[peterbsmith]

Personal networks.

I came into Syracuse knowing nobody and nothing.

I had never done any app making as of January 2015. I had done some wordpress stuff, but just the basics.

And I had (and have) no CS degree.

I now make a living on contract work. I did it by going to local meetups and introducing myself as a freelance web developer. Nevermind that I hadn't done freelance web development ever. I kept going to meetups for month and still attend a monthly hacker meetup. I participated in hackathons without really knowing how to program.

But all along the way I met people more experienced than I am and picked up two clients along the way. I think one thing that I do differently to most is that I charge a high rate (I always quote $150/hr). I am willing to negotiate lower than that but its a starting point. I have been paid that in the past for less complicated work like hiring developers and being a project manager.

What am I saying? Your questions is what sites to use? Just one: meetup.com

[a_shane]

I want to add a bit to your comment - it's important to try and identify the kind of meetups you'd like to attend that will help you meet your desired customer base, and the kinds that will help you get known in your local community (ie: meetups for web devs to connect).

I find that meetups can sometimes become circle-jerks for people in a similar field to just get together and talk/humblebrag. Which is fine, but if that's not your goal you need to look at different meetups which serve that goal.

[peterbsmith]

Good point.

Some meetups I went to were the exact circle-jerk/humblebragfests you're talking about.

The one I consistently go to (shameless plug [OpenHack Syracuse](http://www.openhacksyr.com) is a monthly meetup for developers to talk about what projects they're working on and to spend time together working on projects, ideas, and sharing info. It's really just an organized hangout/hack session. And it's these types of meetups which are best for getting contract work (because contract work isn't the goal)

[brokencog]

sounds like sex ... the best way to get a date is to be out not looking for a date.

[kjax]

Whether it be business opportunities, employment prospects, or romance, there seems to be a consistent theme: improving your prospects often comes as a result of improving the relevant factors you can presently control. With that being said, all three seem to benefit from enhancing your network.

[JshWright]

Interesting... I'll stop by the next one (I'm from the FM area).

[peterbsmith]

Cool! They're the second Tuesday of every month, as it says on the site. And they're at 6PM at CoWorks.

[peterbsmith]

OP if you're reading this.... this is how it works

[vvpan]

So without any experience you are able to charge $150/hour?

[edc117]

Seconding this question, this is baffling to me. I could see maybe getting through the door with some less-saavy clients and collecting a pay check for a few weeks, but I can't imagine that working for long. How long are you typically employed? What happens if you encounter projects you are unable to solve, is it a fake it until you make it sort of thing?

[peterbsmith]

I was offered $150/hr to manage a project once and so I accepted. I figured it out along the way and delivered the results.

Since then, I start with an estimate of $150/hr when I'm calculating price. I've had one person balk and say thats crazy. one.

Everyone else has either came back and said that they can't afford that, that they'd like to pay $XXX instead. Or they've said yes to $150/hr.

What happens if you encounter projects you are unable to solve, is it a fake it until you make it sort of thing?

With just about every project I do I don't know exactly how I'll solve it to begin with. Before I start billing I always have a research phase, either a day or a week, but never more than that, to figure out how I'll do it. I don't bill for hours that I study, just hours that I work on their project.

I hope this is helpful, but essentially, I deal fairly with all clients. As long as terms are understood upfront I find everyone is happy.

Typical projects are 4-6 months I'd say.

[vijayr]

I know people with more than a decade of experience struggling to get $75/hr (granted, they don't do PM work - just coding). It is amazing that you pulled it off in less than a year. Neat!

[peterbsmith]

Tell them to double their rate! I'm not joking.

Just start quoting double. It's a negotiation.

[vijayr]

You are probably right, but most people (at least techies) just aren't comfortable with asking for more money :(

[chris11]

Out of curiosity, how much software development experience did you have? $150/hr seems kind of high to me just starting out freelancing.