[philiphodgen]

To the OP, if you're coming back to visit your post:

1. The reason I suggested that you put contact information in your HN profile is because I am a possible person who would give you actual money to do some web tasks. There are probably other readers on HN who would be in a similar position. There are diamonds lying at your feet right now. (Shamelessly stolen literary device, yeah. So sue me.) Wave the flag. Don't be anonymous. (That for instance is why I use my real name as my handle everywhere I go, like Twitter, Skype, etc. I want people to find me.)

2. As for the "get a job, don't freelance" suggestions, they're all valid. Ignore them anyway. I'll give you two reasons.

(a) The most important technical skill you will ever develop is your ability to look at a person and demand a large amount of money for your services. Without giggling. Go practice in the mirror: "That will be $20,000." I am dead serious. The world belongs to people who can ask for money, then deliver as promised. If you can do this, you will own your own life. Otherwise, you are owned by someone else. If your life is important to you, start now to develop the skill of selling and then delivering. Vastly more important than the technical skills. You can buy those (from other freelancers, heh).

(b) This is HN, FFS! HN is about startups. What could be more startup that someone like you, standing, facing the world, thinking "I think I can do this" and giving it a shot. You can fail utterly. Doesn't matter. If you have a pilot light within your soul that says "I could do this" then you must do it or end up an old man with "what if?" regrets. This is your life. I think you might have that pilot light burning in your soul. A person with pure employee mentality (rather than entrepreneur mentality) simply would not have raised the possibility that you raised.

3. OK. Advice from someone who has been there, done that may not be enough. [Item 2]. The threat of real money in return for real work might. [Item 1]. Post your contact info in your HN profile.

/Phil

[lyaunzbe]

Thanks for taking the time out to write all these suggestions. They were really helpful and I took the time to update my HN profile and give some information about myself, as well as providing contact information. Hopefully I can also find some way to get the cash for some affordable hosting and then I can put up a personal page, as well.

Regarding 2(a): This is so true! A summer back when, I was working at a computer repair shop, I was continuously baffled at the amount of money people would drop to have someone upgrade their RAM or reinstall their operating system. I felt almost guilty of theft when I had to charge someone hundreds of dollars for work that took me 30 minutes. I definitely need practice in correctly valuing my work so that I don't undervalue it to clients.

The main reason I want to do freelance web development right now is so that I can get some true working experience before college and because I really do have a passion web development. For me its fun and educational; getting paid to do it would really be the cherry on top. I don't really care, at this point, if its scalable or profitable in the long term.

Thanks again!