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Maureen Hood
51 PointsWhat are the best ways/places to find my first web paying web design gigs.
Just starting out.
Thank you.
5 Answers
Gary Mann
8,639 PointsI think the 'Careers Foundations' and 'How to Freelance' courses in the Business section here at Treehouse were a good starting point in answering that question.
They're also a nice mental break from the other courses.
James Perih
4,184 PointsIronically, I believe this requires a bit of beating the street IRL.
Many websites that allow you to connect designers with developers or to bid on work require a high level of organization, speed, and professionalism that you just can't get with no experience.
By offering your friends, colleagues, and small businesses your services, and gaining experience (and referrals) that way, you will then be able to take on jobs at various job bid websites.
I don't recommend family, however. They mean well but likely won't pay. Depends on your family, but this is a generally accepted rule.
Jason Broderick
7,361 PointsA fantastic place to start is Elance.com - its a freelance community where people with jobs post and freelancers like us bid to complete the job. I have used this for about a year now for work and also to collaborate with other designers its the ideal freelancers starting ground!
Marcus H
4,267 PointsHi
Have you been able to make much money doing this and are you quite an experienced designer? It's quite exciting to think I could be in a similar position (getting jobs) after I've learnt what I needed to.
Jason Broderick
7,361 PointsHi Marcus,
Im a bit of a jack of all trades when it comes to freelancing online, I call myself a VA but one that has knowledge of design and programming to help with those clients that need it, but really I just try and know as many skills as possible to cast the widest net possible with the work. I am only as experienced as what I have learned through treehouse here and through my own ventures elsewhere, for example, I am also rated in the top 10% social media marketers on the site which means I get a lot of work doing social media management!
It helps to either - be bloody good at one thing and have examples to prove it OR be pretty good at lots of things! Which is the catagory I fall into. If you stick with it though and get a plan together for how best to optimise your input on the site then you can get some really great regular work out of it.
It is really exciting, youre right! For me - ive been learning to code less than 6 months purely from treehouse and I am about halfway through my first major project now, building and implementing a full site for an Actress here in the UK, and lets just say I am earning enough from it to have taken a week off work to concentrate on it and not worry!
I plan to completely replace my regular job, phasing it out slowly but surely, and I recon 80% of my work will eventually come through Elance.
Happy learning!
J
Lauren Holliday
2,218 PointsMicrolancer, Elance, Guru, Freelancer, Zaarly.....Oh and WORD OF MOUTH! (Family, friends, friends of friends)
Jason Broderick
7,361 PointsYou're totally right,
For me, although I get most of my work through elance, Word of Mouth is the MOST important because it involves no "Client Finding"
Think of it this way - If I spend 10 hours a week bidding for jobs on elance and get 1 jobs from that, great!
But if doing one awesome job for an actress, means she tells the next 10 people that ask her to go with me, and even one of them eventually does, that means Ive saved 10 hours of time finding them in the first place!
Thats a huge thing as far as im concerned.
J
Gary Hurd
17,533 PointsHI Maureen, I am also starting to look for a job in the field, and I have recently signed up with two meet up groups in the Atlanta area. I am hoping to meet some other professionals in the area and tell them about me and my work and try to add ideas and thoughts to the meetings. I will keep you posted on how things work out.
Keith Doyle
25,973 PointsKeith Doyle
25,973 PointsI'll second the nomination for the 'How to Freelance' course. Helps you with pretty much every facet of taking on clients on your own including your question of where.