My story

As a young undergraduate who just got introduced to the concepts of programming (with BASIC), I became fascinated with the power of codes and got curious about what I could achieve with it. After making some findings on the best language to learn, which is the norm for every beginner, I decided to pick up C++.

The actual learning process then started in 2017 while I was in 200/300L. It was a challenging experience because I didn't have a mentor, a laptop to type code on, or a clear learning path—I was just learning to program for the fun of it. Occasionally, I wrote code on paper but I did so much of my writing on the tablet that was given to us in school back then. I learned some fundamental concepts of programming during this period and played around a few things. However, I got frustrated writing codes on my tablet at a point in time, so I quitted learning programming.

Fast forward to September 2019, I was able to secure a PC and I resumed learning programming—this time around with a different language, Python. Because of the good foundation I had with C++, it didn't take much time to grasp the concepts in Python. Once I was comfortable with the syntax, I moved on to Pandas and other DS libraries.

Around December 2019, a friend asked me to teach Python to two of his acquaintances, and that's when I made my first ##. At about the same time, I joined a local data science group to network with others who shared my interests while learning more about the field. It can be difficult to participate in school events and try to learn new things, so I wasn't able to do much during this time.

When the lockdown was announced in March, I restarted my active learning and didn't start earning money until about August. A friend was approached by a professional auditor (who is also the owner of a school) to introduce him to data science, but because he wasn't available at the time, he asked to take over. I met the man, we made a deal, and after we were done, he asked me to teach programming to his students (junior secondary).

I came across a person on Nairaland towards the end of 2020 who needed to implement a deep learning technique in his dissertation. I agreed to work with him, and it was my first "major" coding payoff. After I finished working on his project, he introduced me to someone else, and we collaborated on the person's dissertation as well. Around this same period, I was approached by a number of undergraduate students (mostly colleagues) to help them with their final year project analysis.

All this while, I never knew what it looked like to earn in Dollars. On this blessed day, a message just popped into my Twitter DM. Surprise! It was a foreigner who had just seen an article I published on Medium and wanted me to assist him in writing some Pytorch scripts. I agreed to work with him, we grew close, and he continued to show up. We got along well and he also introduced me to some other pals. The first work I did for him was 70 USD and then 100 and it kept increasing in that manner.

I forgot to mention that after having my Upwork account validated in October 2020, not much occurred there until I received an invitation for a CV/ML role. I accepted the invitation and I was sent a link to take an assessment which I did. I was certain I didn't pass the assessment because they were asking questions (JavaScript) unrelated to the role. I got paid $5 for taking the assessment and never heard from them again. Also, I didn't bother to check Upwork again either as I got tired of submitting proposals.

Last year December, I made the decision to return to Upwork, and happily, I was able to secure a $15 job (funny right). The task involved fixing a Pytorch script. After two weeks had passed (in January 2022), I got another gig with a 'mouthwatering' compensation ($450) and I only worked on this gig for about five days. After finishing the gig, I took a break from Upwork due to bad light situation and some other things. Got back in May and landed another gig. Currently, I have three gigs in the pipeline (on Upwork) and turned down another offer three days ago ( because the workload was getting much).

Nice thread. Following. Been following for years, actually.

Do you only freelance? Or is it something you do when your workload is low?

BRATISLAVA:
Nice thread. Following. Been following for years, actually.

Do you only freelance? Or is it something you do when your workload is low?

Lol
I am done typing oooo

Freelancing is what pays my bills for now. I have not really started practicing my profession (and I don't think I want to).

ibromodzi:


Lol
I am done typing oooo

Freelancing is what pays my bills for now. I have not really started practicing my profession (and I don't think I want to).

I've been following your threads from the very first time you dropped one. I wanted to know how it would turn out. It's interesting to see that you followed your passion. Or the moneybag.
If it's both, all the better.

BRATISLAVA:


I've been following your threads from the very first time you dropped one. I wanted to know how it would turn out. It's interesting to see that you followed your passion. Or the moneybag.
If it's both, all the better.

Lol
Thanks, boss!

Kudos boss. I look forward to offering freelance services too when I sharpen my analytics skills.

One Analytics course I have on Udemy, created by a Nigerian - the guy claims to charge up to $1k for analytics dashboards.

coolshegs1:
Kudos boss. I look forward to offering freelance services too when I sharpen my analytics skills.

One Analytics course I have on Udemy, created by a Nigerian - the guy claims to charge up to $1k for analytics dashboards.

How much did u pay for the course?

fastanddubious:

How much did u pay for the course?

I got it for free through Telegram. Search for "free udemy courses" on Telegram. Join any of the groups.