Freelancer software developer: it’s not what you expect

The speaker, who says "I've been a Freelancer software developer for around two years" and "been self-employed since I was 17," reframes freelancing as a hybrid role: roughly half of the time is coding and the other half is non‑coding work. Specifically, "half is spent doing marketing, client communication, admin," so if you only want to write code, the speaker recommends finding a company role where you like the culture and product instead of freelancing.

Practical workflow and client tips offered: give clients access to a "dashboard" so they can check progress without repeatedly asking; always charge when work supports a real business case because otherwise "they're just taking advantage of you"; and prioritize people skills because "qualifications do not matter" — the speaker states "I don't have a degree in computer science. In fact, I don't have a degree in anything."

On pricing and estimating, the speaker outlines three outcome types: you can overestimate (example: project takes "two weeks instead of three"), you can hit it perfectly, or you can drastically under‑estimate and end up unpaid for extra hours. The concrete recommendation: add contingency to quotes — "If you think a project is going to take 100 hours, give them a price for 150 hours" — so up to 50 extra hours still leave you compensated.

Emotional and managerial realities: self‑management is harder than hiring managers expect because busy periods force difficult prioritization across multiple projects. When overruns occur, "don't beat yourself up too much about it"; learn from the mistake and adjust future pricing. Finally, selling yourself and communication — both online/digital marketing and face‑to‑face — are the core skills the speaker highlights for landing freelance work.

Bottom line: freelancing can pay well but demands marketing, client management, estimates with contingencies (100 hours → 150 hours), and strong people skills; it is not a pure coding lifestyle.