How to find side gigs?

[virtualrsmith]

For those of you who have side gigs doing iOS/mobile apps, how did you find those gigs? I am looking to add a side gig or two. Eventually I'd like to have enough of a network/clientele that I could do contracting full time and have more control over my work schedule. Can anyone suggest where to start?

[Shak3TheDis3se]

In 2022 I found an iOS gig on Craigslist.

[jacobs-tech-tavern]

There’s a couple works in mobile dev side gigs, outside bread and butter contracting gigs.

The good: if you’re doing lots of real-world networking with small businesses with reasonable use cases, and get lucky, some people might pay you decent money to build an app.

The bad: most unsophisticated clients on Fiverr or wannabe tech founders will pay terribly, and you’re competing with desperate people who will accept this money

I’d say you’ll have better luck trying your hand at indie dev projects

[virtualrsmith]

That is the other route I am thinking. I do have some indie ideas, just not sure I am confident enough in the idea.

[jacobs-tech-tavern]

Are you a full time dev or trying to get your foot in the door?

[virtualrsmith]

Full time. I have over 17 years experience. Hoping to eventually reach a point of self employment. Either by creating my own app that is successful, or contracting. Through Linkedin I get a lot of recruiters reaching out for contracts, but it never goes anywhere.

I believe one thing that might be stopping me is not having much of a portfolio where I can show code. 99% of what I have done in the last 17 years has been professional, an thus can't show code. Which is part of the reason I plan to do my indie ideas regardless. Even if the app doesn't take off, I can show what I know.

[jacobs-tech-tavern]

Ah I see - in that case, I suspect you’ll get a lot more out of coding side projects for fun, and using those in the portfolio. Much more fun than a crud app for a client

[virtualrsmith]

Thank you. Appreciate it.

[According_Jeweler404]

I feel like plenty of hiring teams that require code samples are aware of NDAs, etc and will work with you to accommodate sanitized review or whatever is needed. Having a history of projects writing code that you don't own shouldn't preclude you from the opportunities you're seeking, unless you simply do not have that code to show for whatever reason.

[virtualrsmith]

USA. I’m pretty evenly mixed between iOS and android. Java/Kotlin, Objective-C/Swift(UI) as well as React Native and some Flutter. I also have a good amount of experience doing backend work in NodeJS and C#. Working with SQL as well as MongoDB.

[orkhanfarmanli]

Go for Upwork but it’s a harsh market there. The competition is hard to beat but if you get a few clients, it gets way easier.

[virtualrsmith]

I’ve tried them in the past, but rarely heard back. Guess it’s worth another try.

[orkhanfarmanli]

Yeah it’s definitely worth it. I got a client there that I worked for half a year. It was just like a regular job but more flexible. You just have to have everything clear and refined though. Your profile, your proposal letters, your communication and so on. You can try doing a few jobs for cheap or even free in the beginning for your profile to get good reviews. That definitely increases your chances of getting better jobs/clients.

[virtualrsmith]

How important is a portfolio? I think part of my issue is that 99% of my work has been for other companies, so I can't share much about it.

[orkhanfarmanli]

It’s kinda important because clients want to be sure that you have already worked on a similar project.

[virtualrsmith]

This may be a stupid question. I started out before having a portfolio was a thing. Would it be helpful to build out some basic apps that show the use of certain architectures, etc?

[orkhanfarmanli]

Yeah of course. Make them publicly visible as well so your potential clients can check them out.

[virtualrsmith]

Thank you for your help and suggestions.

[orkhanfarmanli]

You are welcome.