Am I damaging my potential by being a freelancer?

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Posted on 16 Aug 2022, this text provides information on Job Search Queries related to Career Talk. Please note that while accuracy is prioritized, the data presented might not be entirely correct or up-to-date. This information is offered for general knowledge and informational purposes only, and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice.

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manpreet Tuteehub forum best answer Best Answer 2 years ago


I have been working freelance now for about 4.5 years. I was still in university when I started (3 years to go for my degree). I've been at it for a while, and am continuing with 3 different companies. I've onlyever worked freelance.

I was just contacted again by a recruiter with whom I've spoken for several years as she continuously comes to me with job opportunities in the technologies I use and areas I desire. Every time I have to turn her down because I still have continuing development on these projects (one of which is particularly financially incentivizing). In her email she asked if I had any recommendations for Android/iOS developers, and I realized that I don't have any!

This led me to think about a few more points:

  1. I have no experience working in a "team" environment - the most experience I have is my senior Computer Science project at university, but one could hardly call that real-life experience

  2. I have no experience working in a more typical workplace environment (office-ish) - I exclusively work remotely

  3. I've made essentially 0 connections (aside from one of my best friends who is a developer); that means I have no networking capacity, and basically nobody to vouch for my skills, except that I "get results" - my ability to solve problems, write good code, etc. all comes to fruition via the end product (apps, web sites, etc.)

  4. While I have a portfolio of products that I've created over the years, only one code base is open-source, and that's because it's a website I developed for my university. So almost all the code I've written can't be shown, and I don't have time for personal projects anymore...

All of these points (and probably more!) make me look extremely un-hirable in my opinion. I can't shake this feeling that my freelance work is going to eventually make it very difficult to find a more permanent position. I have a good track record with my clients and they would happily vouch for me as an employee/developer, but they can't say anything about my technical skills because they are non-technical people (managers).

So the question: is my freelancing 'career' detrimental to my ability to find permanent employment as a software developer?

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manpreet 2 years ago

is my freelancing 'career' detrimental to my ability to find permanent employment as a software developer?

It might be.

I know a lot of freelancers who could easily get hired in a permanent role. But they all developed great professional networks and didn't work solely as a remote worker. I also know plenty of folks that went from freelancing to perm and back again several times.

There's no way to know your unique situation. But if I had to guess, I'd say it's your lack of professional connections and proven history of working on a team that might limit your opportunities.

That said, it only takes one company to hire you. If/when you want to become a permanent employee, you will likely find a chance to do so. It may take longer for you, but these days there are plenty of jobs available.

You could expand your professional network now by attending seminars, going to meetups, taking freelance gigs that aren't solely remote, etc. That could put you in a better position to be ready to jump to perm, if that is of interest down the road.


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