Ask HN: How do I earn money as a teenage programmer?

I made a few thousand a year as a teenager in addition to a typical teenage job at a bagel store/CompUSA by leveraging family friends to build websites for their pet projects like a craft business or band website. You have to actively market yourself and constantly reach out via parents, but if you are persistent, you might find work. People will often think that a teenager is both cheap and capable (which they often are) so you might be able to get contracts that formal companies cannot. It takes a lot of practice to understand how to communicate with clients but you will get the benefit of the doubt as a young person.

It isn't sexy but small businesses need help setting up websites and stuff like that. It's good experience both with programming and also working with people (which is usually the hardest part of any programming job).

Big companies work like mafia.

As someone who started very early in his teenage years doing something similar to provide for his family and pay off family debt, I'd like to think my advice is at least somewhat relevant.

> software companies are not willing to hire people my age for good reason

First of all, many people have not been through this and are unable to relate. I'll tell you now, yes, as a teen, it will be incredibly difficult regardless of your capability, to have buy-in from the wallet holders of these companies. However, there are ways to mitigate this while not lying:

- Differentiate yourself from your competition. Sure, everyone can code, sure everyone can talk and say they can deliver, that they're meticulous and detailed-oriented. Everyone sounds the same, so how do you sound different? Think about what's important to the business owner. Truly understand why they are pursuing a certain project. Most likely, someone didn't just dream up a project and decide to dump money into it; it's an investment, they want to gain something from this effort. Speak to their hopes, address their fears, and demonstrate an understanding of their business. This insight is sorely lacking in our industry, especially amongst developers who are often too stuck in the mental map of their software architecture, and miss the bigger picture.

- Do not draw attention to your age. I don't want to get in your head that older people, business people have a prejudice against you simply because of age. But it's there, it's incredibly noticeable, and invites questions. Sure, most people will not take issue with your age, but subconsciously, all sorts of questions arrive in their heads. Trust me when I say there is little you can do to ease most of these concerns, no matter how reputable you are, how amazing your past work has been, or how mature you seem. The answer is simple: don't make mention of your age or anything that may indicate you're a teenager. If possible, avoid phone calls and in-person meets; be sure to mention early on that email communication is preferred, and that you are more accessible via email. Over time, if people notice you are more responsive via email, that's how they will reach out to you.

- If they're not going to buy, they're not going to buy, learn to accept it. You will invariably face a lot of rejections, and it may be because of your age, it may not. Either way, accept it and move on. If someone tries to lowball you "because you lack experience", "you're too young", you do not need to beg and chase them to "give you a chance". Don't start off on the wrong foot, it'll cause more headaches than it's worth.

- Avoid bidding sites. It's a rat race to the bottom. You're at the whim of these sites, and whenever they feel like it, they'll increase their cut while offering you nothing more of value (see: Upwork changing their fees from 10% to 20%). If you absolutely have/want to, charge your standard rate, don't lowball just so you can get contracts.

That said, all of this is assuming that you have a lot to offer and are good at what you do. Focus on your personal growth and learning, try to take projects that further that mission, and focus on providing value.

Good luck!

I am in your position right now. Being 18 and working part time when having school / full time now because of summer break, and doing this since I've been 17.

My biggest advice: get involved into local meetups. Talk to people, try to make a good impression. Try to get friends with the organizers, so you can become a coorganizer eventually.

I'm getting a lot of job offers, but really, the only worth looking at, are those you get offered by other programmers you get to talk with.

Try to read a lot of development blog posts/be active on chats as this way you get knowledge to make up for your lack of experience when discussing technical topics.

EDIT: Addition: Nobody cares about your age if you can deliver.