A little over a year ago, I bid goodbye to the regular nine-to-five grind as a full stack developer. My journey began with an abundance of motivation, pushing me to dedicate long hours and pouring hard work into my job. I was making strides, and things seemed promising.
But as the saying goes, "all good things come to an end." I decided to chase a dream - setting up a business of my own, leveraging the skills and knowledge I'd accumulated over the years.
The initial stages of freelance life were encouraging. I hustled, found clients, and landed some projects. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I stumbled upon a project that starkly highlighted my inexperience.
At a corporate job, there's a safety net. There, I learned how things "should" work, but the actual doing was often a collective effort. I worked on solo projects but didn’t grasp the entirety of a project’s lifecycle, from conception to handing it over to developers.
Being a solo developer means wearing all hats. While I was aware of this, experiencing it firsthand was a different ball game. As a developer creating a product, my skill set needed to be vast. When challenges arose, I had to have the answers. When things went awry, the buck stopped with me.
But every cloud has a silver lining. The satisfaction of completing a project, knowing users are deriving joy from it? It's an incomparable high!
Then there was that project—the one that threw me into the deep end. The one where the tech was unfamiliar, and I felt out of depth. It ended up being a lesson in humility. However, the growth I experienced in the subsequent months was exponential—greater than years spent in a structured company environment.
This solo venture broadened my horizons. Now, I can confidently say I deliver better projects, ensuring clients feel they've gotten their money's worth. My communication skills have improved, and I've mastered the art of setting realistic goals.
As my father wisely put it: "You know you've struck a good deal when everyone's happy."
This journal marks the beginning of my story-sharing. I aim to keep things casual and spirited, offering insights from my freelance journey.
I'm eager to hear from others. What experiences propelled you to grow and be better?
Until we meet again on these virtual pages! 🙂
Top comments (0)