How to start freelancing education?

Question

IT education

Hello, I am 24 years old, and the current situation in the country has put me in a position where the need for third-party earnings has become critical. I work as a contract surveyor and now, due to the lack of orders, I have a lot of free time that I am ready to spend on my studies. But since occasionally work still turns up, I can’t get a job somewhere for a full day. The choice naturally fell on freelancing, and immediately got stuck in a huge number of directions. Friends unanimously say that programming is my choice, and I agree with them. Until that time, I had all the programming experience at school: safely forgotten basics of php.
Therefore, I turn to experienced people in this matter with the following question: where to start learning? I suppose that at the moment I am closer to oop, and would like to learn how to work with java and android applications. Is it relevant? And if so, where should you start? Running in the codeacademy, or is it better to cover yourself with books and learn from them?
Still, of course, I would like to understand the timing of such self-education. For what period of time is it realistic to reach a level at which you can take orders and earn at least some money? So that further training would not be seasoned with rolltons.
I understand that questions like this are likely to get asked here a lot, and after reading a few I've noticed java and android apps, but having my specific question answered would make it easier for me to get started. My brain is designed in such a way that it is much easier for him to follow the drawn scheme, and he stumbles before a huge number of options and possibilities. I would be sincerely grateful for your help.

Answer 1

And so, where to start learning:
1. The lowest entry threshold for the PHP language. Start with it
2. Learn popular CMS: WP, DLE, Joomla, etc. There are a lot of orders like "Create a site", and exotics are not needed in 2 out of 3 projects. Here the minus is that there are a lot
of shkolots here and they bring down the price very much ... 3. Next is the category of orders "Is it possible to do like this." It all comes down to the development / processing of modules on all the same CMS. You need to learn PHP + API of these same CMS. Take one engine and dig through it into this area, do not rush after all at once. The entry threshold here is also not high, but more hungry students live here
4. When you outgrow the level of add-ons / modules, move on to frameworks. Now the most popular Yii. The framework allows you to make some unique applications that are quite difficult to implement on ready-made systems. Here the price tag is more significant than in the first two, because. shkolota, by virtue of his mental abilities, cannot fit here.
Now I will tell you how to learn this in general using my example. I do this:
1. I open a thin book on the language (100 sheets, no more), I look at the basics
2. I make examples from this book in an IDE / notepad. This gives me a certain base
3. Next, I have a list of about 20 tasks (open any programming manual), which I always do in a new language. This allows me to "get used" to the new code and start learning the standard library of the language
4. Then I start taking low-budget freelance orders in this language
5. After that, I start learning the most popular framework of the language, again on low-budget projects.
6. With 12-15 projects, I can already take on something more or less serious with full-time hourly pay.
Here is my path. In terms of time - I work out the base for myself in 1.5-2 months, for this time you should have some kind of "cushion".
PS I hope it helped. ))

Answer 2

I would start by learning English. In the Russian freelance market, the position of workers is not enviable, and sometimes simply humiliating. It is best to look for opportunities on your own, try to be a center of power, and not a peripheral link in a large chain.

Answer 3

As long as you learn, the crisis will end. You must like it first. It's not a good idea to learn under pressure.

Answer 4

Learn PHP, one of the popular frameworks on it (I recommend Laravel) and take on custom projects right away, bypassing all this WP/Joomla/Bitrix hell

Answer 5

I would not delve into java - a high entry threshold, you need to learn a lot of libraries, customers are usually corporate. And this means that there are almost no small orders for "trying out", and if there are, then these are improvements to complex and large systems, which are full of internal dependencies.
The mobile app market is clearly overvalued. I wouldn't run into it. By itself, it does not generate income in almost anything other than games. And applications of a different kind are precisely applications to something already financially developed and are one-time promotions.
Therefore, I would recommend the web, there is no failure in the near future. And in ASP.NET I too would not rest especially. Again, these are corporate decisions.
So, according to the choice of language for freelancing, nevertheless php. Where to attach it to the second question - monitor freelance sites, look for niches in which to specialize.
ps For my part, I can offer an internship in development for Joomla, if you are interested, write in a personal.

Answer 6

Keep in mind that a low entry threshold (I'm talking about PHP, and simple sites, it was mentioned in the answers) is one side of the coin. The other side is VERY big competition. So it's a double edged sword. The specifics of freelancing in web development is such that a project of small / medium complexity, yesterday's student with teeth, but will pull it out. In JAVA, Python, this would not have happened - there is a FILTER, there will be a screening of shitcoders, and a MEGA CROWD of yesterday's schoolchildren. And what you can do after 2 months of study... more than 100,000 yesterday's students will be able to do. You won’t even find a job with such a level there, and getting orders like that, pure water, is a lottery. If you don't believe me, try creating ads with easy tasks, with an entry threshold of 1-2 months. And check it out, is it really possible to break through there. Plus, keep in mind that this competition is growing every year. It's better to go the hard way become a narrow specialist, become a real professional. You have JAVA. If I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to go that way. If you are good at ANY trending language, you will ALWAYS find a job.

Answer 7

Look for an order, and-or find a manager who is especially close to the circle of customers, (I once had an aunt at the university in the Bronx who taught economics, look for expensive orders and not bullshit, study the Internet and languages ​​\u200b\u200bin your free time from orders.
Minor techno, problem design entrust to the side and do not intervene yourself.

Answer 8

Maybe I'm a little off topic, sorry, but, it seems to me, the choice of PL should be yours. And what exactly to teach in the chosen area will be prompted by the flow of orders on the stock exchange. If you monitor a little, it will become clear what to learn and in which direction to look. For example, we chose PHP, went to the stock exchange, rotated the order feed and, oh my God, is it true that the statistics don’t lie and 40% of the order market is related to wordpress in some way?! ))))