Learn How to Become a Freelance Web Developer for Free

In the freelance world, you are only limited by what you know. If you are willing to learn, there are endless possibilities for finding freelance opportunities and success! I am always on the lookout for free ways for freelancers to expand their knowledge base and in return their service offerings, business, and earnings.

If you are a current freelancer looking for a change of pace or are new to freelancing and want to start out on the right foot by offering an in-demand service, check out this one skill that commands an average of $30.00 per hour. The best part? You can learn it for free!

Web Developers: In-demand Freelance Opportunity

Web developers are the creative minds behind the look and function of websites. They are a combination of graphic designer and technical developer all rolled into one. Sometimes, web developers may even be called on to create dummy content for the websites they create.

Why is this service so popular?

There are over a billion websites registered (yes, a billion). And since not everyone takes the DIY approach, web developers are called upon to get sites up and running.  A lot goes into a website’s launch. Web designers are the pros who make them visually appealing while also taking into account technical aspects like how to optimize speed and performance.

Job Outlook

According to the Labor of Bureau Statistics, the Web Developer profession is expected to grow faster than the national average of other jobs all the way through 2022. As eCommerce and mobile applications soar in popularity so too will the demand for web developers.

Web Developer Pay

In 2012, the median hourly rate for web developers was over $30.00. That translates to an annual salary of about $62,000.00! Not too shabby for a career that does not necessarily need a formal education to get started.

Speaking of education…

Some people interested in pursuing a career as a web developer opt for an associate’s degree in web design. Others choose coursework in graphic design. There is no industry standard for what type of education web developers need. Many web developers have a genuine interest in the field and so have taken it upon themselves to learn the skills needed to be successful.

Launching a Freelance Web Developer Career

An estimated 25% of all web developers are freelancers. This number is expected to grow as more people embrace the gig economy. And since this is a career you can complete anywhere there’s a computer and an internet connection, this happens to also be a super remote-friendly freelance opportunity. In fact, this is one of the growing number of opportunities that allows you to work wherever you want!

Free Online Web Developer Courses

If you like creating websites and have a natural eye for graphic design, a career as a web developer can perfectly combine the two into one lucrative freelance career. If lack of experience or credentials is holding you back, don’t let it! There are several FREE resources that can help you launch your own in-demand freelance web developer career.

Building Dynamic Websites

The Building Dynamic Websites is an OpenCourseWare program offered through Harvard Extension School (yes, Harvard!). If you’re not familiar with OpenCourseWare (OCW), these are valuable courses created by top schools and universities for the purpose of publishing them and releasing them for free online. When you are trying to build a freelance career from scratch, OCW courses are some of the best resume builders around!

The Building Dynamic Website course by Harvard Extension School will teach you all about DNS, CSS, and PHP. There are also lectures that discuss web security, cross-browser support, scalability, and other important web developer topics.

The Odin Project

The Odin Project, currently in Beta, has found all the best free online resources for aspiring web developers and grouped them into one free online course! With seven distinct sections with step-by-step instructions in each, you will learn everything you need to become a successful web developer. The entire course runs the gamut from Web Developer 101 to Javascript and jQuery. HTML5, CSS, and Ruby on Rails are also taught in this comprehensive Web Developer Course!

Codecademy

What I like the most about Codecademy are all the inspiring stories from current and former students. From a woman who started a new career at 55 to a young man who knew nothing about web development and went on to build one of Time’s ’50 Best Websites’ thanks to Codecademy, these stories of success are great motivators for the aspiring web developer.

Codecademy’s mission is simple: Teach the world to code. Some of their popular courses include:

• Make a website
• Make an interactive website
• Learn Rails
• Learn Java

These are just a small sampling of courses offered through Codecademy for free. With their interactive approach to learning, you can learn real life web development applications that you can quickly translate into a freelance career!

If you feel like you’ve already learned the basics of web development, but are trying to take your skills to the next level as a freelancer, check out these 12 Sites That Will Teach You to Code for Free. Many of the sites listed have much more advanced offerings (like the MIT Open Courseware). Even if you are a beginner just looking to launch your freelance web developer career, these are great sites to reference in the future. In the world of freelancing and especially web development, you must constantly refresh your knowledge base in order to stay current!

Where to Find Freelance Web Developer Jobs

Ready to start working? Great! Starting a freelance career is one of the most exciting (albeit nerve-racking) steps you will ever take. Fortunately, there are many websites that post remote freelance web developer jobs:

Looking for more?

Check out Career Foundry’s How To Guide on Becoming a Freelance Web Developer for an in-depth look at what it takes to launch and grow your career.

The Work at Home Wife has a huge list of 60+ Places to Find More Freelance Clients. There’s even an entire section devoted to Web Design and Programmers!

Don’t forget to check my Work From Home Job Board where I frequently add remote and freelance web developer job listings. You can even set a custom alert so you don’t miss the perfect opportunity!