Becomming a freelance programmer

Question

Hi All,
I have been (trying) to learn C# for around 2 years now. But I found it very difficult. The OO programming side of it was very hard to get my head around, so I signed up with the Open University and did a years course in OO Programming (in Java). through that I have a god understanding of the principles of OO programming and have now moved onto learning C#.
I have heard a lot though that the majority of work for freelancers would be in ASP.NET so I have bought a few books on that too.
I was wondering if you all could give me any advice on which path to follow. There is soooo much to learn and I often become overwhelmed with it all and want to give up. I have also just bought the book "Microsoft.NET framework Application Development Foundation MCTS 70-536" with the thought of one day doing this exam.
Am I going about it all the right way? should I even be attempting to learn ASP.NET alongside learning C#??
Also what kind of timeframe am I looking at before I am a reasonable programmer?? I know everyone is different but how long did it take you all to learn C# & ASP.NET?
I look forward to hearing from any of you about this, any advice, stories, encouragement etc would be great. Sometimes I feel alone here as nobody I know is even interested in becoming a computer geek :)
many thanks

Paul

Mahesh Chand · Answer

Welcome to C# Corner Paul! First of all, you don't need to feel alone. We are hundreds of thousands here online (if not millions) but I am sure couple of hundreds hang out here often and dozens of us are here 24/7. So you know where to go when feel alone. I would recommend you start with this page: Learn Visual C# Programming for Beginners You may already have some knowledge of topics here and skip them. These are some general topics to give you an idea about .NET and C# in general. Nothing specific. Now, once you have this understanding, you can pick one or two tracks of the following. You still need understanding of C# language for anything you do. ASP.NET, MVC, AJAX, ADO.NET - Web Development Silverlight - To build Web applications using Silverlight. You still need ASP.NET for this. Silverlight alone can't do everything for you. WPF - To build Desktop Windows Client applications Mobile Development (Windows Phone, iPhone, Android etc). - This is one of the hot area now but development is little tricky. You need an advanced developer for this. Cloud Development (Windows Azure, SQL Azure, C#) - This is going to be one of the most popular topic soon. Again, advanced developer. So I would say start with ASP.NET 4.0 with Visual Studio 2010 and keep plugging in, keep learning, get involved with the community and start learning and sharing (write blogs, articles, forum answers) to learn more and more. I see there is a lot of freelance work coming in Mobile Development (#4) and it will grow more and more. We are here! Cheers!

Sam Hobbs · Answer

If you can afford training, then look for one that will help you find a job after successful completion of training and ask them what their success rate is. Ask them what you need to learn to get a job. If they are honest about their success, then it will sure help to check with them. I think you should look for employment; don't expect to be a freelance programmer until after you have experience.

Natasha Knapp · Answer

Deep down, everyone is interested in becoming a computer geek :) There are a lot of free resources online that save yuo time and money that you should really check out

Paul Nix · Answer

Thanks also Suthish for the Jumpstart your career link - very useful :)

Paul Nix · Answer

Hi Fabe, Yeah we can help each other for sure! This forum is amazing, full of people willing to help out, give advice etc. The past 2 weeks I have ben studying for 1-2 hours a day, learning all about the basica of C# & OO programming. Variables, classes, methods etc etc. I have also started learning SQL Server & T-SQL and how to use databases in my programs etc - very useful and interesting stuff! Paul

Suthish Nair · Answer

Hi, You can find the attached list of Microsoft Certifications. Hi Mahesh, Can we upload this on C# Corner.

Mahesh Chand · Answer

Good luck to you Fabe.

F D · Answer

Hey Paul, I understand how you feel and I am currently in the same boat as yourself. I will also take Mahesh's advice and go from there. I wish you luck. I haven't looked at the link as of yet as I will do after typing this. But maybe we can go back and forth via C# Corner and help eachother out. Anyways, good luck with your understanding. Fabe

Paul Nix · Answer

Hi Mahesh, Thankyou so much for the information. The link you gave contains lots of things for me to be getting started with. I agree with the Mobile development. That is something I thought about getting into once I am good at this stuff. I've also thought of subscribing to learnvisualstudio.net. The video's on there look good. I seem to learn better & faster with video lessons - and then read further into things once I need more information. It's good to know I'm not alone! Thanks Paul

Becomming a freelance programmer

Answers (9)