Is it worth it to go freelancing or is it better to wait for the opportunity to get an office job?

Question

Career in IT

I am 16 years old, studying at the college as a programmer (2nd year). Now I'm learning Front-End (specifically now - jQuery). Having studied the front-end at a basic level, I will take up the back-end. And here comes the choice between PHP and Node.js. As far as I know, PHP is more in demand in freelancing, while node.js is more in demand in IT company offices. In the future, I don’t want to associate my life with freelancing, but I would like to earn extra money until adulthood. I have always dreamed of working in an IT company, but for obvious reasons, I can get a job somewhere only after 18 years. What should I do during these 2 years? Develop skills in order to get a job in the office, or still do freelancing? (but there is a fear that I won’t be able to get out of it, because freelancing is very different from teamwork in the office)

Answer 1

but there is a fear that I won’t be able to get out of it, because. Freelancing is very different from teamwork in an office.

Be afraid that you will get bogged down in office slavery))
There is nothing wrong here.
Freelancing gives you freedom and responsibility, you will need more discipline and work harder.
But there are many pluses here - a variety of tasks (for information, a company can cut the same legacy for years), a lot of remote communication with different customers, the same companies, but remote - you can work for them on outsourcing. Or here's another thing - from my own experience, purely personal and not every type desires - after many years of freelancing (as you know, the lack of socialization is one big minus of one employee, but if desired, it is almost minimized by various activities) sometimes no, no, yes, and you’ll think, not to work
whether in a team .. And here it already crystallizes that it must certainly be warm and "tube", which, as in a well-known book, can be fed with one pizza. And God forbid giant sweatshops, courses a la "how to please the boss" and that's it.
Go ahead, freelancing can give you a very good experience and a clearer understanding of what exactly you want to do and with whom! Moreover, for objective reasons, before the age of 18 you are ordered to go to the company.

Answer 2

Develop skills in order to get a job in the office, or still do freelancing?

What's stopping you from doing both at the same time?
What you have by the age of 18, i.e. to the opportunity to get a job in the office, there will be real commercial development experience - this is only a plus.
At the same time, having settled in the office, you will have something to compare the work with.

Answer 3

you hang yourself at home to sit.
It's better to work in an office. Communicate with living people. It is important.
Otherwise, you will simply become a two-man and that's it, and you will not live in Bali)
Money does not decide by the way.

Answer 4

The most effective way to learn is to work in a team of pros.
As you grow, move under the wing of more and more qualified and highly qualified pros.
Freelance - let it fit.
But the speed in it is 3-5 times less.
Knowledge is transferred through people much more effectively than through articles and the like.

Answer 5

You can work from the age of 14.

Answer 6

Freelancing is still tracing paper from office work, why did you decide that node prevails over PHP in the office?
Do you want to go or not?

Answer 7

It's strange, no one suggested a remote work option
- you work from home, in sweatpants and a mug of coffee
- you work on a shopping mall (or IP, as you like)
- you communicate with the team (Skype / zoom)
- you can choose the nature and scale projects
- the level of discipline and responsibility does not fall anywhere
In my opinion, this is just an adequate combination of freelancing and office work

Answer 8

Assess the level of competition on freelance exchanges and consider whether you need it or not.