Building a flexible future with freelancing

When Taban graduated from software engineering at Koya University in the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI), finding a job wasn't the problem. Finding one that engaged all her skills was the real challenge.

"During the last year, I worked at two different companies." Taban recounted, "I went there and found that they were using the old versions of Javascript and Bootstrap."

Throughout her studies, Taban had been learning new coding languages, editors, libraries, and packages on the side of her studies which excited her. So when she started work and found that the companies were using outdated software, it was a letdown.

On top of that, both jobs were far from her home and didn't meet her expectations of a work environment where she'd thrive. "In both companies, there was no motivation, and the relationship between the employees was bad."

Taban left both jobs within a month of starting.

Starting over

Taban returned home and started reflecting on her experience working in two companies and wondered how she could set up her own business. "I started to think, okay, I am clever, I can create software. Why not start my own business? Why should I go to the company and stay there for a long time?"

Taban's search led her to freelance work. Within a month, Taban landed her first client as a freelance software engineer.

Doubling down on freelance knowledge

Taban started her freelance journey with YouTube courses, but when she saw a post from Re:Coded advertising the launch of a new Intro to Freelancing course, she jumped at the opportunity to join.

"I decided to join to get more information about freelancing, and also, I wanted to know if I went in the right direction."

Despite already working as a freelancer, Taban gained additional career support from the course, especially in learning how to build a contract and set her prices.

Never looking back

For Taban, it's hard to imagine returning to being a traditional employee.

"As a freelancer, I have more time and a higher income." Taban explained, "But there are additional benefits that freelancing is adding to my lifestyle. I can spend more time with my family. I can go to the gym or walk daily. I can read more. I can join other organizations. I can learn new skills in my field. And I can take a rest."

On top of that, the diversity of clients has allowed Taban to grow professionally and has deepened her love of software development. "It's not a boring field, you need to always be up to date. And every step is about invention."

Now that she's working from home, she added: "You can invent even from home."

As of three months ago, this has meant building—or inventing—her own company: Navy-Soft. Taban hopes to work with all of the newest frameworks and technologies to continue to inspire herself and others.