tomorrow.
'The Right Stuff'
Freelancing can be very hard work if you're not cut out for it. You need to be equally strong on all the fronts required - you need to be technically competent, a self-motivated and quick worker, boast great communication skills and politeness with your clients, and take a more direct, brash approach to selling your skills.
It's a heady mix - and not everyone can pull it off. You have to be sure you can make it work, else you might find yourself in a position where you can sustain yourself but naught more - a stalemate between paying the bills and excelling in a freelance role.
You also may have to accept failure - sometimes there simply isn't the market for a specific skill set in any given area - or it could be the case that there's an oversaturation of your skills. In either case, you may have to try a different approach.
Get it right, though - and you'll be laughing. An unfettered work schedule, no boss and the potential for unlimited riches? It might not always work out quite as planned - but with freelancing there is always potential for such opportunity, given that you're motivated enough and can cope with the strain of working for yourself.
