Freelance engineering freelance or through the eyes of a design engineer
So it is Tuesday, and perhaps someone is ready to land in an office chair next to his co-workers and dream about how to stop working for his uncle and start living ... and become a free mason, so to speak. This will be discussed in this article. True, this time we will look at freelancing through the eyes of a person more distant from the IT industry.
Internet technologies are gradually and inexorably entering our lives, and judging by my completely secret data, more and more engineers who are not directly connected with the IT industry are becoming avid readers of Habr. Therefore, I decided to briefly share my little freelancing experience, because the author of the article in the “hungry” youth has labored as a “webmaster of all trades”, along the way I will make some comparison of the specifics of the activity and I will certainly tell you what new engineers are waiting for in the freelance field.
I do not like writing articles that do not carry a reasonable, kind, eternal, and I promise to write in the near future, something related to science and technology, but for now, if a respected reader wonders what it is like to be a freelance design engineer, I ask for cat.
')
So, since there is no absolutely correct judgment in the world, so that you can present and try on yourself what I will tell you here is the basic data.
1) In the past, the Web Master was self-taught with an “extravagant” concept of design and not very direct hands in terms of graphics processing, he was creating turnkey websites, did something better, but worse, as a rule, everything was very budget. Relevance of information 3-5 years ago. Then he got stuck and abandoned.
2) In the present Engineer the designer of low-current building security systems and to a lesser extent electrics.
In both cases, freelancing was not considered as the only source of income, but rather as a way to temporarily twist or make some money.
We now turn to a direct description of the process and small comparisons.
How to start a novice freelancer? Most likely, with a hike to the exchange of freelancing.
The main domestic stock exchanges in our country are those that have free and lance in their names, where together, where through a dash. And if an IT specialist, in addition to these exchanges, can still try his luck at smaller sites or even at sites from Habr, then for a designer a maximum of three leaders will be closed by proektanti.ru, everything else is almost a complete brute.
So the first thing that a novice freelance designer will face is a shortage of orders. By the way, if you don’t buy a premium account on the two above-mentioned exchanges with free and lance in the title, then you can’t see any orders at all, so be prepared to immediately invest. On the stock exchange proektanti.ru, in my opinion, there is no premium account at all, but there, you will most likely be overwhelmed by "full-grown guys" and it will also not be easy for a beginner to get a coveted order.
Another noteworthy seasonal phenomenon is the students' session, then there are orders for laboratory courses, diplomas, etc. There is less competition here because students and their teachers are people who are not predictable and self-respecting specialists usually do not consider this market.
I will begin with the common thing between IT and freelancing engineering, even if you own at least the very basics of any specialization, still be ready to feel like a guest worker. As shown by my practice and the practice of my friends. Confidence often comes gradually and at first people may even be of lower qualification than you, but more hardened people will intercept your orders from under your nose.
At the same time, open dumping will not guarantee that you will receive the project, it is likely that someone more confident in himself will receive it, even with large financial inquiries. Thus, you can probably take on any job just to get a taste of the tender won. One of the most rough and more or less regularly appearing work is the digitization of drawings. And in view of the fact that this work is not disdainful, both students and guys with a large portfolio, it is likely that by the 17th minute from the opening of the project 24 applications will be submitted. Here, in the event of victory, it is quite appropriate to feel like a happy spermatozoon.
I don’t know how now, but in my experience, I can say that there are many times more orders for developing websites, writing scripts, layout, promotion, content, writing programs, consulting, and so on. I just checked 02:41 Moscow time now, at one of the major freelance exchanges, there are already new orders in the WEB and IT fields, and there are more than 5 of them in each of the fields, not a single new order has appeared in engineering yet.
Separately, I want to note that I’m not saying that orders are better or worse in the IT field, there are plenty of bad orders everywhere, just in IT there are more of them than in engineering (even if we look at engineering + architecture).
Portfolio. Oddly enough, I noticed that the portfolio engineer is far less important than for example the same webmaster. I remember how I every govnosaytik, and every little thing carefully laid in his portfolio, it is plump and brought me quantitative preferences. Apparently, after gaining some critical mass, even if it was of low quality, the level of trust in me increased.
But in engineering, it turned out to be enough for me to place a couple of screenshots for those specializations that I did, just to let people know that I am doing this. At the same time, from my own experience from the customer’s side, I’ll say that a couple of screenshots of the drawings are also enough for me, and a person with a bunch of 3D images in a portfolio and a bunch of projects like “I made a specification here”, and “I made a cable magazine here” will not have significant preferences in front of a person who has a couple of screenshots of thematic projects in his portfolio.
So, here comes the happy moment when the first project fell into your hands and immediately you will be surprised: “How did it happen that I’m been making some heresy for 200 rubles for 8 hours, but in the end I still make comments?”. And the worst thing is that if at some point you vzbryknete the customer is not particularly scary, because there are few projects, and rough workers are a dime a dozen. And since the advance payment of 100 rubles was ridiculous, you can draw your own 8 hours for free.
In general, a “sandwich man” gets more for his work.
The same applies to other common specialties, for example, a project on a low current costs more than digitization, because it is still an activity that requires some knowledge, but again there are many competitors and everything said above is successfully extrapolated.
Then I remembered only the first order. This does not mean that all your orders will not be profitable, it’s quite possible to cling to a good order, then get connections and generally do not climb on the stock exchange. It is just possible that the FIRST order will be defective in all respects, because there is a chance that you will want at least some order to gain confidence. And he really will be "some"
In the last paragraph, they touched upon the topic of specialization. I will say, what I see is purely in engineering (excluding architecture and structures). The hierarchy of prestige honor and earnings, in ascending order.
In the comments, amarao reminded me about electronics, there are not many orders for electronics on the above sites, they are usually either from students or from people with low incomes, therefore often the labor intensity is higher than the profitability.
1 Without specialization.
2. Student help, simple electronics
3. Slabotech point of the OPS, access control, SCS, EHV, etc.
4. Automation engineering and fire extinguishing automation also estimates for SS
5. Electrics, electricity and air conditioning, as well as estimates for other sections (approximately right there in the ranking of Azerbaijan Republic and Kyrgyz Republic and metal constructions).
6 Hydraulics (heating, water supply), surveying.
7 Rare specializations such as RZA and TM and other projects of high complexity.
This rating is made by eye, but in principle the alignment is really such that a good hydraulics gets more than a machine gunner, and he will get more than a pure weak collector. Moreover, electrics and hydraulics are quite in demand, so if you own them you can safely try your luck on freelancing.
The main problems of freelancing in other areas relevant for the design of engineers.
Inadequate customers, labor-intensive and low-paid projects, which arise constantly the customer's wishes, cancellation of initiated or almost agreed projects, elementary scam. Vaccinations are the same as for everyone: a clear TZ, advance payment, do not take it for horrible.
Another problem is the low customer return.
If you wrote a code to a person, a database, a website, you drew a logo, it is likely that he will return to you simply because he is too lazy. With the engineer in this regard, things are worse, partly because most customers can independently master your work, for example, an electrician can get a well-executed project from you once and then replicate it from apartment to apartment, replacing automatic machines and placing sockets. Still, people who get a logo will not be able to fix it beautifully later or get a website will not be able to install a module for CMS without having buried everything for ever more.
In my opinion, freelancing in the field of engineering and design is good only in two cases.
If you are a super specialist and already have a certain client base, or in the event that you consider freelancing as a training session before opening a business, because without licenses and access to an SRO, you will most likely be 2 or 3 or even 4 in the chain of intermediaries , accordingly, funding will be minimal, and the number of people making demands is substantial.
So think about the same simple draftsman or a low-level specialist, as a freelancer can simply starve to death. In this case, the work on the uncle will be much more profitable, and freelancing should be considered rather as a way to learn something and not get bored.
Just in case, I will say everything written above; this is just my experience and the experience of colleagues, other people may have a different experience. In fairness for soot, that after a large number of stuffed cones, freelancing became a profitable hobby, but for the first 4 months it brought only moral and material damages, so I suggest thinking about whether it’s good where we don’t have any and whether draw schemas on the beaches under palm trees.
Internet technologies are gradually and inexorably entering our lives, and judging by my completely secret data, more and more engineers who are not directly connected with the IT industry are becoming avid readers of Habr. Therefore, I decided to briefly share my little freelancing experience, because the author of the article in the “hungry” youth has labored as a “webmaster of all trades”, along the way I will make some comparison of the specifics of the activity and I will certainly tell you what new engineers are waiting for in the freelance field.
I do not like writing articles that do not carry a reasonable, kind, eternal, and I promise to write in the near future, something related to science and technology, but for now, if a respected reader wonders what it is like to be a freelance design engineer, I ask for cat.
')
So, since there is no absolutely correct judgment in the world, so that you can present and try on yourself what I will tell you here is the basic data.
"Dano"
1) In the past, the Web Master was self-taught with an “extravagant” concept of design and not very direct hands in terms of graphics processing, he was creating turnkey websites, did something better, but worse, as a rule, everything was very budget. Relevance of information 3-5 years ago. Then he got stuck and abandoned.
2) In the present Engineer the designer of low-current building security systems and to a lesser extent electrics.
In both cases, freelancing was not considered as the only source of income, but rather as a way to temporarily twist or make some money.
We now turn to a direct description of the process and small comparisons.
“Fly, hurry, buy rolls ...”
How to start a novice freelancer? Most likely, with a hike to the exchange of freelancing.
The main domestic stock exchanges in our country are those that have free and lance in their names, where together, where through a dash. And if an IT specialist, in addition to these exchanges, can still try his luck at smaller sites or even at sites from Habr, then for a designer a maximum of three leaders will be closed by proektanti.ru, everything else is almost a complete brute.
So the first thing that a novice freelance designer will face is a shortage of orders. By the way, if you don’t buy a premium account on the two above-mentioned exchanges with free and lance in the title, then you can’t see any orders at all, so be prepared to immediately invest. On the stock exchange proektanti.ru, in my opinion, there is no premium account at all, but there, you will most likely be overwhelmed by "full-grown guys" and it will also not be easy for a beginner to get a coveted order.
Another noteworthy seasonal phenomenon is the students' session, then there are orders for laboratory courses, diplomas, etc. There is less competition here because students and their teachers are people who are not predictable and self-respecting specialists usually do not consider this market.
"Do you remember how it all started"
I will begin with the common thing between IT and freelancing engineering, even if you own at least the very basics of any specialization, still be ready to feel like a guest worker. As shown by my practice and the practice of my friends. Confidence often comes gradually and at first people may even be of lower qualification than you, but more hardened people will intercept your orders from under your nose.
At the same time, open dumping will not guarantee that you will receive the project, it is likely that someone more confident in himself will receive it, even with large financial inquiries. Thus, you can probably take on any job just to get a taste of the tender won. One of the most rough and more or less regularly appearing work is the digitization of drawings. And in view of the fact that this work is not disdainful, both students and guys with a large portfolio, it is likely that by the 17th minute from the opening of the project 24 applications will be submitted. Here, in the event of victory, it is quite appropriate to feel like a happy spermatozoon.
I don’t know how now, but in my experience, I can say that there are many times more orders for developing websites, writing scripts, layout, promotion, content, writing programs, consulting, and so on. I just checked 02:41 Moscow time now, at one of the major freelance exchanges, there are already new orders in the WEB and IT fields, and there are more than 5 of them in each of the fields, not a single new order has appeared in engineering yet.
Separately, I want to note that I’m not saying that orders are better or worse in the IT field, there are plenty of bad orders everywhere, just in IT there are more of them than in engineering (even if we look at engineering + architecture).
"I left only my card ..."
Portfolio. Oddly enough, I noticed that the portfolio engineer is far less important than for example the same webmaster. I remember how I every govnosaytik, and every little thing carefully laid in his portfolio, it is plump and brought me quantitative preferences. Apparently, after gaining some critical mass, even if it was of low quality, the level of trust in me increased.
But in engineering, it turned out to be enough for me to place a couple of screenshots for those specializations that I did, just to let people know that I am doing this. At the same time, from my own experience from the customer’s side, I’ll say that a couple of screenshots of the drawings are also enough for me, and a person with a bunch of 3D images in a portfolio and a bunch of projects like “I made a specification here”, and “I made a cable magazine here” will not have significant preferences in front of a person who has a couple of screenshots of thematic projects in his portfolio.
“First Kiss: Fears, Questions, Advice and Exchange of Experience”
So, here comes the happy moment when the first project fell into your hands and immediately you will be surprised: “How did it happen that I’m been making some heresy for 200 rubles for 8 hours, but in the end I still make comments?”. And the worst thing is that if at some point you vzbryknete the customer is not particularly scary, because there are few projects, and rough workers are a dime a dozen. And since the advance payment of 100 rubles was ridiculous, you can draw your own 8 hours for free.
In general, a “sandwich man” gets more for his work.
The same applies to other common specialties, for example, a project on a low current costs more than digitization, because it is still an activity that requires some knowledge, but again there are many competitors and everything said above is successfully extrapolated.
Then I remembered only the first order. This does not mean that all your orders will not be profitable, it’s quite possible to cling to a good order, then get connections and generally do not climb on the stock exchange. It is just possible that the FIRST order will be defective in all respects, because there is a chance that you will want at least some order to gain confidence. And he really will be "some"
"And I will go to work as locust"
In the last paragraph, they touched upon the topic of specialization. I will say, what I see is purely in engineering (excluding architecture and structures). The hierarchy of prestige honor and earnings, in ascending order.
In the comments, amarao reminded me about electronics, there are not many orders for electronics on the above sites, they are usually either from students or from people with low incomes, therefore often the labor intensity is higher than the profitability.
1 Without specialization.
2. Student help, simple electronics
3. Slabotech point of the OPS, access control, SCS, EHV, etc.
4. Automation engineering and fire extinguishing automation also estimates for SS
5. Electrics, electricity and air conditioning, as well as estimates for other sections (approximately right there in the ranking of Azerbaijan Republic and Kyrgyz Republic and metal constructions).
6 Hydraulics (heating, water supply), surveying.
7 Rare specializations such as RZA and TM and other projects of high complexity.
This rating is made by eye, but in principle the alignment is really such that a good hydraulics gets more than a machine gunner, and he will get more than a pure weak collector. Moreover, electrics and hydraulics are quite in demand, so if you own them you can safely try your luck on freelancing.
"Going on the throes"
The main problems of freelancing in other areas relevant for the design of engineers.
Inadequate customers, labor-intensive and low-paid projects, which arise constantly the customer's wishes, cancellation of initiated or almost agreed projects, elementary scam. Vaccinations are the same as for everyone: a clear TZ, advance payment, do not take it for horrible.
Another problem is the low customer return.
If you wrote a code to a person, a database, a website, you drew a logo, it is likely that he will return to you simply because he is too lazy. With the engineer in this regard, things are worse, partly because most customers can independently master your work, for example, an electrician can get a well-executed project from you once and then replicate it from apartment to apartment, replacing automatic machines and placing sockets. Still, people who get a logo will not be able to fix it beautifully later or get a website will not be able to install a module for CMS without having buried everything for ever more.
Summary
In my opinion, freelancing in the field of engineering and design is good only in two cases.
If you are a super specialist and already have a certain client base, or in the event that you consider freelancing as a training session before opening a business, because without licenses and access to an SRO, you will most likely be 2 or 3 or even 4 in the chain of intermediaries , accordingly, funding will be minimal, and the number of people making demands is substantial.
So think about the same simple draftsman or a low-level specialist, as a freelancer can simply starve to death. In this case, the work on the uncle will be much more profitable, and freelancing should be considered rather as a way to learn something and not get bored.
Just in case, I will say everything written above; this is just my experience and the experience of colleagues, other people may have a different experience. In fairness for soot, that after a large number of stuffed cones, freelancing became a profitable hobby, but for the first 4 months it brought only moral and material damages, so I suggest thinking about whether it’s good where we don’t have any and whether draw schemas on the beaches under palm trees.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/205436/
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