From charging "a fair price" on Craigslist to discovering the brutal reality of what clients actually pay for development work.

After completing one JavaScript class, I confidently advertised my programming services online. Then came the email that changed everything: "I'm a humble man with little means, but I will pay. Please tell me, how much do you charge for a website?"

I had no idea.

This is the story of accidentally discovering that a "shitty website" costs $25,000, watching a nonprofit budget $35,000 for a "small and simple" site, and finding out through corporate JSON responses that recruiting companies were charging $78/hour while paying me $40.

Key moments:

• "If a shitty website could cost twenty-five thousand, how much was 'a very little and simple' website?"
• "None of our developers here gets paid 160k a year" - discovering the true cost of contractors
• "There are no prices for a small or complex website"

The uncomfortable truth about freelance pricing, told through years of trial, error, and accidentally stumbling into the real numbers behind professional development work.

Perfect for freelancers, consultants, and anyone who's ever struggled with the question: "How much should I charge?"