| p>I worked for a web agency for almost 5 years | | | | 2. How many hours do you want to work per year? |
| before making the transition to a freelance web | | | | 3. How much overhead will you have (paying |
| developer. Maybe you are in transition yourself and are | | | | contractors, recurring bills, etc.)? |
| trying to figure out at what rate you should be charging | | | | 4. How much profit do you want to make? |
| per hour. Like many other professionals (lawyers, | | | | There are many benefits to becoming a freelance |
| accountants, etc.) you will want to have a competitive | | | | web developer. For one thing, you choose your clients. |
| rate that is fair, yet will keep you profitable. | | | | You also choose your own hours and what type of |
| It is often difficult to choose an hourly rate because of | | | | work you want to do. You don't have a boss dictating |
| the competition you have to deal with. Not only are | | | | how a project should be completed. There are also |
| you competing with web developers locally but all over | | | | downsides to freelancing. |
| the internet. Clients have the option of seeking web | | | | The primary downside is that if you're not careful, you |
| developers by just doing a search on the web. They | | | | may feel like you have traded one job for another. |
| even have the option to outsource to developers | | | | This is what happened to me. After several years, I |
| overseas. | | | | stopped having fun. I was tired of seeking out new |
| Not only do you have to come up with a reasonable | | | | clients, chasing down payments for invoices, and |
| hourly rate but you have to prove why you are the | | | | meeting tight deadlines. |
| best choice. Keeping this in mind, don't set your rate so | | | | It started to feel like I was in the rat race all over again |
| low just to beat out your competition. It isn't fair to you. | | | | but this time, I worked longer hours. Being your own |
| You want to make a profit. Here are the factors to | | | | boss can be rewarding so long as your career doesn't |
| consider when deciding what to charge: | | | | feel like a job. |
| 1. How much do you want your yearly salary to be? | | | | |