Becoming a Freelance Web Designer
September 22, 2016
What level of skill do you need to start taking on web design and development gigs?
With working knowledge of HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript, you should have enough skills to start working as a web developer / designer. It takes surprisingly little time given the huge demand. But, if you can do a little server side coding with say PHP, Python or JavaScript, you will find that your prospects for work will grow exponentially!
My focus in this article is to help people get their freelancing career up and running. That said, for both freelancing and employment, it is important that you have a strong portfolio site that you can use to demonstrate your web design and development skills.
How to get your first clients?
Word of mouth is probably the easiest way to get clients. But to get that first one, you will likely have to offer up your skills for free. Ask friends, family or the small business down the street, if they need any web development work done. First offer to do it at student prices, or if they don’t accept that, since you are new, do it for free!
…. The key is to get some real credits to your name. Once you’ve done one or two small free or nearly free jobs, you will have a much easier time securing good paying jobs. Small business owners tend to know other small business owners and that’s where your referrals can come in. Ask your first few clients, if they can refer you to people they know.
