Learning how to write programming codes is one of the most profitable skills you can learn today. The job market is booming and there’s a high demand for skilled developers all around the globe.
To sweeten the appeal, the remuneration of skilled programming experts is juicy and appears to be increasing daily. The only limit to the opportunities of earning money with your programming skills is definitely your creativity.
And the best part about all this is that the internet has created new possibilities for programmers to find work. You don’t even need to go to an office anymore to find a programming job. There are numerous ways to make money online you’re your programming skills.
How soon can I earn from Programming?
How soon can you earn income with your programming skills? The answer to this question varies. But depending on whatever language you choose to learn. You can start earning as soon as you master the basics of such a programming language.
For instance, if you learn front-end web development, you could start with your first earning gig in just a couple of weeks or even days. On the flip side, if you choose to specialize in network security or data analysis, you will require more time to learn fully before you start working and earn your first pay.
Ways to Earn with Programming
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
GET A FULL-TIME DEVELOPER JOB
In the case that the corporate world appeals to you, you should consider learning programming to get a full-time developer job in the nearest future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States, the employment rate for computer and IT occupations is estimated to grow 13% from 2016-2026. This is in the US alone!
It’s impossible to predict the future, but the demand for technical roles is rapidly increasing and it’s not showing signs of slowing down any time soon. All you have to do is learn the essential skills, build a stunning portfolio, and start applying to jobs that interest you.
As a full-time developer, there are unlimited entry-level jobs you can work and we will consider a few of them.
FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPMENT
The first on our list of how to earn with programming as a full-time developer is Front-End Web Development. Basically, web developers create websites and web applications and can be divided into two.
As a front-end developer, your work description is to produce the visible aspects of a website project. Everything that the user can see, use and interact with is created by a front-end developer. Front-end web developers perform their duties closely with graphic and product designers. It’s the duty of the front-end web developer to program the website to look exactly how the designers want.
Front-end web development gigs abound and for an entry-level job, you will need to learn three languages:
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language)to create the actual content like text, images, links, etc.
- CSS(Cascading Style Sheets) to style and design the content created with HTML
- JavaScript to add interactivity and dynamic features to a website
Many would feel learning three languages for an entry-level job is a bit daunting, but it isn’t. With enough dedication and effort, you can easily learn the basics of HTML and CSS in a matter of days or a couple of weeks. JavaScript takes a bit longer to master.
BACK-END WEB DEVELOPMENT
The second aspect of a web developer is the back-end developer. Just as front-end web developers create everything the user interacts with, Back-end web developers create everything that is not visible to the users on a website.
Simply put, backend developers build functionality features like logging in, creating user profiles, messaging, or uploading files. Anything that has to do with do saving and retrieving data is designed by a back-end web developer.
The programming language to learn in order to become a back-end web developer is numerous. But a few of the most popular back-end programming languages include:
- Python– a very powerful and versatile programming language, also very beginner-friendly
- PHP– a server-side programming language used by nearly 80% of all websites
- Ruby– popular language for creating web applications, especially in start-ups; easy to pick up and yet very powerful
- SQL– needed for creating and managing databases
Back-end developers also work closely with front-end developers to ensure that the website has all the needed functions and works seamlessly.
Note: A Full-stack web developer is someone who has learned both front-end web development well as back-end web development.
DATA ANALYSIS (MACHINE LEARNING, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)
Just as the name implies, data analysis involves the processing of data to gain insights that can add value to the company or your employer. Data analysts work with massive amounts of data. With the fast-rising popularity of machine learning and artificial intelligence, data analysis is one of the most financially profitable skills anyone can learn.
In general, data analysis is heavily focused on statistics and searching for patterns in the data. There are tons of corporations looking to hire data analysts such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as well as Bloomberg. Some popular daily practical applications of data analysis range from Alexa to movie suggestions on Netflix.
The most widely-used programming languages used by data analysts are Python, R, and SQL. Also, Python libraries such as Scipy and Pandas are pretty useful.
Anyone that loves working with statistics and sifting through data and reports would certainly enjoy data analysis.
Network and Information Security (Cyber-security)
Nearly every company collects customer information or deal with sensitive data in one way or another. Keeping networks secure is then highly important to them and this is where cyber-security experts come in. This is good for you as gaps in the market to fill remains widely available.
Demand for security professionals is far outpacing supply: the talent gap in this field is expected to reach 3.5 million unfilled jobs by 2022; tripling from 2017. Information security analyst jobs are projected to grow 31% from 2019 to 2029
In part due to such a massive shortage, damage from cyber-crimes is anticipated to cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021. Becoming a cyber-security expert requires you to understand the fundamentals of networks, systems administration, how to mitigate vulnerabilities, how to perform digital forensic analysis and risk assessment. All of these require a high level of programming skill to accomplish.
Blockchain Expert
Blockchain has been tagged as a solution in search of problems, making it a desirable skill for employees to have. According to Gartner, the business value of blockchain will be $3.1 trillion by 2030. Between late 2017-late 2018, demand for blockchain engineers increased by 400%.
Originally created for the digital currency Bitcoin, blockchain has evolved. The tech community is now finding other potential uses for the technology, such as peer-to-peer payments, crowdfunding, file storage, identity management, digital voting among others.
Some of the blockchain skills you should know to get a juicy job in this field include networking, cryptography computing, and database design. The programming languages required to land this gig ranges from Java, JavaScript, and C++ to Go, Solidity, Python, and others.
START FREELANCING AS A PROGRAMMER
The best things aspect of learning programming is that you can start earning money almost immediately as a freelancer. Even with minimal programming experience, you can start searching for small gigs to practice your skills and earn a little side income.
And the most exciting part, you don’t have to quit your job! You can maintain a freelance gig while still having a full-time job. Initially, your hourly pay rate will be very low but keep in mind that you’re still learning. Ultimately, there is no limit to how much money you can earn from freelancing.
As your skills improve, you will learn more about the technical part of freelancing and gain valuable experience in communicating with clients. You will also learn to manage projects more efficiently.
Starting freelancing has its own downs but we will provide some expert tips to keep you in the saddle:
CHOOSE a PLATFORM AND STICK WITH IT
Getting freelance gigs online is strongly based on good reviews. If you perform an excellent job for a client and they write a compelling good review on your freelancer profile page you increase your chances of getting more gigs.
When potential clients view your profile page and see positive reviews on your page, they are more likely to hire you. So the trick is to focus on just one platform and gather as many positive reviews as possible. Although having multiple platforms isn’t bad if and only if you can garner positive reviews and manage your time efficiently.
But for beginners, it’s advisable to start with one platform and work your reviews up gradually.
KEEP YOUR BIDS LOW IN THE BEGINNING
Let’s state here that you won’t make big bucks with your first gig but your first freelance jobs are primarily for learning.
So, always explain why you are willing to work for a low price. This means telling your clients you’re just starting out and are more interested in doing a good job in exchange for a positive review. Not all clients will stay but you will soon find out that a little bit of honesty goes a long way.
DON’T TAKE ON BIG PROJECTS
Big projects equal big bucks but require loads of experience. Start very small, don’t be too ambitious, and gradually move up the work ladder. It’s best to go for the easiest jobs first just to boost the confidence in your programming skills.
And after you have gathered enough experience and confidence, you can start hunting for heavy projects to increase your earnings.
Communicate Honestly and Directly
Sometimes, you might get a job offer for a project that’s way well above your skill set or that is too demanding, in instances like this; learn how to communicate “no” effectively from the start.
Always clarify job requirements with your client upfront. And in case of disagreements, communicate effectively with your client or use the platform’s customer services.
As a freelancer, only list skills that you have mastered on your profile, even if it’s just basic HTML and CSS. Be confident in your skills and never underestimate yourself.
Where to Find Freelancing gig as a Programmer
There are numerous websites that offer freelancing gigs. On these platforms, you can sign up as a freelancer and offer your services to a much larger audience.
Each platform has a slightly different setup but all in all, their goal is to connect service sellers with potential buyers. Always browse through their terms and condition, mode of operation as well as payment terms before signing on. Some of these platforms are:
BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR
As a programming expert, you can as well start your own tech start-up business and earn money from it. Alternatively, if you have an awesome business idea, you can team up with like-minded programming enthusiasts and establish a jointly owned technology start-up.
Usually, the most successful start-ups mostly have a simple business idea and don’t always start off big. All that is needed is to offer customers a way of doing things more efficiently; create value with technology.
There are numerous ways of becoming an entrepreneur with your programming skills and we will discuss a few here.
Blogging
Blogging has to be the most popular way of earning money with your programming skills. And with blogging, not only will you be earning, you will also be carving a name for yourself in the programming world.
As a developer, you can start a blog in the programming niche. And with numerous ways to monetize your blog as a programmer, your earnings are unlimited. For anyone who is passionate about writing and programming, then blogging is recommended for you. You get to share your knowledge with others and at the same time, do what you love.
Start your blog by publishing programming tutorials.
App Development
Creating Apps has the potential to make you a lot of money as a programming expert. In order to earn with apps, you need to create value by providing a solution. If your solution isn’t awesome, chances are that you won’t make money.
An example of an app that created value is Flappy Bird. The idea of Flappy Bird turned out to be a great one as it reported $50,000 dollars per day of advertising income during its prime.
A downside to app development is that most apps only make waves for a limited period of time so it probably isn’t going to generate much revenue in the long term.
Develop WordPress Plugin
Around 35% of all web pages and websites are powered by WordPress. With this, there is a high demand for efficient WordPress plugins that could improve website functionality.
As a programming expert, building a WordPress plugin is another great way to earn extra cash. The best part about is that it is very much easy to get started.
Some of the best ideas for a WordPress plugin have emerged from the frustration and limitations of existing tools. You can take advantage of this as well to create your own plugin.
After developing a plugin, you may choose to make it available for free and earn money via advertisements or donations. You can as well sell it: a minimum free version with an option to pay for extra features.
Create a Theme
As with plugins, you can also create themes for websites with your programming skills. There are quite a number of people that own a website and are complete novices when it comes to coding. These people rely heavily on the themes that are available on the marketplaces.
You could create your own theme and sell it online in marketplaces such as Themeforest. Once you’ve built your theme you have the capability to sell it to thousands if not millions of interested users all around the globe.
Become an Online Teacher
Just as with being an entrepreneur, becoming a teacher in programming languages is an excellent way of earning money with your skills. Only this time, you won’t be selling a refined product but your knowledge.
You seriously don’t have to be the best programmer in the world to be able to teach others. All you need is to simply be ahead of someone to help them. In other words, any information you have about programming is valuable to someone else. You can leverage that to teach just about anyone.
By becoming a teacher, there are many different ways to earn as a programming expert and we will discuss some below:
Sell Online Courses
By projection, the online education industry is expected to reach around $132 billion by 2023. That is huge! And a programming expert can tap into this to earn money.
Since lots of people want to learn how to code, you can teach them. Create courses online using different learning management systems such as Udemy. You can then sell these created course contents to students who are interested in learning programming.
One way to effectively grab potential customers is to create a blog as discoursed above and post some free tutorials to build your authority and grow traffic. After that, you can then upsell them to your course.
Also, you can get paid to teach programming if you position yourself as a computer science instructor. Here are a few places that hire online coding and computer, science instructors:
- universities
- online coding tutoring platforms
- coding boot camps
You can as well use platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, CodeAcademy, and their existing students to teach programming.
Create a YouTube Channel
YouTube is one of the most visited websites on the planet today. And you can certainly earn money from YouTube by creating a channel and posting engaging video content.
Create video content showing tips on coding, what language is in vogue, and just about any information on programming. The key to earning on YouTube is to create value than drive traffic towards that value. You won’t instantly start earning on YouTube but with consistency, dedication, hard work, and value creation, you are sure to earn some cool bucks. The more views and engagement you get, the more you will earn.
Another plus is that you can a YouTube partner or affiliate program that will allow you to earn a share of the money generated from ads that run alongside your videos.
Create and Sell an Ebook
Another way to earn from programming as a teacher is by creating eBooks and selling them. Your eBooks can cover specific topics or languages in programming or can include just coding tips.
After writing your eBook, publish and sell it on social media, your website, or Amazon. Publishing an eBook is easy, and you can take advantage of free publishing platforms such as Kindle publishing also known as Amazon.
Expert tip on starting Programming
It’s possible that you weren’t aware of any or most of these means of earning cash with programming and now that you know, you want to start. It is also possible that you know nothing about programming and wants to learn so you can also earn money from it. Whichever way, we will provide some basic and beginner tips for you to help guide your decision.
- Define your goals and your You need to ask yourself; why are you learning to program? What do you want to achieve in the long term with programming?
- Make sure your skills are in demand. Learning what you love is one thing, but finding someone to pay you for helping them with your skills is a different thing. Learn an in-demand language.
- Learn with the right coding tools. To get started, you can use free online courses to learn the basics. There are plenty to choose from.
- Create a portfolio and build projects. When you learn to code, try to build as many practical projects of your own as possible. Then include these projects in your portfolio.
Conclusion
Learning how to code is a fun and equally efficient way to acquire new skills you can use for a variety of jobs today and in the future. For those who have started learning already, the best way to make money with your coding skills is to start right now that you are still learning.
For expert programmers, there are numerous ways of monetizing your programming skills. And it all comes down to you choosing the one that tickles your fancy.
There you have it! We’ve discussed some ways to earn money with your programming skills and the truth is we only discussed a few of the common and some less popular means. There are numerous ways of monetizing your skill but be rest assured that the ones discussed here are sure to get you off your mark and make you smile to the bank.
