School of Freelancing
| Price | $400 |
| Duration | 2 Weeks (20 Hours) |
| Format | Hands-on, live/recorded sessions + guided labs |
| Outcome | Deploy a production bulk SMS gateway on Linux + land freelance/direct clients |
Beginners to intermediate Linux users who want job-ready SMS gateway engineering skills (SMPP + REST/HTTP API integration) and the ability to freelance on Upwork, Freelancer.com, Guru.com, and via direct LinkedIn outreach.
- DigitalOcean: Ubuntu Linux Server (24.04 or 26.04 LTS recommended).
- Domain: Any domain or sub domain will work.
- SMS Provider: Access to an SMPP connection or REST/HTTP API SMS provider (e.g. Twilio, Telnyx, or aggregator sandbox account).
- Freelance Marketplace: Verified Upwork · Guru · Freelancer Account.
- Land Direct Clients: From LinkedIn and YouTube Account.
- Rigorous: Need to have patience and concentration during all training sessions.
- Portable messaging devices for 24/7 client communication.
- Reliable fiber-optic internet access for uninterruptible training sessions.
- These Training Rules ("Ground Rules") apply to all School of Freelancing trainees. They keep training fair, focused, and productive and may be updated as the program evolves.
Session 1: SMS Protocols & Gateway Fundamentals (2h)
- SMPP vs REST/HTTP API — how bulk SMS actually moves
- SMS gateway architecture: MC/SMSC, ESME, connectors
- Server provisioning on Ubuntu (DigitalOcean VPS)
- Lab: Spin up a fresh Ubuntu VPS for the SMS gateway
Session 2: Installing an Open-Source SMS Gateway (2h)
- Installing Jasmin SMS Gateway (or PlaySMS)
- Web admin/CLI setup, initial configuration
- Firewall (UFW) & port planning for SMPP
- Lab: Install and access the SMS gateway admin console
Session 3: Domain, SSL & Secure Access (2h)
- Pointing a domain to the SMS gateway server
- SSL/HTTPS for the admin panel/API endpoints
- Securing SSH and admin access
- Lab: Attach domain, enable HTTPS, lock down server access
Session 4: SMPP Connector Setup (2h)
- Configuring SMPP binds (transmitter/receiver/transceiver)
- Connecting to an SMPP provider, testing bind status
- Sending/receiving test SMS over SMPP
- Lab: Establish a live SMPP connection and send a test message
Session 5: REST/HTTP API Integration (2h)
- Building REST/HTTP API routes for sending SMS (Twilio/Telnyx APIs as reference)
- API authentication, rate limits, error handling
- Webhook setup for delivery reports (DLRs) and inbound SMS
- Lab: Send and receive SMS via a REST/HTTP API integration
Session 6: Bulk Sending & Queue Management (2h)
- Bulk message queuing, throughput throttling
- Message routing rules, filters, and priority queues
- Handling long messages (concatenated SMS)
- Lab: Configure a bulk send job with throttling and routing rules
Session 7: Delivery Reports & Two-Way Messaging (2h)
- DLR handling and status tracking
- Two-way SMS flows (auto-replies, keyword triggers)
- Database logging of sent/received messages
- Lab: Build a two-way SMS flow with DLR tracking
Session 8: Monitoring, Logs & Maintenance (2h)
- Monitoring gateway health, connector status, logs
- Backups of configuration and message logs
- Scaling considerations for high-volume campaigns
- Lab: Configure monitoring + automated backup
Session 9: Client Project Simulation (2h)
- Full end-to-end task: fresh VPS → SMS gateway → domain/SSL → SMPP + REST API → bulk send campaign
- Troubleshooting common issues (bind failures, throughput throttling, DLR mismatches)
- Documentation & handover practices (client-ready reports)
- Lab: Complete a timed "client ticket" simulation
Session 10: Freelance Client Acquisition (2h)
- Building winning Upwork/Freelancer.com/Guru.com profiles & portfolios
- Writing proposals that win SMS gateway/bulk messaging gigs
- Pricing your services (hourly vs fixed-price gigs)
- LinkedIn strategy: optimizing profile, outreach scripts, content posting for direct clients
- Final Assessment: Submit 1 Upwork proposal + 1 LinkedIn outreach message (reviewed live)
- A live portfolio project (your own SSL-secured SMS gateway with SMPP + REST/HTTP API integration and bulk send capability)
- Ready-to-use Upwork/Freelancer/Guru profile & proposal templates
- LinkedIn outreach message templates for direct client acquisition
- Access to School of Freelancing community for ongoing support
Ubuntu Linux, Jasmin SMS Gateway/PlaySMS, SMPP, REST/HTTP APIs, UFW, Nginx, Certbot/Let's Encrypt, Upwork, Freelancer.com, Guru.com, LinkedIn
Karim — Senior Linux & Cloud Infrastructure Security Engineer, Founder of School of Freelancing, Bangladesh Government-Verified Freelancer