Any college students using Upwork as a freelance programmer?

[harrisj1109]

Hey everyone, I've discovered upwork recently and I have a few questions about the site. I have experience with Java, mobile app development and web development, but I plan on using these next few months to sharpen my skills in order to deliver better quality products, I'm also starting college very soon and I'll be majoring in computer science. I was wondering if anyone else on this site is doing the same thing. If so what was your experience with it? Would you say it made you a better programmer and did it help build a portfolio? How much did you earn in your first year as a freelance software engineer? I was also wondering what would be a good price to start at (I'm much more concered about getting work than making money right now) would you say $10-$14 sounds like a reasonable price to start at?

[omnimiratus]

First off, best of luck.

Upwork is a competitive place, especially in IT-related fields, thanks to the people who accept to work for $3/hr (they are from certain countries). There are indeed clients who value things like clear communication, more expertise, etc. and thus will not shy away from paying more for better work, but most of them really only care about getting the work done, so there's that.

[harrisj1109]

I guess I'll have those qualities over others. Thats why I chose a low price to work with.

[kbadeau]

Should at least get you some great experience for when you graduate. I'd search for other freelancers doing what you do, in the U.S., look at their profiles BUT DON'T COPY THEM, and see what they charge to get a feel for where to start. The trick is writing good proposals to explain why someone should choose you specifically, and as stated, be utterly professional, communicate well and in a timely manner.

[gilbert-phyllis]

Freelancing requires more than a marketable skill set. There's a suite of wraparound expertise you need in order to vet and select clients who are a good fit for you, and manage the client relationships and the projects to ensure successful outcomes. It's extremely difficult to make a go of it here without prior professional business experience and/or an established track record working on your own in your chosen field.

In any case, this is not a place to "sharpen your skills". Clients are not looking to pay you to learn on their projects, nor should you expect them to. Over-represent yourself and you'll crash and burn quickly (if you ever get off the ground). You'll be competing in a global marketplace with seasoned pros who can beat you out on experience and expertise, and with pros (and amateurs) in other parts of the world who can beat you out on price.

Please don't take this personally, I'm not being deliberately unwelcoming. You should just understand what you're up against before investing time, energy and money. If gaining experience is really your primary objective right now and earning money is secondary, I'd recommend looking for some pro bono work to do, for local non-profits, and/or barter opportunities.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

[joansands]

Here's some free advice, John. Instead of saying a lot about yourself in your profile, keep it at the minimum and just elaborate on what you can do for a client.