Certifications etc?

myownsummer

Hi everyone.
I needed your advice on something at a personal level...
I am a novice-to-intermediate level php programmer just out of college. I am heading to the US later this year for my Masters degree.

Now, I don't have any sort of financial aid, and would have to rely heavily on an on-campus job or something similar. Why am I hogging on about this? Well...
a. I think php development could be something I can make some money out of, atleast enough to cover my living costs. (There's a limit: only 20 hrs work per week). How correct am I?
b. What can I do to augment my php knowledge so I can get some work? Would you recommend any certifications?
c. This is probably a bigger favor: Can anyone tell me where I can find work? I have checked out some freelance sites but I don't quite have the experience to bid there.

Thanks for your patience. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I hope my post isn't too personal. I apologize if that's the case.

laserlight

myownsummer wrote:
b. What can I do to augment my php knowledge so I can get some work? Would you recommend any certifications?

There is Zend certification, but whether it really is worth paying for is another matter. I think Kudose is the one around here who has the certification, so maybe he can tell you if it was worth the money. (Okay, but at 125 USD it is not that expensive, though you would probably want the 165 USD bundle for the study guide and practice exams.)

myownsummer

Thanks!
Well I did check out the zend certification... I was wondering how valuable it is though. Anyone has anything to say?

rulian

I do PHP freelance full time for a living. It seems to be the case that I guess with any freelance gig that it takes a while to build up a client base. If you dont have a client base with you now, all you can do is either set up shop online and advertise your skills and services or really lowball yourself on price. Its unfortunate but when you are unknown the best thing you have going for you is being a cheaper alternative. That is how I started and eventually my clients started coming to be via word of mouth or recommendations so my price went up.
That was my experience with it, I've been freelancing for 4 years + and about 1 year plus full time to even get to this point. So its not a fast process.
But you can try advertising, get some business cards and go meet people and talk to them, when you are a freelancer you are really selling yourself more then your services. Clients like someone to be dependable and professional so you need to present yourself as such. If your in college I'm sure there are plenty of other students/professor you can try to network with. Especially at a Grad Level, colleges should really be stressing the business venture part of the gig as well