Poll: How much do you average per freelancing gig? 15 years ago
My first major paid freelance project was worth about $6K of development time. I charged $400 because it was for a friend of a friend, and mostly because I just didn't know any better.
I learned a hell of a lot though, not just about coding but also what I could do different in the future not to land myself in such a crap situation.
Eventually, though, that $400 paid dividends: the project was noticed by a company that offered me a full-time position, which I love and meets all my needs and wants financially.
Moral of my story: sometime crap pays off.