I started my software development journey back in 2012 when BlackBerry phones were in their glorious days, so as you can already tell, my first mobile application was done in java programing language.

Things have drastically changed in the past 9 years and in this article, I am going to share 5 things that I have learnt, please do feel free to share your own story in the comment section and let's have a laugh!

Heylo, welcome back to my blog, it has surely been a minute since I last posted here. Been through a lot of thinking, strategizing and decluttering so that I can get to what is the path I want to take as a father, son, brother, friend, customer and service provider and I must say, it has been well worth it. From now on, I am working on a publishing schedule and you will be hearing from me more often, so please feel free to subscribe so that you are the first to be notified when I post a new article.

Alright, enough catching up, 5 things I have learnt in the past 9 years!

1: Stick on doing what you love.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” Confucius once said...

This has been very true for me. Had I not been doing what I love, I would have left this art a long time ago, so the challenges I faced were just a pointer to what I needed to learn and improve so that I am the better version moving forward. One of the challenges was translating this skill into income, sustainable income, and had to learn and find ways of earning even without working on a contract.

2: Avoid clients from hell.

My next article is going to be about this and I can't wait to hear your stories and experiences on this topic, but for me, a client from hell is the one that pays little AND tells me how to do my job.

This is the reason why I talk about the BUDGET of the project and the value it will bring to the organization in the very FIRST MEETING so that I am not wasting my prospects time or mine. I have proven it to be TRUE, 99% of the clients that pay less than what I charge have ALL been a headache and mostly this is on my end. You see when I table professional charge on the table, there are several things at play and it is never about the duration the project is going to take, because I do my works 3 to 4 times faster than the people you are used to and this is because of the fact that I have done this same thing over and over and over and over, so it is my third nature.

So when a client pays less, all I hear in my subconscious is I DONT THINK YOU ARE WORTH THIS MUCH, so when we reach the time when revisions need to be done on a project, I tend to get resentment issues toward them which is bad for business, so all in all, i avoid them at all costs!

3: Don't compete on price,

You know, there is always someone cheaper than you, so price competition is really a dead end. My advice to you is, charge based on the value you are going to bring to the client's business and LEARN to effectively communicate this. This way, you are going to build lasting relationships as well as receiving referral clients from the already happy ones. This is the easiest way of growing your portfolio.

4: Blow your own trumpet.

Yep, wake up one day and tell the world that you are the WORLD'S GREATEST, then go back home and do the WORK and the TIME, soon enough, you will. Let's face it, no one is going to tell someone on your behalf that you are the best at what you do, you have to start the ripple effect. Tell people that you are the best, and what you are going to get is the attention and a chance to prove to them that you are indeed, NOW GO AHEAD AND PROVE THAT YOU WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG.

The best way to do this is to create content about your topic, this sets you 100M ahead of your peers if you want to take it a step ahead, create an eBook or a course, or a show, in all, make sure you are acquiring to attention to prove your expertise.

5: What really matters is the end product.

Your tools do not matter, technology does not matter (at least in my field), best practices do not matter, all that matter to your client is the end product.

So instead of getting bothered by the process, the development stack, take time to carefully understand what the client wants to achieve by the end of your engagement and do what you must to make that happen.

I wish I had known this 3 years ago, my proposals would not have Technical analysis instead I would put, financial and business analysis plus referrals as a basis on which i should be given the contract.

The technical analysis is to help you the technical person achieve THE GOAL more efficiently and effectively and it is for you to know, so spare the client Humphrey and go do your thing!

Well, there you go, those are the 5 things I have learnt over the past 9 years as a software developer. Feel free to tell me your thoughts in the comment section below also do let me know your own experiences, let's have a conversation.

Looking forward to reading from you, have a good one!