Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Break Into Freelance Web Development
Transcript
- Lucas: So you finished a coding bootcamp. Maybe you built a portfolio project, you've been sending out resumes, and the response has been... let's say, quiet. One move a lot of grads don't consider seriously enough is going freelance right out of the gate. Luna: Freelance? I thought that was something you do after a few years of experience, not right after bootcamp. Lucas: That's the conventional wisdom, but the market has changed. On Upwork, the median hourly rate for a freelance web developer is about $75 an hour. And for bootcamp grads who specialize—say, React front-end or Node back-end—I've seen people hit $50 to $60 an hour within their first year. That's not bad when a typical entry-level salaried role might pay the equivalent of $25 to $35 an hour. Luna: Okay, but getting those first clients is the hard part. How do you compete with someone who has five years of experience and a degree? Lucas: You don't compete on experience. You compete on price, speed, and specificity. For example, a lot of small businesses need a simple landing page or a WordPress tweak. They don't want to pay an agency $5,000. You can do that for $500 to $1,000 and turn it around in three days. The barrier to entry for those projects is low, and they build your portfolio. Luna: So the strategy is to start small and build reviews? Lucas: Exactly. And there's a platform that's been growing fast—Contra. It's a commission-free freelance marketplace, so you keep more of your earnings. They've got a lot of early-stage startups posting gigs for front-end work. Another is Toptal, but they're pickier—they accept about three percent of applicants. So you might start on Upwork or Contra, build a rating, then apply to Toptal later. Luna: What about the portfolio? A bootcamp project isn't going to cut it for a client, right? Lucas: Right. You need three things. One: a personal portfolio site that's clean and loads fast. Two: three case studies from projects you did—even if they're for friends or local nonprofits. Three: a GitHub profile with well-documented repos. But here's the trick—make one of those repos a clone of a real service. Like a simplified Trello clone. Clients love seeing that. Luna: That's smart. But let me ask—when should a bootcamp grad make the leap? Should they have some savings first? Lucas: Absolutely. I'd say have at least three months of living expenses saved up. Freelance income is lumpy. You might have a great month and a slow month. The rule of thumb is to build a ninety-day cash buffer before quitting your day job. If you don't have a day job, start freelancing on the side while you're looking for full-time work. Worst case, you build a side income. Luna: Speaking of side income, if we've helped you think through a career move or decision, listener support is what keeps this show ad-free. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit helps us keep making episodes like this one. Lucas: Yeah, it really does. And we appreciate it. Okay, back to the freelance path. Once you land your first few gigs, the next step is to raise your rates. I've seen bootcamp grads go from $30 an hour to $75 an hour within eighteen months just by increasing their rate every time they completed a project. Luna: How do you know when it's time to raise rates? Lucas: When you're turning down work because you're too busy. That's the signal. If you have more inquiries than you can handle, bump your rate by ten to fifteen percent. If clients still say yes, bump it again. Before you know it, you're earning more than a mid-level salaried developer. Luna: But what about the lack of benefits? No health insurance, no 401k match. Lucas: That's real. You have to factor that into your rate. As a freelancer, you're paying both sides of payroll tax, plus insurance. So your hourly rate needs to be about thirty percent higher than what you'd make as an employee to break even. But the upside is flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere. Luna: I've also heard that freelancers can deduct a lot of expenses—home office, equipment, internet, even part of your rent if you have a dedicated workspace. Lucas: Exactly. And that's something a lot of bootcamp grads overlook. You should talk to a tax professional, but the savings can be significant. In some cases, your effective tax rate can be lower than a salaried employee's because of deductions. Luna: Okay, so let's say I'm a bootcamp grad and I want to start freelancing. What's the first thing I do this week? Lucas: First, create an Upwork profile that's specific. Don't say 'I can build anything.' Say 'I build responsive landing pages for small businesses using React and Tailwind.' Second, set your initial rate at $25 an hour. Yes, that's low. But you're buying reviews. Third, apply to ten projects a day. And I mean genuinely tailored proposals—mention something from their project description. That's it. Do that for two weeks and see what happens. Luna: What about the fear of not being good enough? Imposter syndrome is huge for bootcamp grads. Lucas: It's real. But here's the thing: most clients don't need a senior architect. They need someone who can wire up a contact form, style a page, or fix a broken layout. You can do that after a bootcamp. And when you hit a wall, you Google it. That's what every developer does. Luna: So you're saying the barrier to entry is lower than most people think. Lucas: Exactly. And the demand for freelance web devs isn't going away. A 2025 study by Upwork found that 36 percent of the U.S. workforce freelanced in the past year. And web development is one of the top categories. For bootcamp grads, it's a viable path to build experience, income, and a portfolio that can later land them a full-time role if they want one. Luna: That's a good point—freelancing as a stepping stone, not a lifelong commitment. Lucas: Right. I've seen people freelance for a year, then use their client list and case studies to land a senior role at a startup. The experience counts. And you've proven you can deliver projects on time and on budget. That's more than most new grads can say. Luna: Alright, I'm convinced. But one last thing—how do you handle the feast or famine cycle? Some months are dry. Lucas: You diversify your client base and have a retainer client if possible. Even a small monthly contract for maintenance work can smooth out the income. And you build a cash buffer, like we said. Also, use downtime to learn new skills or build tools that make your next project faster. Luna: So it's about treating it like a business, not a side hustle. Lucas: Exactly. Freelancing is a business. You're the CEO, the developer, the marketer, and the accountant. It's a lot, but the payoff is control over your career. And for bootcamp grads, it's a way to get in the game faster than waiting for a full-time offer that may never come. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. I think a lot of our listeners will find this actionable. Next week, we'll talk about how bootcamp grads can use open source contributions to build a reputation. Lucas: That's a great one. Until next time.