Not until recently did I have an idea of what I wanted to do when I get out of college. Hell, I'm still not 100% sure, but this idea sounds the best as of right now. Being a freelance web designer sounds like one of the better career decisions that have crossed my head. (Previous holders of this title included Game Developer and Animator.) I'm probably glorifying it a bit too much, but renting out an office for yourself, working your own hours, flexing your own schedule, and having the ability to sit back and watch Comedy Central or G4 anytime you want sounds pretty darn good to me. Now, don't get me wrong. I know they'll be work involved and I'll have to be my own boss. There won't be anyone there to tell me that I'm falling behind or that a deadline is approaching, it'll be all up to me to keep the business afloat.

When I think about it, I'm probably being influenced by the NewGrounds.com office setup a bit too much. I mean, damn. If I worked with them in there my life would be complete.

I came across a video the other day from 36Point.com. It's pretty funny and it made me laugh, so I'll share it with you guys. It's called The 36 Point How To Be a Freelance Designer.

Though they did a somewhat exaggerated spin off of their daily schedules (I would image), it just makes me want to do what they do even more. I mean, did you see what time he got up? (I kid.)

It's probably good that I'm learning so much about what I hope to be my future career at a young age. It'll help me to prepare. Think about it. Right now, I basically live off of my parents. So say I go through a dry spell where I don't get alot of work, it's not like my electricity will be turned off or something. It's probably a good thing if I make alot of mistakes now. It's just practice for the real world. In a sense, it "doesn't count."

If you're interested in being a freelancer online, whether it be in web design or something else, here are a few tips that I've gathered over the past two years.

Have a Way to Receive Money Online

I almost don't even have to give this tip, as it's probably a given. If you're working online, you'll need a way to receive money online. The thing is, this isn't always simple. Paypal is the number one money transaction site out there. Signing up for an account with them is easy and you can be accepting money through them within 5 minutes. There's more to it though. Under Paypal's terms and conditions, you must be at least 18 years old to open an account with them. This is something I learned the hard way. In September of '08, right when I was starting to get into the swing of things, Paypal goes and freezes my account (with $700 in it, mind you). Long story short, they found out I wasn't 18 and they are allegedly are holding my funds for 180 days. (We'll see what happens in March.)

I recommend if you do go about opening a Paypal account and are underage or don't have a credit card/bank account, do it through your parents. Right now I'm operating under my moms name. (I was originally going to do it under my dads name, but with him having the same name as me, I don't want to go and confuse Paypal. That's all I need.) Once you're all set, open up your own account in your name and you'll be set.

You Better Have a Passion for What You're Doing

Ask anyone around me, whenever I'm on my laptop, I'm either:

  • Working on a WordPress theme
  • Reading articles on Web-Design related blogs
  • Managing ForTheLose.org

I like what I do. To me, it's fun. Oh, and the money I gain from it is a great incentive too. I understand that there are going to be "quiet" times in my freelancing career that are probably going to get me down and depressed. It's understandable for this to happen. In order for me to get by this, I obviously have to really enjoy what I do. If I don't, well damn, that's just going to suck.

Time is of the Essence

If I were to start work on a new WordPress theme right this second and not stop until it is fully completed, it would probably take me 30-35 hours. It takes a load of time to make a decent website design and if I don't have the appropriate amount of time to dedicate to it, there's no way I'm going to succeed. To make things worse, imagine if I become successful! I might actually have more than one project at any given time.

Time and passion are probably the two biggest obstacles for wannabe freelancers. This is because they're both something you can't buy. Well, if you think about it, you might be able to buy time somehow, but passion is definitely something you're born with. If you can't say you have passion for what you're doing and that you don't have time for it either, you might as well give up now, you're screwed.

Get a Home

If you want to have an online business, you'll need a website to call home. I already have this down. ForTheLose.org is going to be my home for quite a while. If you're a website designer, your website would probably be where you showcase your portfolio, provide your contact details for potential clients, sell some of your pre-made templates or designs, or blog about your experiences and develop a buzz around the online community. It's essential that your website not only be easy to use but also easy on the eyes. Make it look awesome. This is probably why I keep redesigning ForTheLose.org here. Every time I notice one small thing that can improved, my OCD kicks in and I totally redo the whole site.

Again, for the young people out there, this could be a challenge. Hosting and a domain cost around $50-$100 a year depending on what you're looking for. You have to search around for the best deals out there to get the most bang for your buck. I recommend using Name.com for your domains. Before you buy though, always check RetailMeNot.com for Name.com coupon codes. I've bought 4 domains, and together I've saved about $12 in total. Nothing huge, but it's better in my pocket than theirs.

I stupidly went straight to Hostgator.com for my hosting plan. I'm not saying this was a bad decision or that I don't like their service (no complaints so far), its just I regret not doing too much research before I bought. I saw how many other sites I visit daily were using them, so I decided to go for it without thinking. If I look back on it now, I'd definitely head to WPWebHost.com. They have cheaper prices and their servers are especially set up for WordPress blogs.

Stay in Contact With Your Clients

One last point before I end this post. When I'm done working for a client, I don't take their money and run. I watch their site for a bit. If I see a problem or something, I come to them about it. This puts me in a good light in their eyes and will increase the chances of them coming back to me when they need more web design services. If I haven't heard from a client in a long period of time (say, a year or so) I'll email them. You know, something friendly. If it's around Christmas time or something like that, I'll wish them happy holdiays. The most important thing to remember here is to be sincere. Don't make the point of the message you looking for work. Ask them how their doing, how their sites are holding up, etc...

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