Originally Posted by Libertine

Here are some simple guidelines more programmers in adult should follow. It will prevent drama, might save your reputation and will save money and time for everyone.

1 - Don't try to take programming jobs if you have absolutely no experience finishing full jobs on a deadline. You will fail any job you get if you have no experience with this - it's harder than it seems.
If you've never done any commercial work so far, train yourself by doing some simple open source jobs. Set yourself a deadline, and work towards it. When you've mastered that, try and make a simple commercial piece of software.
Whatever you do, don't take jobs that far exceed things you've done previously. You will fail or flake out - I guarantee it.

2 - Don't inflate your experience. If you do, you'll raise expectations you simply won't be able to meet.

3 - Give realistic timelines. No matter what the client wants, make sure there's enough time for mistakes, slip-ups, testing and rewrites. Otherwise, chances are you'll deliver buggy or insecure software. If the client is in a rush, make it clear how much time everything will cost.

4 - Don't take too many jobs at a time. It's a good policy to only take one at a time. If someone else wants to hire you in the mean time, let them know that you are currently working on a project, and that you will have to finish that first.

5 - Finish every single job you ever get. Flaking out on clients costs them money, and hurts your reputation.