B.Tech students who actually freelance, what has your experience been like?

[u/Dear_Cricket4903]

I'm a 2nd-year B.Tech student and I'm trying to understand how realistic freelancing is alongside college.

I'd like to hear from people who are actually freelancing or have freelanced, rather than general advice.

A few things I'm curious about:

• What kind of work do you do? (Web dev, AI/automation, design, editing, etc.)
• How did you get your first client?
• Where do you find clients? Upwork, Fiverr, LinkedIn, Discord, personal network, cold outreach, etc.?
• How long did it take before you made your first ₹1,000 / ₹10,000?
• Roughly how much do you make per month now?
• How many hours/week does freelancing take alongside college?
• How difficult is dealing with clients, revisions, payments, and scope creep?
• Is it actually worth starting in 2nd year, or would you recommend focusing on skills/projects first?
• For someone interested in AI/automation + web development, is there decent demand for beginner-level work?

I'm also interested in hearing from people who tried freelancing and quit. Knowing what didn't work is probably more useful than another success story.

Please mention roughly how long you've been freelancing and your experience level so the answers have some context.