Also, how many years of experience do you have? What are your credentials? Where do you live?
Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
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Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#2Commenting so I can find this thread easily later... as I'm also curious :).
I would also ask if you have a rough idea how much of the ML work is implementing basic models to production versus actual data scientific work in coming up with/tuning the underlying models themselves.
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#3Okay. I’ll throw in. I live in the Pacific Northwest and have been in tech a long time, about the last 4/5 years with a heavy focus on data science and ML with a particular focus on cyber security (and robotics/IOT (think like datacenter energy system monitoring). Not a PhD. Pretty much self taught. Worked for one of the big tech companies for many years, which gave me a lot of cred to build on (and a great platform/environment to focus on learning).
When I bill hourly, it’s somewhere around the 200-250 USD range, but I much prefer to bid by the project. I also do a fair number of talks around machine learning/security, AI and the future of work, and consult with policy makers on the impact of tech (esp. AI) to jobs and rural workforces. The latter generates me significantly more revenue than the hourly billing.
As to the projects themselves, to use the adage, ML is probably less than 10% (maybe even 5%) of the actual projects. Most of the work is finding the data, cleaning, and doing things like figuring out how to get their IOT devices regularly reporting to the cloud or Messing with things like SNMP and monitoring infrastructure.
Hope that helps. Feel free to ping if questions.
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#4It’s been said numerous time here on HN and elsewhere (read patio11’s kalzumeus.com) but just to repeat what others and myself have found to work best: dont charge per hour. Charge per day/week or month.
Your goal is to work efficiently and fast. When you do this, it means you get to make more money for less time and the client gets the benefit of getting work done faster.
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#5250. Never had a client tell me it was too much. East Coast. PhD. 10yrs in semi-related industry before.
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#6Commenting so I can find this thread easily later... as I'm also curious :). I would also ask if you have a rough idea how much of the ML work is implementing basic models to production versus actual data scientific work in coming up with/tuning the underlying models themselves.
My experience at a very high level:
- 1% true research / original ML
- 29% figuring out clever ways to apply existing approaches to new problems, understanding how clients business works and thinking of new twists on old ideas to solve those unique problems, etc
- 70% helping the customer understand what ML can do, how to manage their data and how to convince the rest of the company and IT to let them actually do it
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#7As a follow up - how do you all find work? ML engineer here, working in Toronto for four years.
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#8Commenting so I can find this thread easily later... as I'm also curious :). I would also ask if you have a rough idea how much of the ML work is implementing basic models to production versus actual data scientific work in coming up with/tuning the underlying models themselves.
My experience at a very high level: - 1% true research / original ML - 29% figuring out clever ways to apply existing approaches to new problems, understanding how clients business works and thinking of new twists on old ideas to solve those unique problems, etc - 70% helping the customer understand what ML can do, how to manage their data and how to convince the rest of the company and IT to let them actually do it
Interesting regarding the 70% - do they actually you bring you in as a consultant to help them map out their ML strategy?
Re: Ask HN: Machine learning contractors, how much do you charge hourly?
#9As a follow up - how do you all find work? ML engineer here, working in Toronto for four years.
What kind of work are you looking for?