First contract question

[tonythepony]

Hi,

I'm a stay at home dad and I've been programming a raspberry PI for fun.

I seem to have an aptitude for this.

My other half suggested I become a software developer and work from home on a freelance basis.

What would be the steps to get there from my starting point.

I must emphase, I am a talented beginner, age 47.

Thanks,

Tone

[TheFaQQer]

Firstly, determine whether there is a market for your skills.

Secondly, determine whether you can sell your skills in that market - will there be lots of competition, and if so how will you ensure that you are better marketed than the rest?

Thirdly, if you think that this is viable then read the first timers guide over on the right hand side and the IPSE guide to freelancing (available here)

Then see where to go from there.

Good luck

[malvolio]

Firstly, determine whether there is a market for your skills.

Secondly, determine whether you can sell your skills in that market - will there be lots of competition, and if so how will you ensure that you are better marketed than the rest?

Thirdly, if you think that this is viable then read the first timers guide over on the right hand side and the IPSE guide to freelancing (available here)

Then see where to go from there.

Good luck

He missed one: make sure you can write commercially viable code to an acceptable standard. There's a long way from domestic apps to ones that do stuff in the real world in a multi-user environment, so do some reading on maintainability and BCP (not DR) as a starter for 10.

[mudskipper]

make sure you can write commercially viable code to an acceptable standard.

Now he tells me!

[sasguru]

Hi,

I'm a stay at home dad and I've been programming a raspberry PI for fun.

I seem to have an aptitude for this.

My other half suggested I become a software developer and work from home on a freelance basis.

What would be the steps to get there from my starting point.

I must emphase, I am a talented beginner, age 47.

Thanks,

Tone

Hi Tone, if you can write a chess program, you're all set for success.
If you can't, you'll be a bottom-feeder for the rest of your life.
I suspect if you're 47 though, it's too late

[TheFaQQer]

I suspect if you're 47 though, it's too late

Some people can't even spell "suspect" correctly when they are in their 50s - what hope have they got?