I am also getting started with this process and these are things that have helped me:
It seems like you are very aware of what you are capable of. It's great to be realistic, but also realize that you are now in the professional market like everyone else. Like the other posts say here, NETWORK. Go to local meetups and present yourself as a real professional. Create business cards (BONUS: Make yours stand out from the rest). You will receive many business cards by going to these meetups. You can probably gauge what would make yours flashier.
Update your LinkedIn, Twitter, HackerNews, Blog, etc immediately with solid and presentable information. If you're unsure of how to do this professionally, check out other professionals' pages and emulate success.
Now, BUILD THAT PORTFOLIO. Even one side project is generally enough to show someone that you can do the work. Do you want to show off your skills, but you're not sure what to build? Take a popular site and build a small client for it.
This is one of the most exciting things you will ever go through. We hear about people building businesses all of the time, and it seems amazing. There is so much more passion - in my experience - when you are building yourself. Congratulations on taking this huge step!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any basic questions about the whole freelancing process. I'm happy to help in any way! (Email in profile)
This is yet another great piece of advice. The community here is great!
In line with what you are saying, I have been attending the local Drupal user's group for the past few months and I plan on presenting my capstone project at our next meetup. I will get a business card and present myself in a more professional manner.
It is an exciting time for me, I am building my career and in the process learning a lot more about myself personally and professionally. I'll keep your email address handy.
can you expand on what you mean by "take a popular site and build a small client for it"? Do you mean just use their API to build a quick demo site or something else? My portfolio is a bit weak and I was looking for good portfolio projects to showcase my talents.
Basically yes. Provide something that might be attractive, such as extra or alternative features that you think users would enjoy. Some sites that have great APIs are Flickr, Reddit, and Hacker News (although, I cannot personally recommend HN as I have not dabbled with its API myself - many others have suggested it).
Comments
I am also getting started with this process and these are things that have helped me:
It seems like you are very aware of what you are capable of. It's great to be realistic, but also realize that you are now in the professional market like everyone else. Like the other posts say here, NETWORK. Go to local meetups and present yourself as a real professional. Create business cards (BONUS: Make yours stand out from the rest). You will receive many business cards by going to these meetups. You can probably gauge what would make yours flashier.
Update your LinkedIn, Twitter, HackerNews, Blog, etc immediately with solid and presentable information. If you're unsure of how to do this professionally, check out other professionals' pages and emulate success.
Now, BUILD THAT PORTFOLIO. Even one side project is generally enough to show someone that you can do the work. Do you want to show off your skills, but you're not sure what to build? Take a popular site and build a small client for it.
This is one of the most exciting things you will ever go through. We hear about people building businesses all of the time, and it seems amazing. There is so much more passion - in my experience - when you are building yourself. Congratulations on taking this huge step!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any basic questions about the whole freelancing process. I'm happy to help in any way! (Email in profile)
This is yet another great piece of advice. The community here is great!
In line with what you are saying, I have been attending the local Drupal user's group for the past few months and I plan on presenting my capstone project at our next meetup. I will get a business card and present myself in a more professional manner.
It is an exciting time for me, I am building my career and in the process learning a lot more about myself personally and professionally. I'll keep your email address handy.
can you expand on what you mean by "take a popular site and build a small client for it"? Do you mean just use their API to build a quick demo site or something else? My portfolio is a bit weak and I was looking for good portfolio projects to showcase my talents.
Basically yes. Provide something that might be attractive, such as extra or alternative features that you think users would enjoy. Some sites that have great APIs are Flickr, Reddit, and Hacker News (although, I cannot personally recommend HN as I have not dabbled with its API myself - many others have suggested it).