4 Reasons Why Software Engineers Work as Freelance Developers
No one is born as a freelancer – but rather, the circumstances of their lives and work lead them into the direction of becoming a freelancing. The tough times of today’s working environments have resulted in many people choosing or expressing a desire to be in control of their work-life through becoming a freelancer, and the same is the case for software engineers – many who are opting to join the growing fray of freelance software developers.
In this article, we will see the most frequent reasons that many software engineers choose to pursue a freelance career rather than working as a normal 9-to-5 employee.
Contents
4 Reasons Why Software Engineers Work as Freelance Developers
It gives an opportunity to increase productivity
Among the benefits that make freelancing attractive is the ability to design a mental and physical environment that you can work with, and suits your needs as an individual rather than the company you work for.
Every software developer’s mind is like a house of cards when they set off to produce a quality code. They then add new cards to the structure of the program or application they are making – but the problem is that one mistake or distraction will cause the entire deck to fall. That makes it an essential task to focus on your work when you are coding – which is why you may notice that most developers will avoid the office when they are working on a very important project.
Promotes personal development
An independent worker usually works on different jobs on a hire-per-project basis, but a salaried worker has their payment measured on the basis of infrequent review cycles – so the longer they remain in a company, the higher the chances of increasing their salary because of their years of experience.
This also means that the results-oriented nature and shorter feedback cycles of freelancing make the prospect appealing if you want to challenge yourself and grow in your knowledge of the job.
Agile work will also help you to improve your soft skills, such as communicating with clients. You will also be challenged by clients at times, like they may ask how you did a certain project, while other clients leave you to finish the work. As you continue on the job, you eventually become an expert in working with different clients and management styles.
Increases Your Career Progress
It is human nature to take the paths of least resistance, and the same behaviour shows up in your working habits. When looking at this behaviour from the perspective of technical jobs such as software development, it shows through when you tend to stick only to the tools and technologies you know – and if you are a salaried employee, that tendency is even stronger.
However, a freelancer does not have that option – at least not all the time. You will need to have the motivation to keep educating yourself on new technologies that come out, especially if you want to increase the money you are earning as a result of your knowledge and expertise. For a freelancer, embracing changes is their path of least resistance.
It keeps you on your toes to see if the knowledge you currently have is outdated and whether you need to improve on it, or whether it is going to be feasible enough in a few years to come. When you have enough knowledge in this, you can even inform your clients the strengths and weaknesses of using certain technologies, which establishes you as an authority in the field.
Boosting Creativity and Choice
Among the major factors that encourage software engineers to pursue freelance development is the enjoyment of working on the projects they want. Thanks to the nature of freelance work, an independent worker has a greater opportunity to engage with more creative tasks, and employ creative problem-solving skills.
Generally, freelancers will enjoy wide latitude when they are seeking more creativity in your job – even in the seemingly small things like working using a different style, changing of scenes, and so on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many reasons why a software engineer can choose to work a freelance development job. While it may seem intimidating, it is important to go into it when you are prepared, rather than striking it out and finding obstacles along the way.
