After I resigned from my work as a maintenance engineer, I started to take stock of my IT skills to sell my services as a freelancer. I was not happy being employed in my previous job because I was doing a lot of work but getting paid a bit low. I tried applying to other jobs, but then I discovered that I can also get to be my own boss by being a self-employed freelance programmer with the skills that I had gained.


photo credit: nkzs (SXC)

There are so many opportunities for freelance programming and web design from online jobs. I would highly recommend finding opportunities this way. If I would take my skill offline the chances of getting jobs are a lot less than those offered online. Online job marketplaces are still the best way for me to get fixed income. Many job opportunities come from smaller companies who often need people to outsource their work.

Hottest Freelance Programming and Web Design Jobs

With the growing popularity of blogging, consider learning PHP, AJAX, Joomla, HTML, CSS and XML to design pages and customize widgets that appears on blog sites. The same technologies are also used to create web pages. There is also an increasing demand in SEO skills – many clients often post out web designer jobs with SEO considerations. Putting up E-commerce websites are very common too. Knowledge on Ruby on Rails is getting to be in demand too.

Learning mobile phone software applications is also a good move as more people are getting internet access in their mobile phones. Java knowledge is often the skill that is often used for developing applications for these handy devices.

Database development has always been a staple in many MIS departments and there are even many outsourced jobs on this skill. Microsoft technologies like ASP, Access, VB.NET are often used to develop these databases because developing applications with these platforms are quick.

Macro development and VBA continue to be a staple to automate some tasks in Microsoft Word and Excel. There is also a lot of demand for these kinds of skills too.


Freelance Programming Frequently Adapts to IT Trends

Learning this technology should always be fueled by great interest in understanding programming. The programming language that may be hot today may be outdated in the next years. One should not only seek the gratification of earning a lot of money from freelance ventures. Clients seek and hire talented and experienced professionals who can do work within an agreed timeframe.

Opportunities for freelance jobs are favorable to those in IT. What do you think?

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