ivan ottinger I got into programming and building websites during primary school. It was my hobby. I spent part of my free time, my bachelor’s thesis, and a work internship on web technologies.
Self-employment
In 2014 I registered as self-employed and started freelancing alongside school. My income rose slightly during these years — to roughly 💶 €900–1,000 net per month.
On top of various client projects, my income also got a boost from a higher doctoral stipend after defending my preliminary thesis¹.
I also launched my own project — 🇬🇧 English the Smart Way — which generated varying amounts from €0 up to about €140/month. In 2020 I ”🥫 shelved” the project, and while I haven’t worked on it for years, it still occasionally produces some income, usually around €50. :)
“Fluctuating stability”
Overall monthly income fluctuated quite a bit, mainly due to freelancing. Some months I was finishing a project and income was higher; other months a new project was just starting up and income was nothing special…
What made me happiest about my finances during this period was having three independent income streams;
One of those was also very stable — the stipend.
What can I say, it was a pretty comfortable setup. No stress. :)
Fun’s over
Things shifted a bit when I finished my doctoral studies. Suddenly the “stipend well” dried up and it was time to start working full throttle.
Comparing 2015 and 2016, my net monthly income dropped year-on-year by a bit more than €300. Fortunately, projects and clients kept coming in, so I got back to the original level fairly quickly.
Once again, it also helped that I kept my personal expenses at an absolute minimum.
…as low as I possibly could.
I was also pleased that I could earn a decent living through my own initiative. Even if without luxury.
¹ A preliminary thesis (or “minimovka” in Slovak) is a paper you write and defend during your doctoral studies. It’s a kind of checkpoint before the final dissertation defence.
Translated from the Slovak original.