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.
I guess most of us started with too low prices. Me too, and I was cursing that shitty job. Until some time later I realized that it was worth it - I learned a lot from my first job. Not only about pricing too low but also about handling difficult clients.
I'm glad my first job(s) were shitty so I could grow a thick skin early in my career.
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.