Skills required for the freelance software developer

Thanks to the very fast development of the internet, the popularity of software developers and web designers has increased – and they will only get more popular. While this is a good thing, it brings competition as a side effect, and you need to upgrade your skills and your software developer resume as soon as possible in order to make the most of your career; especially if you are planning to go freelance.

While the list will be incomplete, but we have done our best to give you a good, solid place to start when it comes to acquiring the skills you should have.

Cloud computing

Aside from the containers, you must know cloud computing if you are going to become an expert freelance software developer. All companies as well as individuals are now changing their environments in a cloud setting to allow for better scalability and cost-saving, which means you must help them with these tasks.

Aim to learn platforms such as Microsoft Azure, GCP (Google Cloud Platform), or AWS (Amazon Web Service), which will keep you ahead of your competitors in the freelance software developer scene – even learning one will allow you to know a fair share of the others.

IDEs

There are plenty of modern IDEs today you can use, but the most critical tool for most programmers include Visual Studio Code and Eclipse. If you like doing programming using C#, C++, or C, then you should learn Visual Studio. If you love using Python as your environment, then learn Jupiter Notebook.

Programmers who prefer Java have plenty of options on their hands, which include IntelliJ, NetBeans, and Eclipse.

Algorithms and data structure

There is no escape from these if you want to learn software programming, and all interviews you go to will ask you about your knowledge in this area. Even if you are a self-taught developer, you must know it, including basic data structure like set, map, linked lists, and so on.

Github and Git

In order to store the codes you are writing when creating a program, you will need source control – and that includes tools like SVN and Git. The advantage with having skills in Git is that most organizations use it, so you can guarantee yourself employment by knowing it in depth.

SQL and Database

Among the classics of programming and web design, you can never go wrong with SQL, with its presence on the scene lasting for more than 3 decades. Thanks to its endurance on the software development scene, all your clients will expect that you already know SQL in depth, as well as the essential skills like table design and normalization.

You have a choice of many database options to learn. They include Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL, although learning one of them is enough to carry you through plenty of jobs when you are handling databases. Other than this, knowing advanced tasks like joining aggregate functions is very important.

Containers

Every project manager, data scientist, software engineer, and developer must know about containers – it is non-negotiable.

In fact, using containers such as Kubernetes and Docker make the process of deploying your codes simpler, and they also help you test the applications you make in a unified environment and see if you need to make improvements. That also allows you to work on the applications without worrying about their scalability, making them among the most popular skill that many clients look for in a software programmer.

Text editors

You cannot be a good programmer without having the skill of working with text editors – even for people who are non-programmers, as long as they work with computers. These include Notepad for Windows users, as well as VIM if you use Linux; but there are many more options for programmers as well, which include NotePad++ that gives you IDE-like usage.

Linux

Linux is like SQL in many ways, and they are both omnipresent in the world of programming. Because most programmers are very familiar with UNIX, it is expected you are too – so knowing the Linux command lines goes a long way.

The world of today is interconnected, and all this is due to the improvement of computer networks. As a freelance software developer, you will need knowledge of these skills and more to help your clients improve their web technical support for a long time.