Time for Something New
Today marks a special day in my life. Today I celebrate my first day as a freelance developer! After being an employee for 20 years, I now work for myself, and it’s both really exciting and absolutely terrifying.
My journey
In 2002 I started my journey as a software developer by traveling across Great Britain to install a PC booking system in public libraries. Since then, I’ve worked on over 20 significant projects building health care systems, systems for mixing concrete, IoT systems, financial systems, and many others. I’ve always created products for others, and for over 17 years, I’ve been doing this as a consultant.
I’ve always dreamt of building something for myself though, and you may think that being one of the co-founders of KITS and spending eight fantastic years there would scratch that itch, but it didn’t. It isn’t the same as building something where you are in complete control, so it’s time for the next step.
My hopes
Honestly, I don’t know what to expect right now. I’m pretty sure that this will not make me rich. If anything, I may make less money, but I don’t care – money has never been a driving force for me, and I hope it never will.
Instead, the main reason for doing this is to be able to make my own decisions on how I use my time. So instead of worrying about filling my timesheet, I hope that I can be a bit more relaxed so that I can work on my own apps from time to time, write the articles that I want to write, and create the presentations that I want to give at the conferences I want to attend.
Finally, I also hope that by being free to tap into different networks, I can find even more exciting projects for companies that aim to improve the world – maybe even outside Sweden.
My worries
I am worried, though. I’m worried I will miss having colleagues to learn from and laugh with. I’m worried that I will miss all the fun and often strange activities we’ve done together over the years, and finally, I’m worried that I will screw this up somehow.
But it’s time, and it’s up to me to make it work and turn it into the best time of my life. There are lots of freelancers out there who aren’t just in it for the money. If this is you – please, reach out! I hope that we can help each other out.
By the way, you can expect me to be way more active on this site. I have something special planned for later this autumn, so be sure to follow me wherever you like.