How This Computer Science Student Earns KSh73,000 a Month Freelancing as a Programmer While Still Attending Class

Balancing university studies with making money is a challenge for many students in Kenya. However, leveraging online freelancing platforms offers computer science students a viable way to earn good income with flexible hours – without compromising academics.

Mark Mutiso, a 23-year-old Computer Science major at JKUAT, has mastered this balance. While still a full-time student, Mark easily earns over Ksh73,000 monthly freelancing as a programmer on Upwork and Fiverr.

By optimizing his profile and targeting high-value programming gigs, Mark has grown a thriving freelance web development business that grants him financial freedom without taking time away from lectures or coursework.

Here’s an inside look at how Kenyan university students can replicate Mark’s success and start earning meaningful income online as programmers.

Choosing Programming as His Niche

As an avid coder since high school, Mark realized he could provide freelance web development services online to earn extra money as a student.

With blockchain, web3 and SaaS booming globally, demand for talented programmers has exploded.

This presented a prime opportunity for Mark to monetize his coding abilities.

However, as a beginner with no professional experience, getting started freelancing looked daunting.

Mark knew he had to strategically position himself as a programmer to win those initial clients.

Building Credibility Through a Strong Profile

To compete and gain trust from potential clients, Mark needed to demonstrate his programming abilities upfront through a compelling online freelancer profile.

He thoroughly optimized key components:

Photo: A clear, vibrant professional headshot to humanize him.

Skills: Mark listed his specific web development languages like JavaScript, PHP, Python. This enabled clients to immediately assess if he had the technical abilities they required.

Portfolio: He included screenshots and descriptions of past coding projects, open source contributions, and college coursework. This provided tangible proof of experience.

Video: Mark recorded a brief intro video explaining his background, niche services, and ideal client. The video expanded his credibility.

Reviews: He encouraged early clients to leave positive reviews and testimonials detailing their experiences working with him. These social proof elements boosted conversion of future leads.

Pricing His Services Competitively

For new freelancers, it’s tempting to underprice services severely just to win clients initially. But Mark was careful not to sell himself short just to get started.

He researched competitive rates for his service offerings based on:

• Experience level
• Project scope and complexity
• Average pricing of related freelancers

Mark priced his web development gigs slightly below counterparts with more tenure, but still within the Ksh2,000 – Ksh5,000 per hour rate for programmers at his skill level.

This strategic pricing allowed him to appear as an affordable option for clients, while still earning lucrative income exceeding typical college side jobs.

Targeting the Right Leads

Instead of applying blindly to any web development gig listed, Mark took care to selectively target leads that were a strong fit for his expertise as a student developer.

He focused on pursuing entry-level website, app and scripting projects within ecommerce, SaaS and small business.

Mark avoided overly complex jobs from enterprise level companies that demanded niche experience he lacked.

Being disciplined about the leads he applied for ensured he could deliver incredible value as a freelancer. This resulted in project extensions and referrals.

Managing Time Effectively Around Classes

One major hurdle for student freelancers is balancing education with client project work. Mark developed an effective time management system:

• He sets a cap of working just 20 hours per week maximum. This prevents overwork.
• Schoolwork and lectures remain top priorities – Mark schedules client projects in evenings and weekends.
• He provides clients an adequate delivery timeframe and communicates timing expectations upfront.
• Mark blocks out exam periods and avoids taking on big projects when coursework is heavy.
• He leverages productivity tools like Trello to stay organized across multiple clients.

By prioritizing academics always and using free periods for paid freelance work, Mark has struck a productive harmony between studying and earning.

Expanding His Services Over Time

To boost income further, Mark has strategically expanded the programming services he offers beyond basic web development:

• Mobile app development – Developing iOS and Android apps for startups
• Webscraping – Extracting and analyzing data from websites
• Automation – Creating scripts, bots and APIs
• Consulting – Providing technical evaluations, architecture advice

Diversifying his programming skillset has enabled Mark to take on a wider range of lucrative high-level freelance projects over time.

Achieving Financial Freedom Without Debt

Within just 1 year of consistently freelancing online around his classes, Mark was able to completely cover his university tuition and expenses through programming alone.

This freed him financially and psychologically from the stress of student debt or struggling to balance a formal part-time job.

Mark has achieved enviable location and time freedom through freelancing, earning over 7 times the monthly pay of an average campus side job.

For computer science students, Mark’s journey proves that honing coding skills and maximizing spare time can pave the path to financial freedom and fulfilling work.

Tips for Students Wanting to Freelance

For other enterprising university students hoping to replicate his success, Mark emphasizes three key tips:

1. Build a polished online profile showcasing your skills and experience upfront. This is crucial for converting clients as a student.
2. Avoid undervaluing yourself. Research rates carefully for your niche. Price competitively but fairly based on your genuine expertise.
3. School comes first always. Manage client expectations accordingly. Block off study and exam periods to focus fully on academics.

By specializing in high-demand skills like programming and wisely managing available free hours for freelancing, Kenyan university students can build location-independent incomes and prosperous futures on their own terms.

The future of work is now. It’s time to seize it!

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