Code Your Way To $1K: The Beginner's Guide To Getting Paid To Learn

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
The Beginner’s Guide
to Getting Paid to Learn
CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
THE INSIDE STORY

If you have made your way to this guide you no
doubt know that tech is a growing industry and
technical skills are becoming more and more valuable
everyday.
Maybe you’ve read the stories that talk about how

by 2020 there will be nearly one and a half million
open jobs in the tech sector, or you’ve seen that tech
skills are 20 of the top 25 most sought after skills by
employers on Linkedin, or that all 10 of the fastest
growing keywords in job listings on Indeed are tech
related.
Or maybe you are inspired by all the stories about

startups and want to try your hand at launching an
app or website!
Or maybe you are looking for a way to work that is

lucrative and fun, but also flexible and portable, and
can allow you to live the life you want, wherever you
are in the world.
Whatever has brought you here, I want to say:

welcome! And, congratulations!!
No matter what your end goal, investing in yourself

and investing in greater technical skills is guaranteed
to pay off. Technology is not going anywhere, and the
more you know, the more empowered you are to be
a leader in the economy of the future and the more
valuable you become as an employee.
Now, traditionally, we have been taught that in order

to reap the rewards of a new skill we have to first
devote years to study.
The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 2

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
You have to be a master, right? 10,000 hours and

whatnot! You can’t make money when you’re just
learning!
Nope!
Sorry, hate to break it to you, but you don’t need to

wait that long. In fact, I would advise you not to wait
until you are a master, and instead, start using your
skills to make money almost immediately.
Here’s why: technology changes incredibly fast.

Lightning speed. So it’s incredibly important that you
pair your learning in a class environment with learning
in...an industry environment.
In fact, I think not making money off your coding skills

while you learn is one of the worst decisions you could
make.
You see, the more exposure you have to actual clients,

actual companies, actual industry professionals, the
more you will know about what skills you should be
focused on developing and which ones are a waste of
your precious time.
That’s right: earning money from your coding skills

while you are learning is not only great for your bank
account, it’s actually the best way to make sure you are
learning the right stuff!
How does that sound? Good? Good!

Adda Birnir
SKILLCRUSH FOUNDER So fire up your text editor, strap on your confidence
& INSTRUCTOR
cap, and get ready to: get paid to learn.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW THIS GUIDE WORKS
This PDF is meant as an action oriented guide, full of

practical tips designed to show you exactly how to
make at least $1000 while you are learning to code.
Does that mean you can make more than $1000?

Absolutely! I think with a little bit of effort,
persistence, and courage, you can make A LOT
more than $1000.
But let me warn you, this isn’t a get rich quick

scheme. There is nothing here other than sound,
practical advice on how to take advantage of the
incredibly valuable skills you are now developing.
And look, I will be honest with you: you are going

to have to work for it. Making money when you are
starting out isn’t easy. But the more you practice the
better you get, and the easier it will be.
Five years ago, when I started to learn to code, the

thought of anyone paying me to code was INSANE.
I was so unsure of my skills and their value that I
literally did projects for FREE.
Luckily, I quickly realized that giving websites away

for free was ridiculous, and I started to charge for
my work. I began by charging a few hundred dollars,
then $500, then $1000, then $2500 then $9000 and
before I knew it I had a thriving web design and
development company and was charging the New
York Times more than $50,000 for our services.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
Today, I turn down paying gigs literally every week.

Even if I worked all day every day I could never code
all the websites that people need coded. Which is why
I have dedicated my time to educating people like
you so together, we can start to put a dent in all that
demand.
I know this story sounds exceptional, but I really don’t

believe it is. You may not end up working for the New
York Times, and you may not start a company, but
you can ABSOLUTELY earn a healthy salary with your
technical skills, and you can get there much faster than
you would ever believe.
This guide is designed to be a companion guide to the

Skillcrush Break Into Tech Blueprint. Our one-of-a-
kind online learning program is structured to give you
exactly the knowledge, support, and practical skills you
need to break into tech.
But whether or not you choose to learn to code with

Skillcrush, I trust you will find more than enough
information in this PDF to get you started making
money with your new skills.
“When you finish the

course, there are so many
skills that you learn that
you can charge someone
for. You will absolutely
walk be able to make
money. I refuse to believe
otherwise!!”
- Rashida Balogun,
Skillcrush Blueprint Student

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
IN THIS GUIDE, YOU’LL LEARN:
The stages of learning to code, and what kind of work you

can do at each stage in your coding journey
Where to find your first paying client, and how to build an

endless pipeline of paying clients (so many in fact, that you
are going to start turning down work)
How to package your work and how much to charge for

each project to make sure you hit your $1000 as soon as
possible
How to stand out in the sea of freelancers and make sure

YOU land the job
What to expect in terms of your short-term and long-term

earning potential
How to take advantage of your other skillsets and prior

work experience to maximize your earnings at every stage.
Examples and links to REAL ADS and JOB LISTINGS that you
could apply for.
I’ll even give you some practical – and fun! – ideas about
what to do with the money you make, and how to
keep investing that money to skyrocket your return on
investment.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW MUCH YOU CAN EXPECT

TO MAKE
I want to both temper your expectations and get you

excited about how much you can make with your new
coding skills.
I know...doesn’t make a ton of sense! Ha!

Bear with me :)
Salaries in tech can be quite exceptional. Just look at

some of the average salaries for various tech jobs,
according to top job site, Indeed:
Junior Web Designer: $71,000
Junior Web Developer: $71,000
WordPress Developer: $79,000
Quality Assurance Tester: $79,000
Junior User Experience Designer: $87,000
PHP Developer: $87,000
Senior Web Designer: $92,000
JavaScript Developer: $93,000
Front End Developer: $95,000
Senior User Experience Designer: $97,000
Ruby Developer: $102,000

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
Of course, to land a job like these you will need

experience and a portfolio of work to prove you have
the skills.
In this guide we are going to encourage you to do

some crazy things like, do a job for $5.
At this point you are probably thinking to yourself, ok,

sure, if I do 200 projects I could make $1000, but that
sounds miserable!
The reason why I want you to consider doing a job

even for $5 is that I have come to believe that it’s
harder to go from not charging to charging $5 or $50,
than it is to go from charging $50 to $5000.
Here’s why: the first, and most important, hurdle

you have to overcome is just believing that you know
enough to take someone else’s money.
Once you overcome that hurdle, and start to realize

just how valuable your skills are, you will find yourself
doubling and tripling your rates in the matter of weeks.
So start small, and then don’t be surprised when your

earnings start to grow exponentially.
Special Tip:
One freelancer on Fiverr,
a site dedicated to $5 gigs,
made enough money
to buy a 3 bedroom, 2
bathroom house in just
one year! And you turned
up your nose at a $5 gig!

START BEFORE
YOU’RE READY,
BUT ALWAYS DO
YOUR best WORK
CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
GET INTO THE GAME

It’s super easy to start thinking “I’ll never be enough,
know enough.”
Heck, even with my years of experience I feel some

version of this everyday. Sure, by now I don’t worry
about whether I know how to build a website, but there
is always something that you have to do that you’re not
ready for.
You think I know how to manage a growing company

and a team of 12?!?
When I start to feel The FearTM, I remember that

everyday is a new opportunity to wake up and do it
better, and as long as I do the best work I can at every
step, then I can always feel proud of the work I am
doing.
Will you be providing the most excellent, knowledgeable

service possible? No. But the unfortunate truth is that
that level of service is expensive. Really expensive. It’s
not unusual for an experienced developer to charge
$150, $250, or more, an hour. And many design agencies
don’t take projects less than $50,000 or $100,000!
And yes, I am sure that for $100,000 you get a super

amazing really awesome website, but that’s way outside
the price range of the vast majority of businesses,
independent entrepreneurs, artists, musicians,
freelancers, and charity organizations who are perfect
clients for you.
And frankly, it’s overkill.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
Your writer friend doesn’t need a $100,000 website.
But they do need a $500 website, and guess who is the

perfect person to make it for them?
You are!!
So I want you to quiet the voices in your head that say

you don’t know enough, and instead, focus that energy
on getting creative about what you do know and what
you can do.
And then I want you to work your butt off on every

project and deliver the most incredible, most amazing,
most perfect version of that project that you can.
Special Tip:
Skillcrush WordPress
Class students usually
charge $500 for their first
freelance coding project. If
they can do it, so can you!

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
6 SIMPLE STAGES TO
GETTING paid TO LEARN

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
stage 1:
VISUAL DESIGNER
Before you ever crack open a code editor, you can use
some really valuable digital skills to get your foot in the
door. Just like the dishwasher who used some cleaning
chops to get closer to the world of private chefs,
you can learn fundamental digital skills to produce
something every tech professional needs.
WHEN YOU’RE LEARNING:

• Design fundamentals
• Photoshop
• User experience design
• A little bit of HTML
YOU CAN OFFER:

• User persona analysis & planning
• User flow analysis & planning
• Moodboards
• Sitemaps
• Wireframes
• Color palettes
• Typography
• Web page re-design or design
• Website re-design or design
YOU CAN GET HIRED AS A:

• User Experience Consultant
• Junior Graphic Designer & Photo Editor
Special Tip: • Branding Consultant
If you can’t afford or don’t
want to pay for Photoshop,
there are plenty of free
design tools to help you get
started. Try GIMP or Canva.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
YOU CAN GET HIRED BY A:

• Small business owner doing re-branding
• Established developer looking to collaborate on a
project
• Web design agency
• Branding agency
YOU CAN FIND JOBS FROM:

• 99designs
• Behance job list
• Fiverr

CODE YOUR
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YOU CAN MAKE:

$5 - $500 PER PROJECT
A $5 job is editing a photo on Fiverr.
A $50 job is creating a simple custom header

for a blogger.
A $100 job is doing one-time QA testing for a

developer.
A $500 job is creating a branding and site

design package for a client or developer that
includes: moodboard, wireframe, site map,
user personas, color palette, type scale.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
stage 2:
WEB DESIGNER
Now that you know all about user experience design
and how to create beautiful designs in Photoshop,
you’re ready to learn how to code those sites. The first
step in learning to bring your designs to life is to learn
HTML and CSS. And don’t forget that now your toolkit
includes everything you learned at Stage 1. You are so
in business.

• HTML
• CSS
• FTP (how to get your site online!)
YOU CAN OFFER:

• Custom email templates
• Web page or website components (menus, buttons,
headers, footers, etc)
• Transform PSD designs to HTML/CSS sites
• HTML & CSS code debugging
• Website creation & re-creation (from “scratch” or
using services like Tumblr or SquareSpace)
• Website updates & maintenance

• Email marketer
• Website administrator
• Web designer

• Local business needing a simple website
• Non-profit doing email campaigns
• Web development agency

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K

• Craigslist
• Idealist.org
• Elance

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
YOU CAN MAKE:

A $300 job is creating a custom email or
newsletter template for a brand or individual
An $500 job is debugging and updating an

existing site.
An $800 job is building or redesigning a single

page.
A $1000 job is building a simple site with

multiple pages.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
stage 3:
MOBILE WEB DESIGNER
& DEVELOPER
Now that you are an old hand at designing & coding

awesome experiences for the web, it’s time to learn
how to adapt those skills to our new mobile world.
Luckily, since you have focused on learning design
process best practices, all of the UX know-how and
code savvy you’ve built up will perfectly translate into
the wild world of mobile design and development. You
just need to know a few tricks and you’ll be well on
your way!
When you’re learning:

• User Experience for mobile devices
• How to adapt your web designs for mobile
• CSS media queries
• JavaScript for mobile
You can offer:

• Making existing websites mobile (design & code)
• Designing & developing mobile websites from
scratch
• Mobile usability testing
• Mobile user experience design
• Mobile website updates & maintenance
• Web app creation
• JavaScript & jQuery code debugging

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
You can get hired as a:

• Responsive Web Designer
• Mobile Web Developer
• Responsive Web Developer
You can get hired by a:

• Local business needing a mobile website
• Web development agency
• A tech or mobile app company
You can find jobs from:

• Craigslist
• Idealist.org
• Elance

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
YOU CAN MAKE:

$500-$5000 PER PROJECT
A $500 job is conducting a mobile usability test.
An $800 job is creating a set of mobile

wireframes.
An $2000 job is adapting an existing website to

be mobile friendly.
A $5000 job is building a fully responsive website.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
stage 4:
WORDPRESS DEVELOPER
So you learned how to get paid to build beautiful,

streamlined websites for clients. But did any of those
clients ask if they could update their sites on their
own? Or if you could add plugins? Or help with SEO
optimization? Then you are lucky you’re learning
WordPress at Stage 3.
Did you know that over 60 million websites run

on WordPress, the world’s most popular content
management system? Learning WordPress
superpowers your earning potential and allows you to
charge clients for SO MANY MORE services. Better get
started!

• WordPress
• PHP
YOU CAN OFFER:

• WordPress.com site
• Self-hosted WordPress site
• WordPress plugin development and customization
• WordPress theme development and customization
• PHP code debugging
• Transfer old site to WordPress

• WordPress theme creator
• WordPress developer
• PHP developer

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K

• Blogger needing a new platform
• Community organization building their site
• Local business or professional
• WordPress design / development agency

• oDesk
• Freelancer.com
• Other WordPress freelancers
• Word of mouth

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
YOU CAN MAKE:

(depending on scope)
A $300 job is debugging an existing WP site.
A $500 job is customizing a WordPress.com

theme
A $1000 job is building a simple WordPress site.
A $2000+ job is creating a custom theme or

building custom plugins.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
stage 5:
FRONT-END DEVELOPER
At this point, you’ve learned how to charge for some

seriously valuable services. But maybe you noticed
something you’re missing. Did a client ask for special
animation? Did they want something to move around
the page? Or maybe a client wanted boxes to appear
when a user clicks “More.” If you learn JavaScript,
jQuery, and APIs, you can make your already powerful
websites interactive. Cha-ching.

• JavaScript
• jQuery
• APIs
YOU CAN OFFER:

• Website customization
• Website interactivity
• Modal creation (pop-ups)
• jQuery effects
• jQuery actions
• jQuery plugins
• API integration (connect your site to Twitter, for
example)
• Web app creation
• JavaScript & jQuery code debugging

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K

• Website interaction specialist
• Front-end developer
• JavaScript engineer

• Friend wanting a “fancy” website
• Non-profit improving their website
• Mid-sized company updating their website

• Dice
• Flexjobs.com
• Twitter search
• Meetup groups

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
YOU CAN MAKE:

A $500 project is debugging an existing site with JS.
A $1000 project is adding interaction to an existing

site (like Twitter feed, modal pop-ups, image slider).
A $1500 project is building a simple interactive site

from scratch.
A $2500 project is building a custom JavaScript app.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
stage 6:
RUBY DEVELOPER
You are already in “dream job” territory here, and by

that I mean: if you know UX design, Photoshop, HTML,
CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and APIs plus WordPress, you
can land an amazing full-time job. But if you want to
keep supersizing your earning potential, and making
money as you learn, then your next step is to learn
a programming language like Ruby so you can build
awesome web apps. And it’s time to learn how to work
on a team of developers with Git.

• Ruby
• Sinatra
• Command Line
• Git & GitHub
• Rails
YOU CAN OFFER:

• Ruby application development
• Ruby code testing and maintenance
• Ruby code debugging

• Web app creator
• Back-end programmer
• Ruby developer

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K

• Company creating a web app
• Software developer
• Tech start-up

• Authentic Jobs
• Mashable job board
• Local hackathons

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
YOU CAN MAKE:

A $1000 project is debugging and adding to an
existing Ruby app
A $2000 project is assisting a software developer

building a web app
A $4000 project is building a custom web app

from scratch

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
LET’S TALK about MONEY

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
TIME TO COUNT YOUR CASH

I wasn’t totally honest about something. Remember
when I said you could make $1K while learning to
code? You can actually make a lot more than that.
If you add up the minimum payback for each stage,
you’re already looking at a whopping $2,105.
Now, you don’t have to continue through all the stages.

If you LOVE developing WordPress sites, you can stop
right there. And keep in mind that your earning power
depends on how many projects you take on. If you only
take on one gig on Fiverr in Stage 1, for example, you
only made $5. But what if you took on 10 gigs? That’s
10 times the payback.
Okay, so your cash flow is variable. But what are some

guidelines for deciding how much to charge for your
first projects? Read on, grasshoppers,
read on.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO

CHARGE
We’ve given you average prices you can charge at each

stage, but, depending on the project, you might want
to consider different ways of charging.
When you’re starting out, charging on a per-project

basis (rather than hourly or weekly) is probably your
best choice. This is because you won’t yet have the
experience to know how long the work will take and,
even if you do, you’ll probably be slower doing the
work than a more experienced person would be. You
don’t want to punish your client for that. Think of
project-based fees as a way of giving yourself a cushion
to make mistakes (and fix them, of course!) or do the
extra research you need to get the work done.
Just be sure to include a bit of a buffer in your price

for planning, meetings, and communications with your
client, plus research and revisions.
And don’t undercharge just because you’re new to

all this. If you charge too little, potential clients might
suspect that you don’t really have the skills to do
Special Tip:
the work. You’re still learning, but you already have
When you are creating skills worth their money. Above all, you need to make
a proposal for freelance
work, calculate an sure that you are charging enough to keep you afloat
estimate of how many financially. If you’re not sure what that means, follow
hours a project will take
you, and then double
this guide for pricing your work.
it! The communication,
administration, and
sometimes extra work will
eat up your time budget
fast, so a common trick of
experienced freelancers is
to buffer.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
Once you’ve gotten some experience under your belt,

you can move on to charging by the hour, day, week,
or even month for longer-term projects. Depending
on your skills and your location, you should consider
hourly rates of $20-$25 the very minimum you charge,
$50-$100 the average, and about $150 the maximum.
You should also have separate rates for website

maintenance. Usually an hourly rate for “one-off” jobs,
like fixing a minor issue, or a “retainer” rate (per month
with a maximum number of hours) are standard in this
case.
It will probably take some trial and error to figure out

the rates that are right for your projects or clients.
But, if you notice that you’re suddenly flooded with
requests, you’re probably charging too little. And, if
you can’t get clients to sign on despite having a great
portfolio and good skills, you’re probably charging too
much.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO find PAYING

CLIENTS

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
WHERE YOU CAN FIND

FREELANCE WORK
We’ve given you average prices you can charge at each
stage, but, depending on the project, you might want to
consider different ways of charging.
ONLINE LOCALLY
Upwork Small businesses

Freelancer Entrepreneurs
SimplyHired Non-profits
Smashing Jobs Volunteer organizations
Dice Hobby / sports clubs
FlexJobs Schools
PowertoFly Religious groups
Guru Community centers
99Designs Chamber of commerce
Coroflot Business organizations
Authentic Jobs Professional groups
Mashable job board
Behance job list
PeoplePerHour
Craigslist
Fiverr
Idealist.org
Special Tip: jobs.wordpress.net
Twitter search
The VAST majority of
Skillcrush students find Google alerts
their first paid project Online competitions
via their personal or
Twitter
professional networks.
Someone who knows Facebook
you (or knows a friend of Pinterest
yours) is much more likely
to hire you even if you LinkedIn
have no prior experience. Google+
So don’t be afraid to tell
everyone you know that
Your own personal site!
you are looking for work!

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
WORD of MOUTH
TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW
(IN PERSON OR BY EMAIL/TEXT)

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
WHERE YOU CAN FIND FREELANCE

WORK (PART II)
The most reliable way to land freelance projects is to

tell everyone you know that you are available for hire!
Think you don’t know anyone that might be interested
in hiring you? Think again!
PEOPLE YOU ALREADY KNOW:
• Family
• Friends
• Friends of Friends
• Neighbors
• Acquaintances from Hobbies and Organizations
PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK.
• Former Colleagues: people who you have enjoyed

working with before are great people to contact to
work with again
• Other Tech Service Providers: designers, developers,
etc. are very likely to know people who need your
services, or might even need them themselves.
• Other Freelancers in Your Field: successful ones
often get request for more work than they can
handle alone!
PEOPLE TO EASILY MEET:
• Tech Groups
• Meetups
• Conferences
• Hackathons

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO keep LEARNING

AND EARNING

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO PLAN YOUR LEARNING SO YOU CAN START

MAKING MONEY AT EACH STAGE
MAKE A DETAILED STUDY PLAN.
There’s a wealth of information and

opportunities to learn tech nowadays, but that
can be both a blessing and a curse. Although
confusion is your friend, you want to stay
focused and not get overwhelmed, so you need
to have a clear plan of what you want to learn.
So, whether it’s web design, web development,

or WordPress – or even all three of them – you
need to set specific goals to keep yourself
focused.
BREAK DOWN YOUR STUDIES INTO

MANAGEABLE PARTS.
Start with broad topics (like web design or

programming) and then break them down into
smaller parts.
For example, if you’re interested in web

development, you’ll need to start with the
foundation that all sites are built on - HTML
& CSS. Then, you can learn to make websites
interactive with JavaScript & jQuery. And, finally,
you can add web apps to your repertoire with a
programming language like Ruby.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
SCHEDULE YOUR LEARNING.
We all have the best intentions, but we also all

have busy lives. To make sure that life doesn’t
get in the way of your learning, you need to
include it in your daily or weekly routine.
You can do this by just deciding that you’ll study
a certain amount of time each day or each week.
Or you can divide your study material into parts
that you plan to achieve in a certain amount of
time. And let’s be honest. We all have different
work styles, so some people might need more
encouragement to keep going (from a class or
group), and others might be better at working
independently.
Whatever method you use, you should definitely

schedule it in your calendar or on your to-do list.
That way you’ll remember it and make time for
it along with all the other things you need to do
each day.
CENTER YOUR LEARNING AROUND

DELIVERABLES.
Since the reason you’re learning tech is to make

money with it, you can kill two birds with one
stone by planning your studies around projects
that you can first do for yourself, then add to
your portfolio, and finally offer to clients.
Special Tip:
Try rewarding yourself So, in addition to learning color theory, put what
with something you you’re learning about color into practice by
really enjoy, such as your
favorite Netflix show or a coming up with a new color palette for your own
sunset stroll outside, after website. Or, instead of just reading about jQuery
completing a lesson or
practice exercise. It helps
effects, add some scrolling to your bio page or
keep you on track! animation to your site menu.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
FIND OR CREATE A LEARNING COMMUNITY

TO FOSTER YOUR GROWTH.
As much as you love tech and are excited about

the prospect of earning money with your new
skills, doing it all on your own can be both lonely
and challenging. But, thanks to both online and
in-person communities, it doesn’t have to be!
ENROLL IN A SKILLCRUSH CAREER

BLUEPRINT.
If all of these steps to creating the perfect

learning plan are sounding a little bit
overwhelming, then the Skillcrush Career
Blueprints are designed for you! Skillcrush
Blueprints are built to give you everything you
need to hit the ground running and get paid to
learn to code.
When you enroll in a Skillcrush Career Blueprint

you will walk right into a ready-made learning
plan, structured with day-by-day steps and
focused on actionable deliverables. Plus, you will
gain access to a library of world-class learning
materials, instantly become a part of the thriving
Skillcrush community of code learners, and
get valuable career guidance and coaching
from knowledgeable instructors and industry
professionals.
TO ENROLL TODAY, CLICK HERE

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
GET ESSENTIAL RESOURCES YOU NEED.
When you have questions, tap into the amazing

resources (many of them free!) that can
complement your learning. There are thousands,
if not millions, of resources to choose from.
Here’s a curated short list of Skillcrush favorites
to get you started:
Books
A Book Apart series
Jon Duckett’s HTML & CSS
Jon Duckett’s JavaScript & jQuery
PeachPit’s JavaScript: Visual QuickStart Guide
No Starch’s Book of Ruby
Online resources
Hack Design
A List Apart
Smashing Magazine
CSS-Tricks
W3C Schools
Mozilla Developer Network
Javascript is Sexy
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CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO SHINE WHEN

LOOKING FOR FREELANCE JOBS
FULLY FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE ON

FREELANCING JOB SITES.
You’ll seem much more reliable and

knowledgeable to potential clients if you
specifically list what you can do. So, list all your
skills and strengths and definitely links to your
online portfolio or attachments of samples of
your work.
BE SPECIFIC IN YOUR BIDS AND OFFERS.
Your potential clients will probably get several

or even dozens of offers for their project. So, the
more detailed information you can give them
about what you can do, the more likely they are
to trust you and hire you.
START WITH SMALL PROJECTS TO GAIN

EXPERIENCE AND CONFIDENCE (AND
POSITIVE REVIEWS).
Of course you hope to make big bucks, but you

have to start somewhere! You can easily build
your portfolio along with your confidence – and
bank balance! – by first taking on small projects.
So, go ahead and offer to do “just” the re-design
of an email template or fix a few bugs on a
WordPress site. Everything you do adds to your
resume and proves to yourself you can do it. And
every penny counts too.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
DON’T SELL YOURSELF SHORT.
Just because you’re new in tech and still learning

doesn’t mean you have to downplay your skills.
Don’t worry about what you don’t know.
Sell what you do know! That means instead of
saying “I’ve only been doing this for x months.” or
“I don’t have a lot of experience.”, you should say
“Here are examples of work I’ve done.” or “I can
do x, y, and z for you.”
STRETCH YOURSELF, BUT NOT TOO FAR.
Speaking of confidence, don’t be afraid to take on

some more challenging work. You are learning
new skills all the time, right? That means you’re
able to do new things to make money!
Make sure you don’t take on too much, and try to

have a backup if you get stuck – like a friend with
more tech experience, a meetup group, a library
of resources (see below), or even just some killer
online search skills.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO TAKE THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS

EARNING WHILE LEARNING
BUILD YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE.
As a tech freelancer, your own website with a

portfolio featuring your work is a MUST! But don’t
forget about showing off your web design work
on Dribbble or your web development projects
on GitHub. The more you can show clients what
you can do, the more chances you will have to
make money!
SHARE IT.
And don’t forget the power of social media.

Besides looking for gigs on services like Twitter
and LinkedIn, be sure that you mention in your
profile that you’re a freelancer looking for work.
And take advantage of these free ways to

advertise by setting up a Facebook page, Pinterest
board, etc. for your work and joining LinkedIn and
Google+ groups relevant to your skills.
SHOUT ABOUT IT.
Text, audio, and video are the mediums of the

web so make sure your message is in those
mediums. That means writing about what you do
on your own blog (and maybe also on publishing
platforms like Medium) or maybe doing audio or
video podcasting too. This is also a great chance to
make yourself known as an active member of the
tech community and even an expert in your field.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
LEVERAGE YOUR OTHER SKILLS BY

APPLYING THEM TO TECH.
Whether you are a creative or working in a field

that seems totally unrelated, you can bring that
experience to the table by applying the skills
directly to your code or building websites for
others in the industry.
1 2
If you’re in marketing, If you’re a writer,

you can offer consulting you can offer proofreading
for online campaigns or copywriting services for
and sales. websites.
3 4
If you’re a graphic If you’re a photographer

designer, you can offer or videographer, you can
illustrations, icon sets or offer image or video editing
logos for social media or services for social media or
websites. websites.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
HOW TO SPEND THE $1000 YOU’VE

EARNED
PAY THE BILLS
Not the most glamorous thing, I know. But, hey!

We all gotta do it. And don’t forget to set aside
something for taxes and social security!
SAVE FOR A “RAINY DAY”
Or at least it’ll give you a cushion while you look

for your next freelance clients or save you from
a jam if your hard drive dies tomorrow.
BUY A NEW COMPUTER OR NEW

ACCESSORIES (LIKE A RETINA MONITOR
OR A FASTER INTERNET CONNECTION) FOR
THE ONE YOU HAVE
Now that you remember that all hard drives

die someday, it’s worth investing in your tools,
and the investment will pay itself back fast since
you’ll be more effective and efficient.
GET THE APPS YOU NEED
There’s a lot of great open-source and free

software out there, but sometimes you’ll need to
get paid versions to be able to work with certain
clients or just have the features you need to get
the job done.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
PAY FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Being a freelancer is relatively simple, but

sometimes having the advice of a professional
from another field - like an accountant or a
lawyer or even a back-up service for your data
(See dead hard drive above!) - can save you lots
of money and heartache in the long run.
FURTHER DEVELOP YOUR BRAND
Now that you’ve gotten started, you can take

your game to the next level with, for example,
new business cards (Yes - People still use
them….), a “grown-up” domain name (no more
iswearimprofessional.blogspot.com) and
subscriptions to professional organizations and
publications.
ATTEND CONFERENCES AND INDUSTRY

EVENTS
These kind of happenings are incredible

opportunities to learn from the best in tech
as well as a fantastic chance for face-to-face
networking. Who knows - Maybe you’ll find the
perfect partner for your business. In any case,
conferences and events are a great way to get
away from your day-to-day and expand your
horizons.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
INVEST IN LEARNING MORE
You’ve only just begun your freelance journey

so don’t stop learning now! Your skills are your
biggest asset so be sure to keep maintaining and
developing them. We recommend one of our
Skillcrush Blueprints for this, of course!
TREAT YOURSELF FOR ALL THE AMAZING

LEARNING AND WORK YOU’VE DONE
You’ve put your nose to the grindstone and

made something from nothing. So, don’t leave
yourself with nothing. Buy those gorgeous
boots you’ve been eyeing; have a spa day with
your best friend; or just treat yourself to lunch
out once a week. Whatever you do, enjoy! You
deserve it!

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
NEED more SKILLS?

CHECK OUT OUR BLUEPRINT.

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
LEARN TO CODE WITH US.

MAKE MONEY WHILE YOU DO IT.
Are you pumped about working in tech but not sure
where you’ll fit in? Worried you might not have what
it takes? Do you know you want to take advantage of
the flexible work schedules and high salaries that are
common in the tech industry but have NO IDEA where to
start?
Start here: The Skillcrush Break Into Tech Blueprint
You’ll gain the confidence and marketable skills you need

to start earning money within 3 months, find fulfilling
and flexible work within 9–12 months, and level up your
LEARN TO CODE. career for good. And with 1-on-1 support from your first
Get hired. Make more line of code to the last line of your cover letter, we’ll be
money. It’s that simple! with you every step of the way.
ENROLL NOW
JUST SOME OF THE CAREERS YOU CAN PURSUE WITH OUR

BREAK INTO TECH BLUEPRINT:
WEB WEB FREELANCE

DESIGNER DEVELOPER WORDPRESS
AVERAGE SALARY: AVERAGE SALARY: DEVELOPER
$61,000 $76,000
AVERAGE SALARY:
$85,000
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BREAK INTO TECH BLUEPRINT HERE

CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
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CODE YOUR
WAY TO $1K
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CODE YOUR

THE INSIDE STORY

Maybe you’ve read the stories that talk about how

Or maybe you are inspired by all the stories about

Or maybe you are looking for a way to work that is

Whatever has brought you here, I want to say:

No matter what your end goal, investing in yourself

Now, traditionally, we have been taught that in order

The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 2

You have to be a master, right? 10,000 hours and

Sorry, hate to break it to you, but you don’t need to

Here’s why: technology changes incredibly fast.

In fact, I think not making money off your coding skills

You see, the more exposure you have to actual clients,

That’s right: earning money from your coding skills

How does that sound? Good? Good!

The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 3

HOW THIS GUIDE WORKS

This PDF is meant as an action oriented guide, full of

Does that mean you can make more than $1000?

But let me warn you, this isn’t a get rich quick

And look, I will be honest with you: you are going

Five years ago, when I started to learn to code, the

Luckily, I quickly realized that giving websites away

The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 4

Today, I turn down paying gigs literally every week.

I know this story sounds exceptional, but I really don’t

This guide is designed to be a companion guide to the

But whether or not you choose to learn to code with

“When you finish the

The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 5

IN THIS GUIDE, YOU’LL LEARN:

The stages of learning to code, and what kind of work you

Where to find your first paying client, and how to build an

How to package your work and how much to charge for

How to stand out in the sea of freelancers and make sure

What to expect in terms of your short-term and long-term

How to take advantage of your other skillsets and prior

The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 6

HOW MUCH YOU CAN EXPECT

I want to both temper your expectations and get you

I know...doesn’t make a ton of sense! Ha!

Salaries in tech can be quite exceptional. Just look at

Junior Web Designer: $71,000

Junior Web Developer: $71,000

WordPress Developer: $79,000

Quality Assurance Tester: $79,000

Junior User Experience Designer: $87,000

PHP Developer: $87,000

Senior Web Designer: $92,000

JavaScript Developer: $93,000

Front End Developer: $95,000

Senior User Experience Designer: $97,000

Ruby Developer: $102,000

The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Paid to Learn 7

Of course, to land a job like these you will need

In this guide we are going to encourage you to do

At this point you are probably thinking to yourself, ok,

The reason why I want you to consider doing a job