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Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

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Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#31

Post by jv22222 »

@thr2178008 Hey there. I'll give you a proven roadmap to six figure freelancing right now.

1) Pick a new up and coming language or framework. Something like elixir or pheonix or something else that is really hot and just starting out.

2) Learn it. As you learn, write a series of really awesome tutorials and articles on your blog about that stack.

3) Help people out on SO and other forums that talk about that tech. Point folks to your posts if it looks like it might help. Add your blog to your profile page.

4) Try to guest on some podcasts about this same technology, or maybe even create your own podcast.

5) Keep doing steps 1-4 with constancy and over time your luck surface area will grow and new opportunities will come your way.

When you start contracting in that tech you'll be able to charge much better rates than your old rate because you will be a thought leader in that space.

Also, you will be able to capitalize on sites like airpair.com

Hope this helps!

Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#32

Post by zimpenfish »

charsifood wrote: post #21
chi17 wrote: post #10

Not a freelancer. That's how I do it. I don't think you're asking the right question, though. 100k+ USD/yr in some parts of the country is a lot different than 100k+ USD/yr in other parts. The really smart ones have found jobs in metro areas that pay lots, but work remotely from areas with low cost of living expenses, and put all the extra away into college funds for their kids and Roth 401k's invested in high risk,…

I think the OP is specifically asking freelancers because 100k as a salary is not exactly rare, it's what I've paid some of my juniors. 100k+ as a freelancer is significantly more rare - requiring either very steady work, a niche skill-set, or great marketing skills.

> 100k+ as a freelancer is significantly more rare

What are we meaning by "freelancer" here?

I'm taking it (as a UKian) to mean "contractor" and every contractor I know is on £100k+ (which is currently ~$129k).

Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#33

Post by King-Aaron »

Andrenid wrote: post #28
King-Aaron wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jeez. I'm a senior front end developer in Western Australia, on 70k. Build Fintech systems... It would be interesting to compare the costs of living etc to see how salaries over there compares to here.

A front end developer in State Gov in Australia can easily be $90-110k, fwiw. Can confirm for east coast anyway.

Any openings currently? :P

Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#34

Post by romanovcode »

jv22222 wrote: post #31

@thr2178008 Hey there. I'll give you a proven roadmap to six figure freelancing right now. 1) Pick a new up and coming language or framework. Something like elixir or pheonix or something else that is really hot and just starting out. 2) Learn it. As you learn, write a series of really awesome tutorials and articles on your blog about that stack. 3) Help people out on SO and other forums that talk about that tech. Po…

> "really hot and just starting out/new up and coming language or framework"

As a consultant this strategy is very smart, very stupid for a company tho.

1) Consultant goes to company and sells his new hot tech stack that is just released.

2) Company buys in and pays a lot of money.

3) Consultant now is locked himself a nice position because nobody wants to deal with this technology and he is the only expert they can get.

Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#36

Post by quickthrower2 »

King-Aaron wrote: post #26
charsifood wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Financial engineering - NYC.

Jeez. I'm a senior front end developer in Western Australia, on 70k. Build Fintech systems... It would be interesting to compare the costs of living etc to see how salaries over there compares to here.

You could probably buy a house on that salary at a reasonable commute distance to Perth CBD.

Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#38

Post by meric »

romanovcode wrote: post #34
jv22222 wrote: post #31

@thr2178008 Hey there. I'll give you a proven roadmap to six figure freelancing right now. 1) Pick a new up and coming language or framework. Something like elixir or pheonix or something else that is really hot and just starting out. 2) Learn it. As you learn, write a series of really awesome tutorials and articles on your blog about that stack. 3) Help people out on SO and other forums that talk about that tech. Po…

> "really hot and just starting out/new up and coming language or framework" As a consultant this strategy is very smart, very stupid for a company tho. 1) Consultant goes to company and sells his new hot tech stack that is just released. 2) Company buys in and pays a lot of money. 3) Consultant now is locked himself a nice position because nobody wants to deal with this technology and he is the only expert they can…

Startups might be willing to take this risk - if the new technology shortens the time to launch, then all the better. If it finds itself locked in 5 years down the line, who cares, it's 5 years later and they're a 100 million dollar company.

Re: Ask HN: 6-figure freelancers of HN, what do you do?

#39

Post by harel »

Two options that I can think of:

1. Experience: After a while doing what you're doing, you are an experienced developer/freelancer. You hit the ground running, you mentor, you contribute enough to justify your high day rate.

2. Go into Finance. Specifically banks. They hire contractors all the time. The work is terrible, the challenge is mostly dealing with the restrictions of the systems around you and the bureaucracy that envelopes everything there, but to counter that they pay well above market rates. In fact they pay silly rates. I did that for a little while and decided my soul is worth more.

The contract market is a funny one. Can be hard to find gigs one month, and have too many to choose from the next. But in general, going above 6 digits contracting is not that hard. Keep in mind that you have to manage your own taxes, so a good accountant is key.

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