u/Which_Yak_3863

I’m a Software Engineering student, starting my 6th semester soon, and I’m trying to get some genuine advice from people who have experience in the industry or freelancing.

A little about me:

• Previously worked with Flutter/mobile development
• Currently focusing on AI Engineering
• Learning things like LangChain, LangGraph, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, MCP, etc.
• AI Engineering is my primary direction, while I plan to keep app development as a secondary skill.
• My long-term goal is to build an independent/freelancing career, rather than making a corporate job my end goal.

My main confusion is about which path I should prioritize first.

I know that if I get the opportunity to choose between a job and freelancing, my preference would be to build toward freelancing/independent work. But at the same time, I don't want to ignore industry experience, because having real professional experience could give me a strong foundation and keep the job path open as a backup.

So I'm trying to decide:

Should I first focus on getting an internship/job to gain industry experience and then move toward freelancing?

Or should I start freelancing as soon as I'm technically ready and build my client base/experience from there?

And if starting freelancing now is the better option, how should I actually start?

I understand that university + work + freelancing + learning can become difficult to manage, so I'm also interested in what is realistically achievable for a student without burning out.

For those already working in AI/backend or freelancing:

• Is AI Engineering currently a realistic freelancing path?
• Should I try freelancing with AI Engineering directly, or use my Flutter/backend skills to get initial clients?
• How would you personally structure the next 1.5 years if you were in my position?
• What would you prioritize most before graduation: skills, industry experience, freelancing, money, or something else?

I'm not looking for generic advice. I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have actually gone through this journey, especially in the Pakistani or international market.

looking for sincere suggestions and opinions as my own thoughts are too scattered to decide

If you were back in your 6th semester, what would you do differently?

I’m a Software Engineering student, starting my 6th semester soon, and I’m trying to get some genuine advice from people who have experience in the industry or freelancing.

A little about me:

• Previously worked with Flutter/mobile development
• Currently focusing on AI Engineering
• Learning things like LangChain, LangGraph, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, MCP, etc.
• AI Engineering is my primary direction, while I plan to keep app development as a secondary skill.
• My long-term goal is to build an independent/freelancing career, rather than making a corporate job my end goal.

My main confusion is about which path I should prioritize first.

I know that if I get the opportunity to choose between a job and freelancing, my preference would be to build toward freelancing/independent work. But at the same time, I don't want to ignore industry experience, because having real professional experience could give me a strong foundation and keep the job path open as a backup.

So I'm trying to decide:

Should I first focus on getting an internship/job to gain industry experience and then move toward freelancing?

Or should I start freelancing as soon as I'm technically ready and build my client base/experience from there?

And if starting freelancing now is the better option, how should I actually start?

I understand that university + work + freelancing + learning can become difficult to manage, so I'm also interested in what is realistically achievable for a student without burning out.

For those already working in AI/backend or freelancing:

• Is AI Engineering currently a realistic freelancing path?
• Should I try freelancing with AI Engineering directly, or use my Flutter/backend skills to get initial clients?
• How would you personally structure the next 1.5 years if you were in my position?
• What would you prioritize most before graduation: skills, industry experience, freelancing, money, or something else?

I'm not looking for generic advice. I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have actually gone through this journey, especially in the Pakistani or international market.

looking for sincere suggestions and opinions as my own thoughts are too scattered to decide

If you were back in your 6th semester, what would you do differently?