30 things I've learned from 30 years as a Python freelancer

"30 years! It's hard to believe, but it was in December 1995 (i.e., 30 years ago) that I went freelance, giving up a stable corporate paycheck. And somehow, I've managed to make it work: During that time, I've gotten married, bought a house, raised three children, gone on numerous vacations, and generally enjoyed a good life."

"Moreover, I'm fortunate to really enjoy what I do (i.e., teaching Python and Pandas to people around the world, both via LernerPython.com and via corporate training). And why not? I earn a living from learning new things, then passing that knowledge along to other people in order to help their careers. My students are interesting and smart, and constantly challenge me intellectually. At the same time, I don't have the bureaucracy of a university or company; if I have even five meetings in a given month, that's a lot."

"Being an excellent programmer isn't enough to succeed as a freelancer. You're now running a business, which means dealing with accounting, taxes, marketing, sales, product development, and support, along with the actual coding work. These are different skills, all of which take time to learn (or to outsource). Be ready to learn these new skills, and to recognize that in many ways, they are much harder than coding."

Went freelance in December 1995 and sustained a 30-year career while marrying, buying a house, raising three children, and taking numerous vacations. Enjoys teaching Python and Pandas globally through LernerPython.com and corporate training, earning a living by learning and passing knowledge to help others' careers. Students provide intellectual challenge. Operates without university or corporate bureaucracy and keeps meetings minimal. Freelancing has involved difficult lessons over time. Offers thirty lessons learned for those considering freelancing. Key lessons include recognizing that being an excellent programmer is insufficient—running a freelance business requires accounting, taxes, marketing, sales, product development, support, and outsourcing or learning new skills.

Read at Reuven Lerner