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

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

#181

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:21 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #61

latenightcoding wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is bad advice for someone who has only been coding for 3 years (according to OP). People who can make $500k/year through connections they make contributing to open source projects could most likely just apply to a FAANG company directly. It is way more common to see brilliant developers make $0 from open source projects.

> People who can make $500k/year through connections they make contributing to opensource projects could most likely just apply to a FAANG company directly This vastly overestimates the efficiency of FAANG hiring channels.

[deleted]

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

#182

Post by goatherders » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:22 PM UTC

elvecinodeabajo wrote: post #122

goatherders wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not telling you specifically who, obviously, but we have 3 clients that order a post from us about once a month for at least $1,000. The posts typically are: - 2000 to 2500 words - FAST (48 hour) turnaround - ready to be published without more than a simple read through - voice consistent with other posts that we may not have written for them - well cited or referenced The clients are - b2b environment selling in…

I can't believe it. Literally.

Ok. I dont really have anything to gain by lying.

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

#183

Post by anaxag0ras » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:24 PM UTC

theblackcat1002 wrote: post #175

nurettin wrote: post #158

@noddly I have some actionable advice. You are in an excellent spot. week 1, 2 maybe 3: search for popular android applications that have low ratings that you can implement, sort them whichever way you prefer, do some wireframes and plan your first project. Do not spend less than 3 weeks. Do not spend more. Week 4: This is the most important week. Figure out the tech you will be using. Make lots of demos projects, fa…

This is actually what I did, but with web application and services. I tried app development in the one of my first few projects but finally gave up for web apps because it allows faster trial and error ( mainly I can push changes in UI and UX faster to a wider audience ). My take away is that stay away from "hot" topics ( news, game app ) unless you have a solid background because you need a really polish product to…

What metrics do you use for web applications and services? I mean with mobile app, you have downloads and ratings. But for web apps, you have no such thing.

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

#184

Post by WesleyJohnson » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:28 PM UTC

3pt14159 wrote: post #125

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.

I know many people that did this. Not all of them are making $500k a year, but here is some more examples: - Multiple Rails contributors, one that turned core. Those folks are making well north of $200k a year. - Ember contributors or contributors to projects around ember-data or similar. Multiple people making north of $200k a year. - A guy that dove into contributing to Postgres. He wouldn't even share how much his…

This frustrates me a bit, personally. I've been a professional developer (as in getting paid to do it) for 15 years, full time. I know a lot of tech terms are overused and misused, but I consider myself full stack. Frontend, Backend, Database, some devops. I've worked, in depth, with MSSQL, .NET, C#, Apache, Nginx, MySQL, PHP, Python (Django/DRF), JS, NodeJS, React, Flash/Flex. I've dabbled in Java, Clojure, ClojureScript, Objective-C and probably some others I'm forgetting.

I'm in the low, low $100k range. Maybe it's because I'm introverted and don't really network? Maybe it's location: Ohio, now Orlando? Maybe I just don't push myself - imposter syndrome is very real. Maybe I just like the job security and steady paycheck over really reaching for the stars?

I know money isn't everything, I'd love to contribute and be known in the community, but not sure I have the chops.

Curious if anyone else is in this boat?

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

#185

Post by dehrmann » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:28 PM UTC

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…

For full-time work, there's the specialist-generalist tradeoff. Specialists tend to make more money, but it's harder to find a job, and the skills might have a shorter shelf life.

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

#186

Post by triangleman » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:32 PM UTC

giarc wrote: post #170

rukshn wrote: post #160

I'm a doctor from a third word country and we make around ~$1.2k per month. Imagine training to become a doctor and being a doctor with no family life and making ~1.2k per month? If I can make around 2-3k per month I would quit being a doctor and do that job any day. And someone from a third world country I can totally relate and understand your situation. The politics and corruption has rotten the country to the cor…

This isn't related to OP questions but moreso to your situation. I work in a hospital and I was talking to an occupational health safety advisor (probably makes CAD $80k/yr). He told me he was an ED physician in his home country of Colombia for 25 years. He can't practice here in Canada without going through full training again. He would make $300k/yr or more if he was able to practice. I asked him what was different…

Nurses too. But it's a bit more of a nuanced problem. The nursing exam in the U.S. is called the NCLEX. American nursing school grads pass this test at a rate of 90%. International candidates pass at a rate of 36%. Are the international nurses that bad? No, they are not acclimated to the cultural milieu that is unwritten in every question (including English vocabulary of course).

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

#187

Post by brianbreslin » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:32 PM UTC

@noddly, what stack are you comfortable working with? Do you have an upwork account?

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

#188

Post by smdz » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:33 PM UTC

From an economics point of view - We cannot say whether we are in a recession or a depression or none of that. Depression is supposed to be much longer. Probably we are in a recession and won't get into a depression unless some major geopolitical conflict occurs

It is good that you have 1 year of backup. Others have already given good business or technical ideas, my comments below are more philosophical

You should not target 1-1.5k. It may be enough today, may be better than nothing. But not okay, even for a 3rd world country. To begin with - you should target 2x of your job income at least. Once you have a figure in place, find out what you like to do (and that pays). It will be easier for you to filter opportunities as they come by. Believe me, opportunities come in truckloads and almost simultaneously. Everyone has just 24 hours and without a filter you will not be able to grab the right opportunity.

If you lose the job, you could get into panic driven fire-fighting mode. With a job today, your fear of losing it might drive you into a half-hearted effort to do something. In the safety of your job, you can plan for your progression to become independent. Tech skills are just one small part of the progression. Read books (or watch videos or listen to podcasts) about entrepreneurship, sales and/or people. Learn about finance and good financial mindset - it helps in the long run too. Take a notepad or use boards like Trello and keep writing the ideas that come to you, what you want to do, how will you achieve it, what problem it solves for you and others. Then prioritize and do the practical stuff one step at a time. That list will never come to an end. Other than a house mortgage, stay away from debt and even the house mortgage should be low or reduced.

Consulting for someone or some company is a good way to make yourself financially independent/safe sooner. But unless you enjoy it, do not stay with that too long. It consumes you and it is a different mindset. I've seen people (including myself) not able to leave consulting for a long time.

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

#189

Post by brianbreslin » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:34 PM UTC

tbran wrote: post #46

Some business-y ideas: 1) Build an affiliate site. Some of the older posts on /r/juststart [0] are helpful. 2) Organize information and sell it. See the stuff made by Pieter Levels [1] or BuiltWith [2]. I just put together LotsofOpps [3] (which is just bunch of information on online/offline ways to make money). There is lots of info out there that will be interesting to someone if you can find the right angle. 3) Unb…

Bannerbear is actually an example that even if you have an audience, and yongfook has been at this indiemaker space for ages, it is still tough to break $1kMRR [1] . He is barely over $1,030/month after almost a year at this project.

[1]https://bannerbear.com/open

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

#190

Post by kthartic » Fri, Jun 05, 2020, 4:34 PM UTC

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…

How likely is it that one will get a job at the end of this? "Three or four months. Full time." is a hell of a commitment for a, what sounds like, 'maybe someone will notice you, and maybe they're hiring'.