Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? - Webmasters (2) - Nairaland
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| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by KingOfNairaland: 10:50am On Sep 19, 2012 |
AFOLSNETWORKS: Here is my take:Nice one |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by member479760: 10:59am On Sep 19, 2012 |
AFOLSNETWORKS: Here is my take:20000 naira too much to build a website, after all the scripts and template na free. the servicing should be where to get the money. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by netghost: 11:00am On Sep 19, 2012 |
Javanian: HUH?! ... i guess they got what they paid for, plus how does it affect his current situation |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by stagger: 11:03am On Sep 19, 2012 |
The reason why the OP is broke is because he has refused to put his mind to work. He is designing sites for people who are using their sites to make money. the guy who designed the site for one of my businesses charged me N20,000. Till date, I have made more than N5m from that site. As a result of that N20,000 website, I am on the verge of getting a foreign partnership that will pay me multiplied millions annually. So while my web designer will probably only make N20,000, + N10,000 annual web hosting fees, I am making the money. USE YOUR WEB DESIGN SKILLS TO CREATE A WEBSITE THAT SELLS ON-DEMAND PRODUCTS. That is the only way your web design skills will make sense. 1 Like |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by ba7man(m): 11:19am On Sep 19, 2012 |
afam4eva:So true. The business aspect is what will guarantee u real cash while your skill will only guarantee u clients.Read books on increasing your business knowledge, pray and work smart,it will surely happn. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Nobody: 11:20am On Sep 19, 2012 |
stagger: The reason why the OP is broke is because he has refused to put his mind to work.Which makes a lot of sense, or use to skills to make applications that will fetch you money, partnership or something strategic. I have done freelance work for over 500k, but i am getting more into business by the day. . . . . . .And i dont do 20k freelance sites these days - your packaging is very important. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by DisGuy: 11:25am On Sep 19, 2012 |
afam4eva: Im no expert but over 80% of the population access the internet through their phones in africa/nigeria 2012 - smartphones as and added service anyway |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Bisjosh(f): 11:31am On Sep 19, 2012 |
Vacancy for Website Developer/Programmer at Ediaro (ediaro.com) Click link to apply http://myjobmag.co/U8mjlA Good luck!!!!!!!  |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by moderatorr: 11:40am On Sep 19, 2012 |
@OP the level of your web design skill matters a lot. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by swtbb(f): 11:50am On Sep 19, 2012 |
Jarus: No, don't quit. Quitters don't win.yea i agree wit u dear, right nw dia r job vacanies in some companies dat wants a web designer,u can stl apply n b sucessful if u really kw wat u r doin. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by 1forall: 11:50am On Sep 19, 2012 |
Javanian: Have you thought for a second that it is possible the clients may not have requested it? |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by greenmouse(m): 11:51am On Sep 19, 2012 |
winexviv: Good day everyone. Make it a business and youw ill start making money dont make it be a flair/hobby alone. thats what doing now : http://www.greenmousetech.com/portfolio.html |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by psalmizt(m): 11:56am On Sep 19, 2012 |
@OP: I have a suggestion for you, since you are experienced, why don't you partner with some other web developers that have created some form of Niche and have a company running, If you can get to speak to them a deal can be struck for you. That way way you learn the business side of things with some constant negotiable change... They are currently being overworked... Some of their works are: [url]naijapredict.com[/url] [url]Refreshingmanna.org[/url] [url]Deltaafrik.com[/url] [url]caketreat.com[/url] [url]servorien.com[/url] Click on contact for details on how to reach them... There are many more that I can't just remember... |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by DualCore1: 11:58am On Sep 19, 2012 |
In my experience, the successful ones didn't start up hoping to make money. They had the passion. Its a case of a hobby turning to a money maker. Note that it was once a hobby so it means there was a real job somewhere... the hobby grows up to the point of knocking off the real job. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by kemywise: 12:01pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
No you should not, but you should keep up on doing that.http://pricesinnigeria.com |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Krucifax(m): 12:12pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
A large percentage of Web-Designers "world wide" are freelancers. The simple fact is that while many businesses require websites, the vast majority are unable to afford a full time Web designer/Programmer in house. Therefore most of them work via fixed term contracts. However it is still an in demand growth sector and a much sought after skill set. Putting aside momentarily the issues of late invoices and non-payments( which affects all businesses), my advise would not be to change career as you have alluded but to FURTHER your career prospects. No disrespect but many people can design websites these days, these pushes down the value(monetary rewards) placed on this skill set. Your best option would be to incorporate other I.T business services in your portfolio. This would increase your demand, available work and put you in touch with big players. I’m guessing you already have HTML, XHTML, CSS, SQL skills however businesses are increasingly requiring SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and UI (User interface) skills. The reasons are pretty obvious, you’ve finished designing a nice website, but it would be an added bonus if you are also able to generate traffic that could lead to paying customers. If you could also Project Manage (PMP,Prince2 ) you would be hot cake. In this tough economic climate employers are seeking cross-applicable skills and more bang for their buck. My company uses loads of I.T consultants while some make serious buck say £300 a day, they are only required maybe 3 times a month? The ones able to hold down consistent long contracts are the ones that seem to be jack of many trades. A lot of the I.T processes are inter related, so if they find one guy or one company that is able to see out the I.T process throughout it’s life cycle(or most of it),they’ll be more willing to take and pay that person instead of someone who can only do this or just that. Good luck. winexviv: Good day everyone. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by bigx(m): 12:14pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
You're still broke because you are doing everything yourself so you have a time-limit (24 hours) to sleep, code, design, market, tech support, eat, socialise, etc etc, Mentor a few people (have them pay you if possible for training) and get them to do the monotonous jobs for you, then focus on presentations and marketing and managing your team, a team of 5 should be able to handle 5 times what you're doing currently and you'd spend more of your time selling (that's what brings the money). I'm talking from experience, I know a lot of "almost broke" web developers and its all caused by the same thing, trying to be a "one-man squad" |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by dammytosh: 12:30pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
winexviv: Good day everyone. I was once in your shoes. The problem you have is that you are enjoying your work and that is the reason you start working immediately after requirement gathering without bothering about the pay. There is no 2 ways to it, Apart from what experienced peeps in the field have said, learn to charge big such that 50% of your price will cover more than your project expenses and the Golden rule is that always start your upfront negotiation from 75% and NEVER open your laptop without 50% upfront payment at the minimum. The problem is that most clients are unnecessarilly excited to start a project , by the time you finish, they have lost interest and you will always be the loser. Also, i am tempted to add this controversial line. I can easily guess that you are a php guy, You might need to review your skills, big companies hardly pay well for php projects (debatable but just my observation) -My Penny |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by yummyyummy: 12:31pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Send your phone number/email to gbalagads@yahoo.com. Let's talk. Time to let you skills make room for you and cut out all your greedy agents. Cheers |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by mrrock: 12:52pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
@post. You cannot get rich by designing sites. You have to put what you know to use, Example; come up with an idea like Mack Zuckeberg. There are lots of problem to solve on the internet, all you have to do is discover them. However, there's a problem over here on how to accept payment online. This alone with mitigate your efforts but you must begin first. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Nobody: 1:08pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Use freelancer website like: www.providersbook.com www.freelancer.com Where you request milestone or escrow before you start any work. Good Luck. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Nobody: 1:13pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Revealedtv: I share you pain brother. See some sites I've created and a brother is still dry. This freelance thing no dey work: I'm impressed, our brothers and sisters are doing well, with sites on par with anything one can get in the West. Nigerians are by nature very competitive and creative, we just need to be given a chance to shine. I'm interested - please, could you contact me when you get a spare moment? I'm looking to get a couple of websites up and running, one for myself, the other for my wife. And no I'm not going to use you, and leave you high and dry, I'll pay a percentage, and the rest when the job's all done. Nairalanders here are all watching, so we can both report back. Mobile: +44 (0) 7432 870 840. BB PIN: 29AEC81C Email: siena_@hotmail.co.uk Skype: Onoriode Gbudje. I look forward to hearing from you. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by osamedia(m): 1:39pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
KingOfNairaland: Only MAD ppl laughs when nothing seems to be funny. Now tell us, what's funny in this? Ode! wetin dey happen, una dey quarel before, abi una see each other for cove? |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by osamedia(m): 1:44pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Javanian: what is ur problem u, must all site have mobile version,abi unon wise? |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Philolos: 2:26pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
winexviv: Good day everyone. You may have perfected your web development skills over a four-year period, but now is the time to acquire business acumen. You can start by reading entrepreneurship and business books. Going into business is not for everyone. That's why some people take up employment with an employer. But if you want to be your own boss, it would have to come with some shrewdness on your part. I echo some of the recent posts that you should request a certain percentage of your money up front. Break your work up into no more than five tasks: Give the client/so-called agents something in writing (contract/agreement) and have them sign (whether this is enforceable in Nigeria is a different question, but better than a verbal agreement. And your client would also respect you for it.]: 1. Research [revising other website the client likes, features, etc] [30 percent] 2. Domain registration/hosting 3. Content [if you have to develop their content, search for images, etc., ask for more...] 4. Upload/viewing [first draft of website] [30 percent] 5. Upload/viewing [final draft or website] - you should get your final payment/check before this task. [60 percent] If you decide to become a businessman/web developer, you can cut out the middleman or so-called agents. They haven’t been able to bring you the bacon anyway. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Philolos: 2:34pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Philolos: I fixed the math(s) Mobilization fee [30 percent] Work done up to being able to show substantial completions [another 30 percent, or you should have collected two-thirds of your contractual fee at this point] Prior to final delivery, show the client the work done and have them agree or negotiate new changes as additional scope; but don't deliver until you have received 100 percent of your pay. The only way you can convince a client that what they now want encroaches on additional scope is only if you've written what they want down in the first place. This is how a lot of freelance/sole proprietors loose in this game. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by basking4me: 3:36pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
I think the webmaster section should be split into 2 sections. One for core developers/site designers and the other for Web Businesses.. thats a step ahead not just development but application. Hello people, its been quite a while I have shown up here.. been doing Farm business to supplement my Web business...like they say in yoruba.. there is no one single way to enter the Market! |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by ponana(m): 4:04pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
The culture of learning stuffs so as to work for other people is a killer and its a really big problem in this country of ours. I know its easier said than done, but I feel if people start learning to better their self, there is no way it would not eventually lead to sufficient income for you pocket while also giving you that extra joy one get when you are versed in a particular area. Like a lot of other people of said, try crafting out a personal project for yourself using the skill set you have. It definately would not be easy, but by the time you start smiling to the bank, you would not regret taking that road. Also try your hands other things making use of the income you generate from web business, this would help diversify your income source (while you would also be learning something new). Cheers and all the best 1 Like |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by Jyde89: 5:09pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Guy think about a great thing you can use your skill for, and go for it. People like zukerberg and other computer guru did'nt only work for other's, they also worked for thier self, and they can never be broke again. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by otokx(m): 5:17pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
There are websites and there are websites but between us most Nigerians refuse to pay for quality service even when the money is there. |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by pak: 8:14pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Siena: Hi Sienna, Been following all your posts and no doubt you'r one of the most intelligent and matured Nlanders but I just want to advise that you do your due diligence. Just have you've always advised potential car buyers, I think you have to be cautious before droppin a penny to anyone. Am not insinuating anything cos I don't know a thing about the posters but I guess since you are not in Nigeria and might not have the opportunity to see anyone physically b4 transactin biznez so you have to cover all your basis. For example, observe that some of the sites were designed by 51st street and some by rootmech media whereas the posters signature has nothing relating to either of them. There might be a perfectly good reason for this but am just emphasizin the need for caution |
| Re: Broke Professional Webmaster: Should I Change Career? by pak: 8:22pm On Sep 19, 2012 |
Javanian: afam4eva: @Afam, you should know someone who is still in school when you see one. @web designers, pls listen to Afam and Webdezzi, there r some monies you can't make based on technical expertise alone. You need to learn the ropes of the business. (Unless of course you want to go into paid employment) |
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