Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson

The Friendliest Freelancer 😊 — dev of 20+ years now helping other devs gain autonomy & become calm, independent contractors — daily tweets, bi-weekly articles

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

You should have clients, not bosses. 🙂

I've worked as a developer for 20+ years and as an independent contractor/consultant for the last 7.

I wish I had gone independent earlier—you can do it much faster than me! 🏃

Learn how in my weekly newsletter: https://t.co/a2V81XXAwR

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

I ❤️ this aspect of being an indie contractor/consultant:

When I need downtime I just have a quick chat with my client.

"I'll be away [...] Just making sure it doesn't create any issues for you. No? Ok good." Then I take the time off.

You should have clients, not bosses. 🙂

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@jtsveigdalen I gave up understanding spoken Danish twenty years ago. This seems like the logical endgame for the language: https://t.co/HK0c9WXinq

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@jtsveigdalen Maybe I'll give the tv adaptation another chance. Thanks!

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@jtsveigdalen I fell off the first season of the TV series, mainly because I could not get past how she and Amos were cast and written. Just did not feel like "my" characters at all!

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@jtsveigdalen Easily the best character in that book series.

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

Here's one very specific thing I really like about working as a freelancer/contractor:

One hour of work == one hour billed/compensated. 🤝

As a salaried employee with a fixed annual salary, compensation per unit of time worked can be way, way more unclear. 😄

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

For new developers: you *don't* have to be a genius to do well. A decent sense of pride in your craft, ability to work well with others, mastery of a basic skillset, and ability to get work done consistently == more valuable than a flaky rockstar/ninja to most employers. :)

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

Here's one way to look for contracting/consulting leads:

Get in touch with local software dev agencies.

The successful ones are overbooked/understaffed regularly, which means they may need subcontractors to help out....

This is where you come in (if they have met you) 💪

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

A few ways to make your way life simpler as a freelancer 😎

- Earmark taxes (VAT etc) into a separate account
- Have written standard operating procedures (README for your biz!)
- Pay/tag/archive invoices as they show up—not way down the line!
- Work with a good accountant 📊

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

Bit of warning: Impostor syndrome can feel even worse when you're an independent dev 💀

"They'll find me out and drop my engagement!"—still an irrational fear for me after 20 years as a dev & 7 years as a contractor/consultant (w/ happy clients).

Just keep going anyway! 🌄

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

"I'm afraid I won't find any clients, because I'm not a hotshot dev."

Relax! You really don't have to be a top 5% rockstar developer.

You just have to be decently competent, reliable and easy to work with. 🙂

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

Sometimes it takes a while from when you think about doing something... until you actually follow through on it.

Example: my slow, winding path to freelance/contract work... 😆

👇

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

Sometimes you have to plant new seeds 🌱, other times you harvest 🚜

How much time do you spend on learning and building things on your own vs doing work for others (employer or client?)

When you're working for yourself, you decide! Per week, month, year. 📆

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

Runway is everything. Build up your buffer as soon as you can! 🪙

6-12 months of modest salary in your company bank account is not just for emergencies:

When you know that you can afford to walk away, you'll be way more confident and relaxed around prospects and clients. 👍

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@anderssv Cool, thanks for sharing! 🙂

(I ended up with Astro for @mineverktoy but still afraid JS framework churn will bite me there... 😁)

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@robsmallshire So many people summoning Batman at the same time last night!

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@pkordel Yeah, that's what I've felt for a long time. Enterprise salaried jobs *feel* safer but the risk is just hidden/very suddenly appears during downturns. If you're freelance/self employed you live with it up-front instead.

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

The four biggest UPSIDES of being a independent freelancer/contractor/consultant?

Let's count 'em out! 👇

1. Control your own time 🕑

When you work for an employer, you have the vacation/PTO in the employee handbook.

Working for yourself? As long as your client is happy and your savings/liquidity can absorb it, take time off whenever you need.

2. Control how much you spend on learning vs. earning 📚

"We give you one ticket to a tech conference each year" instead becomes "I think I'll completely block out three weeks to master this new programming language".

You fully control when and how much to invest in yourself.

3. (Potentially) way better compensation than full time employment 💰

If you work full time for clients on long term projects, you can most likely pay yourself a bigger annual salary than a salaried employee is able to get in the same position.

4. "Not my circus, not my monkeys" 🧘‍♂️

Your mind is more decoupled from office politics/drama—you get paid per hour or delivery, so no bonus is on the line for you!

And your career is not as wrapped up in things, compared to when you're a full time employee at the same company.

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@bjartnes That's certainly one approach that's alluring to me but I'm a little afraid to jump in and invest lots of time there, no idea how adoption of that tech will turn out in the long run (and I'm sceptical about Google-owned projects at this point)

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@bjartnes See: Flutter. 🙂

[Thomas Kjeldahl Nilsson @thomanil]

@pkordel Hey @pkordel , been awhile indeed. Hope you're doing well, and that you landed/are landing on your feet. ❤️