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Good article, and perfect timing. I'm just finishing a course in Statistics, and received an email from my last teacher, a specialist in motivating technical employees, who taught me about Engineering Management. Both will receive copies of this report, and I'm certain that both will enjoy it. Well, maybe not the last, so much; she's built a whole career on the notion that behavior follows a normal distribution. Oh well, they say it's never too late to learn something new. 
Will Rogers never met me.
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Roger Wright wrote: they say it's never too late to learn something new
Certainly not – still most people stop …
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I've made my decision I think. I think I've worn out my welcome here at the office and I want to get into working for myself. I don't know which term to use [contracting/freelancing].
anyone point me in the right direction to find this type of work? I've no idea where to start.
-edit-
I've tried a website or two where you bid on jobs. Seems like nothing comes from it.
-end edit-
If it moves, compile it
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Well...I have heard there's good money to be made down at the docks... doing..."favours" for sailors...
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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Cleaning their kit, doing a bit of needlework, etc. He'll have to apply to join the Guild of Seamstresses first though.
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And squrrie the squirrel went neep neep neep and they all went to bed.
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It depends on what you've got on your CV.
If you're not long into your career you might be better off bidding for work to try and build up your profile. If, on the other hand you've got some experience and maybe a certification or two, recruitment parasites consultants should be fighting each other to place you somewhere.
Try posting a comprehensive profile on something like linkedin and see what happens. Contract recruiters trawl there all the time.
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loctrice wrote: I don't know which term to use [contracting/freelancing].
They are basically the same thing; as a freelancer you would work for yourself by fulfilling a contract between yourself and your customer.
loctrice wrote: I've no idea where to start.
Read Pete O'Hanlon's Articles[^] on the subject. Find out which agencies in your area deal with contract work. Try some local businesses to see if they have any requirements for freelance work.
loctrice wrote: I've tried a website or two where you bid on jobs.
It never will; they expect the moon on a stick for a few dollars.
Binding 100,000 items to a list box can be just silly regardless of what pattern you are following. Jeremy Likness
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Richard MacCutchan wrote: It never will; they expect the moon on a stick for a few dollars.
I've noticed that. I can't believe what they put on there for a budget less than $250. Even worse, they get tons of bids.
If it moves, compile it
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loctrice wrote: Even worse, they get tons of bids.
From people who immediately post in Q&A.
Binding 100,000 items to a list box can be just silly regardless of what pattern you are following. Jeremy Likness
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Richard MacCutchan wrote: It never will; they expect the moon on a stick for a few dollars.
If it makes things any easier, Vilmos has a stick[^].
Henry Minute
Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?"
“I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus!
When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
Cogito ergo thumb - Sucking my thumb helps me to think.
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Some recruiters specialize in this. Also, make a site and portfolio, it makes you stick out.
There's also craigslist, under computer gigs?
You'd be surprised at how well word of mouth will work once you get a few contracts done.
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If you want to do contracting, you just go to normal job sites (like careerbuilder or dice.com) and look for contract jobs in your area. They are usually offered by recruiters, and if you apply for one, the recruiter will usually tell you about other jobs they have available, too.
Contracting has its plusses and minuses, but if you're not very good at getting along with people, you won't do well with contract or full-time work. You might want to first consider just getting another regular job if your current one is not working out.
The bidding-on-jobs websites are worthless for people who live in first-world countries, both for developers and people posting work; they inevitably degrade into places where the most incompetent developers and the most clueless job offerers can jointly make each other's lives miserable. If you want real work, go to a real job website.
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I've written a few articles on contracting[^] which is a little different from freelancing.
Contracting: you work for a single company for a set period and, very often, get paid through an agency.
Freelancing: you pitch for as much work as you can do with a variety of companies and work on your own, at home.
You may find it easier to contract first whilst building up contacts and knowledge.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
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I started in vworker making one job for $5 and now i have a paid for time job of $22 for hour, the thing is if you like to work as a freelancer you will have to spend some time building up a reputation until you can bet for important works.
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If you go it alone, do not forget to charge for overhead.
Stating out on your own is where the term networking comes in.
My suggestion would be try consulting through an agency for a while, noting how the agency handles things.
But that is just me.
Good luck.
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I'v been doing both contracting on the side and freelancing (for a year) for the past 17 years.
Some observations:
1) Clients don't know what the want. They do know, however, that what you gave them isn't it. Lesson: Be VERY explicit in your documentation. Assume nothing. Document everything.
2) ALWAYS use a contract, regardless of the project scope or size, including work for 'friends'. Don't work without a signed contract.
3) Work out payment details in advance. Again, be very explicit in your contract.
4) For large projects, work in phases. Deliver phase 1, get paid for it, start on phase two, ect.
5) Manage change request carefully. Changes can muddy the waters and cause scope bloat. Be explicit on the time and cost for even the smallest change.
6) Deliver on time. Being late can damage your credibility.
7) If you fail to get paid, stop working. Don't assume the "check's in the mail".
8) Get feedback often. Get the customer involved in testing early on and throughout the project. You want it to go smooth and don't want stoppages becuase something's not right.
9) Create a project schedule, including deliverables - both from you and the client. State when they will send you documents, when they'll start testing, end testing, when you'll start, and when you'll end.
10) If it's ambiguous, it's unenforcable. If either you or the client are unsure on something, get clarification before you proceed.
11) Research your potential client. If they hava a bad rep, avoid them. Yout don't want to get ripped off or into legal hassles.
12) State in the contract who ownes the code. Research this. Here in CA, when a contractor writes code for a client its called a Work For Hire[^], the contractor ownes the code. I write in a release clause granting the client either full, sole ownership, or the right to use code forever.
From the article "anyone you hire independently to do your SEO work (which is considered copyrighted material) not only gets to keep full copyrights to their creations, but cannot legally transfer their rights to you unless certain conditions are met."
13) Disclaimer. Write one in. As soon as they finish testing, they should hold you harmless.
14. Use common sense. If it sounds too good to be true - it is.
Just my two cent.
Everything makes sense in someone's mind
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All excellent advice.
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An excellent summary, Kevin. 
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V. Good advice.
what i would say is that when i checked out some 'bid' sites, the prices quoted by some developers (especially in asian countries where the cost of living is cheaper) were ridiculously low and not worth the bother if u wanna make a living out of them.
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IMO to succeed at freelancing you need to get your people skills honed. And if you get your people skills honed then you might find you do better in your current job anyhow.
Always move towards good things, not away from bad ones.
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Get out there physically.
Cold call on likely businesses, in person, with a portfolio.
If you cannot face this, then you have small hope 'going it alone'.
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It helps if you widened your contacts network. You usually do that by working on full-time jobs and making connections with companies that are client to the one you work for.
There are several ways to know the right people, but in my point of view the easiest way to get in is to show off your good work.
Once you know the right people, you can offer them services as a consultant/freelancer.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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