How to make money with a freelance server engineer? We will explain the trends of projects and necessary skills!

table of contents

• 1. 1. How Much Can a Freelance Server Engineer Make?
• 2. Demand and future potential of server engineers
• 3. 3. Skills required to earn as a freelance server engineer
• Four. To be active as a freelance server engineer for a long time
• Five. summary

• 
• • Knowledge of server design and construction
  • Server operation / maintenance knowledge
  • Knowledge of computer architect
  • OS knowledge and network security knowledge
  • Knowledge of groupware
  • Knowledge of application development in the case of client / server system

    What role does a server engineer have and how much can you earn as a freelancer? I searched based on the actual job offer.

    1.1 What is a server engineer?

    A server engineer who is in charge of a wide range of tasks such as server system design / construction, operation, redundant configuration, load balancing design / construction / operation, response / countermeasures in the event of a failure, and security measures.

    There are various types such as Web server, mail server, DNS server, cache server, database server, FTP server, etc. depending on the functions and services provided.

    

    What does a server engineer do? I summarized from the outline to the future

    1.2 Freelance server engineer unit price

    How much can you earn if you aim to become a server engineer from the standpoint of “freelance”? Calculated based on our job offer site “Professional Engineer” .

    ◆ For freelance
    Average monthly unit price: 560,000 yen
    Data reference source: Latest freelance project information related to server engineers (February 2020) / Professional engineer

    By the way, let’s take a look at the annual income of a full-time server engineer.

    ◆ For full-time employees
    Average annual income: 4.8 million yen
    Data reference source: Latest full-time employee project information related to server engineers (February 2020) / Professional engineer

    * However, freelancers differ from regular employees in terms of taxes such as insurance and pensions, as well as paid leave and bonuses. Be careful when comparing the incomes of the two.

    1.3 Unit price compared to freelance cloud server engineer

    I compared the job offers of cloud server engineers and the job offers of server engineers, which have been increasing rapidly in recent years.

    Data reference source: Latest freelance project information related to server engineers (February 2020) / Professional engineer

    You can see that the unit price tends to rise due to the knowledge and skills of the cloud such as AWS.

    2. Demand and future potential of server engineers

    

    Let’s predict the trend of freelance projects from the demand and future potential of server engineers.

    2.1 Demand for server engineers

    Even in the present age when the cloud is becoming mainstream, it can be said that the demand for human resources for server engineers is stable regardless of whether they are freelancers or full-time employees for the following reasons.

    1. There are still companies that abandon cloud computing due to cost issues and difficulty in linking with existing in-house systems.
    2. There are many companies such as financial institutions whose systems are complicated and huge and not suitable for cloud computing.
    3. For reasons such as 1.2. * There are a certain number of cases of building on-premises.
    4. The infrastructure that underlies the system will never disappear
    5. The number of server engineers recruited is increasing with the expansion of the IT environment, and there is a chronic shortage of personnel.

    * What is on-premises?

    Procure, install, own, and operate all system information such as servers and software in-house.

    Reference: White Paper on IT Human Resources 2019 Feeling of excess or deficiency in the “quantity” of IT human resources

    2.2 Future of server engineers

    Although it is said that there is still demand for server engineers, on-premises demand is expected to shrink, and cloud demand is expected to grow further in the future.

    Therefore, based on the experience of on-premises alone, it is possible that the number of projects will be reduced to a limited number in the future, such as working downstream or working under machinery.

    Considering the future as a server engineer, you will be able to expand your work options by actively acquiring knowledge and skills around the cloud so that you can play an active role as a server engineer on the cloud.

    

    Essential for the cloud era! What is an AWS engineer?

    Reference: Why the demand for AWS engineers is increasing

    3. 3. Skills required to earn as a freelance server engineer

    What skills do you need to earn a stable and high unit price as a freelance server engineer?

    3.1 Skills required for server engineers

    First, let’s check the basic skills required for a server engineer.

  3.2 Skills required to raise the unit price

  In addition to the basic skills as a server engineer, having the following skills will increase the possibility of aiming for a high unit price.

  • • Upstream process skills such as design and construction
    • “Management skills” and “communication skills” of leaders and project managers
    • New advanced skills to meet demand, such as virtualization knowledge, high load balancing, and experience with large-scale projects
    • Skills related to clouds such as AWS
    • Obtaining qualifications such as “* MCSE” and “* LPIC, LinuC”

  * MCSE : Microsoft Certification Name
  * LPIC, LinuC : Linux Engineer Certification Name

  

  Explaining the future of infrastructure engineers and the skills they want to acquire in the future

  3.3 Skills to increase demand as a freelancer and win many deals

  Even if you can get a high unit price project temporarily, if you can not get a project continuously, it will be difficult to earn a high income as a freelance engineer.

  By participating in various projects and expanding the range of skills without specializing in one skill, it can be expected that the demand as a freelance engineer will increase and the unit price will also increase.

  One of the recommended ways to do this is to use agent services for freelancers. For those who are not good at getting a job (sales), of course, it is easy to find one that meets your requirements while receiving various support from agents, and even if you are working, you can be introduced to the next candidate. Highly qualified and perfect for busy engineers.

  >> Use agent services for freelancers

  

  What is the secret to becoming a freelance engineer in demand?

  Four. To be active as a freelance server engineer for a long time

  

  In order to be a freelance server engineer for a long time, I would like to mention two things you need to know.

  4.1 The appeal of freelance server engineers

  Many server-related projects are long-term projects, and in the case of full-time employees, it seems that there are many cases where they sit down and enter one project for a long time.

  The footwork is lighter than that of regular employees, and the fact that it is easy to handle cases such as “I want to move to a project where I can learn new techniques and improve my skills” is the appeal of freelancers.

  4.2 Attitude as a freelance server engineer

  With the advent of AWS and the rise in the unit price of freelance payments due to the effects of the Olympics, etc., the unit price of payment will settle down over time, and the time will come when “quality of work” will be required in the same way as regular employees.

  If you are too particular about your superficial background and do not have the skills, or if you are not content with the amount you can get and have no aspirations, you may not be able to win projects as a freelancer in the future. It must also be kept in mind that there is also sex.

  

  [Thorough comparison] What is the difference in annual income and working style between freelance engineers and office workers?

  Five. summary

  

  The work of a freelance server engineer, whose demand is expected to continue.

  Cloud computing will not drastically reduce the work of server engineers, but if you are satisfied with your current skills, you will become a server engineer vulnerable to changes in the times. This is especially true for freelancers who are required to be ready for action.

  Focusing on the knowledge and skills required in the cloud era, let’s focus on the “skills necessary to raise the unit price” mentioned in the previous chapter and try to acquire and practice them. By doing so, you will be able to expand your options for projects, expect to increase your income, and lead to a path as a freelance server engineer who can play an active role for a long time.