I’ve been working as a frontend developer for about 5 years now, but I’m struggling to keep stable employment. Over the past couple of years, I keep finding jobs and then losing them pretty quickly. It’s been a real roller coaster.
This pattern makes me wonder if I’m just not cut out for traditional employment or if my coding skills aren’t strong enough. The idea of learning backend or full-stack development feels overwhelming because I’m worried I might fail there too.
I’m considering pivoting to freelance work instead. My plan would be to focus on building basic websites for small businesses and individuals who need them. I know HTML, CSS, React, and Next.js pretty well. I’m also thinking about using WordPress for simpler projects and maybe offering some basic SEO services alongside the web development.
Do you think this could be a viable path forward, or am I just settling for less? Has anyone made a similar transition from employment to freelancing? I’d really appreciate some honest feedback about whether this sounds realistic or if I should keep pushing for traditional developer roles.
honestly sounds like freelancing might suit you better than traditional jobs. ive seen devs with weaker skills than yours make decent money doing small biz websites. the employment thing could just be bad luck or office politics rather than your actual abilities. wordpress + basic seo is a smart combo since most clients want ongoing updates anyway. just dont undersell yourself
Making the transition to freelancing after experiencing employment instability can actually work in your favor. Your technical foundation with React, Next.js, and modern frontend technologies is solid enough for most small business clients who primarily need professional websites rather than complex applications. The key difference between freelancing and traditional employment is that client relationships tend to be project-based rather than performance-evaluated. Many small businesses simply want someone reliable who can deliver a functional website on time and within budget. Your existing skills are perfectly adequate for this market. Before making the switch, I recommend building a portfolio of 3-4 sample websites that demonstrate different styles and use cases. Start with one or two small projects while still job hunting to test the waters. The WordPress route is particularly smart since it opens doors to ongoing maintenance contracts, which provide more predictable income than one-off projects. Freelancing requires different skills than employment - client communication, project scoping, and business development become just as important as coding ability. If you can master these aspects, your technical skills will likely prove more than sufficient for most freelance opportunities.
wait, what kind of feedback were you getting when you lost those jobs? that might give you clues about whether its really a skills issue or something else entirely. also curious - have you tried any freelance projects on the side before? even small ones could help you gauge if you actually enjoy the client interaction part, which is totally diferent from coding for employers.