The Three Keys To Successful Self-Employment In Programming And Consulting: Introduction
Some of the more common questions in the Computers & Internet | Programming and Design category on Yahoo! Answers center on the business side:
- What programming languages should I learn?
- What do I need to know to start my own business?
- Am I too old to change careers / Is the market saturated with my type of programming?
- How much should I charge / How much money do designers or programmers make?
The problem is that these are the wrong questions to ask, because they’re exceedingly ancillary to business success; or, more accurately, they’re not the right way to think about being in business.
The most basic advice I can offer about being in business for yourself — and this applies to any trade — is that your success is entirely dependent on three things, in order of importance:
- Who you know. Your social network — people who know you and respect you, and the people who know and respect the people you know — is the single greatest key to doing well in business. You could be the greatest programmer since Linus Torvalds, but it won’t mean a thing if you can’t find and keep customers.
- Drive and attitude. Your social network is built, and strengthened, on your ability to put in effort and be positive at all times.
- Your skills and smarts. Yes, you do need to be able to do the work you contract.
But just so I can be thorough, let’s address those common questions.
