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Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#81

Post by rodrigodlu »

3pt14159 wrote: post #21

What I've seen that has worked in the past is this: Pick an open source project that is in a language that is respectable and commit to contributing to it for three or four months. Full time. Try to make sure that your written English is clear and professional in things like PRs. Try to keep your code as clean and as well tested and linted as possible. Once the core team gets to know you a bit you'll be able to reach…

This is nice way to sum it up.

Let me say what what not to do.

Context: 10 year developer in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Mostly Ruby on Rails (6 years), now Python (1 year).

I've dedicated my entire career for the companies and projects I worked for.

So I didn't built a profile, or strong connections.

The only thing right I got is financial reserves. So I quit from a interim CTO position (previous I was a Tech Leader), with 18 people below me, due to BURNOUT.

The only thing I got dedicating full time to one basket at time is:

1. financial reserves, that here in my country is enough for some months of food and shelter, but is less than that value you said in US Dollars. 2. Extreme BURNOUT. I'm 80% recovered after two months.

Right now I'm doing some online courses in DataCamp and Real Python. It's easy to stay focused.

Tried to start working contributing on FOSS and Tech Blogs, building some reputation, but I got worse some weeks ago, got back to these algorithmic online courses.

$ 1.5k / month for me is food and shelter right now.

Companies here demanding Spark certifications are offering this for late full and initial senior positions (I'm trying to go to Data Engineering field, because I love data).

Even big companies here are more picky than this, by not returning calls, emails, etc. 3 people from a big co. here called me, having multiple positions open right now, but no response (remember I have no perceivable reputation or connections, except a CompSci degree in a reputable Uni here).

So if you are a junior, let me say it: Build profile and reputation. Seek for good people to follow and be heard. Don't put everything in one company or project. I'm trying this right now.

Big COs. in developing countries are picky anyways. You'll need to spend a lot of energy to receive US$ 3k/month tops (it's the 80th percentile).

Try different. 10 years later you'll be much better than me.

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#82

Post by therealmarv »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #33
jdhawk wrote: post #18

Possibly an unpopular opinion on Freelancing work, but generally avoid anything that is highly saturated. Become a very deep expert in something older or niche. These can lead to opportunities to maintain older software, or work on very specific projects. I did well updating and maintaining ancient Microsoft Access databases for small and medium size businesses who relied on them for day to day operations. I'm curren…

You give good advice: avoid over saturated fields unless a specific customer wants to hire you but gives you a heads up that you need to ramp up. Contributing to open source on github may also help. Just cloning other projects is not impressive to potential customers, but small (perhaps learning) projects of your own offer some verification of your ability. While it might be possible to start a small business around…

I started my freelancing career with XSLT (XML transformations) and got a Google Summer of Code stipend 2011 and a job offer right after that. Riding this train since 2011. Although I'm doing XSLT very seldom nowadays it got me my foot in the doorstep, guessing with a common programming language and not going niche I would have never made it (thinking that Asian and Russian programmers are much better in broad known languages than me).

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#84

Post by john-radio »

levesque wrote: post #74
3pt14159 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true. One of the people I'm referring to was under 25 when he landed a $500k USD remote job at a FAANG company. I'd share more, but too many people would figure out who it is. He didn't get that offer by applying directly. The point is not that OP is going to make $500k a year. The point is to be smart about the language and project that you pick and to be reliable, professional, and open to learning quickly and…

> I'd share more, but too many people would figure out who it is. Feels like your example is very specific and would not generalize to the average programmer.

3pt14159 did not say "Any programmer can make $500K by doing open-source full-time for a while," though.

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#85

Post by snide »

3pt14159 wrote: post #21

What I've seen that has worked in the past is this: Pick an open source project that is in a language that is respectable and commit to contributing to it for three or four months. Full time. Try to make sure that your written English is clear and professional in things like PRs. Try to keep your code as clean and as well tested and linted as possible. Once the core team gets to know you a bit you'll be able to reach…

I actually think this is excellent advice right now. I would add the caveat that I would target contributing to OS software that is maintained by a large company, not an individual. There are lots of them floating around.

This is by far the best way to get recognized at those companies that are hiring. I will admit it's a long sell, but it has fairly predictable results if you're steady with your contributions.

As a former college drop-out that made it into the industry this is the route I would have taken were I joining the workforce today when I was younger. Great way to learn on something real and get your foot in the door.

Note too this is possible for designers as well. There are lots of design libs floating around and contributions to those repos is so rare it's very easy to get stand out.

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#86

Post by noddly »

reinder wrote: post #51

Great question! And I think that where you are right now is as good a starting point as any. With COVID and lockdowns and economic recession going on, I think more and more people are going to ask themselves how they can bridge the gap on their own for the next 6-18 months. I'm saying "good starting point" because this is where you are right now. Start from there. Start where you are. Don't think "I should've" becaus…

Hey, thanks a lot for your advise. The ongoing pandamic was the reason I asked this, when you see more people being laid-off than being hired, the feeling of uncertainity of future gets the better of you. I got some serious advise here which is difficult to get on most platforms (It's worth the socorn I'll get for asking the same damn moneymaking question yet again)

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#87

Post by noddly »

thrownaway954 wrote: post #15

these constant posts of how to make money are getting ridiculous. i feel for people and what not, but really at this juncture you can just do a search and go through all the answers to the previous times this has been asked.

As I mentioned above to someone, again I apologise for asking the n-th iteration of the same question. The situation in this pandemic is so unpredictable that I wanted to get advise fit for the situation. If not myself, it would help many others who're in the same boat.

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#88

Post by pc86 »

john-radio wrote: post #84
levesque wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd share more, but too many people would figure out who it is. Feels like your example is very specific and would not generalize to the average programmer.

3pt14159 did not say "Any programmer can make $500K by doing open-source full-time for a while," though.

But the statement is in response to "this is bad advice for brand new developers." If the advice is so specific you end up doxing the single person in the world who's ever done it, then it sounds like that's a perfectly fair criticism.

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#89

Post by Blackstone4 »

3pt14159 wrote: post #21

What I've seen that has worked in the past is this: Pick an open source project that is in a language that is respectable and commit to contributing to it for three or four months. Full time. Try to make sure that your written English is clear and professional in things like PRs. Try to keep your code as clean and as well tested and linted as possible. Once the core team gets to know you a bit you'll be able to reach…

Many companies will not hire outside of certain countries i.e. US, UK....you may need to setup a corporate entity i.e. a Delaware LLC and work through a contract.

Re: Ask HN: How do I reach making $1-1.5k/mo in 13 months?

#90

Post by donedealomg »

cancerSpreads wrote: post #48
3pt14159 wrote: post #21

What I've seen that has worked in the past is this: Pick an open source project that is in a language that is respectable and commit to contributing to it for three or four months. Full time. Try to make sure that your written English is clear and professional in things like PRs. Try to keep your code as clean and as well tested and linted as possible. Once the core team gets to know you a bit you'll be able to reach…

I wish someone told me this sooner.. Instead people told me to do personal projects. Sure they are impressive, but I can't get an interview.

but yet, you make the same mistake again. You are listening to strangers on the internet.
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