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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?

#191

Post by asdff »

kthartic wrote: post #190
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'.

It seems like it's better suited advice for between semesters in undergrad, and not while you are entirely dependent on your own sustained income.

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

#192

Post by tbran »

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…

I think having a niche or single product focus is great advice!

Imagine if OP:

1) Picked a product/tech

2) Did a deep dive into it for 3 months - setups and teardowns, reading, learning everything in the docs, and experimenting

3) Started writing blog posts about it now - It's never to early to create content! This would help the OP learn and eventually (a long time from now) become a lead generator.

4) Started advertising as a specialist in XYZ

There are lots of opportunities to become an expert in something. People that really get themselves out there create courses and learning communities for their specialty. It would require some work to find the right niche.

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

#193

Post by orasis »

WesleyJohnson wrote: post #184
3pt14159 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, ClojureS…

Yeah, that’s all on you. I don’t know if confidence training is a thing, but you could hit a huge ROI if you level up your extroversion/confidence game.

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

#194

Post by klipt »

WesleyJohnson wrote: post #184
3pt14159 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, ClojureS…

Location is definitely a factor. The only way I've heard people making make Bay Area money in places like Ohio is to land a remote gig with a Bay Area company, which isn't easy.

You probably have better quality of life in Ohio with your salary than many much higher paid people in the Bay Area. A starter home near Google costs around 2 million.

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

#195

Post by jfkebwjsbx »

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…

Jobs paying 500k a year are very rare. You need to be a top programmer and you need luck.

It is like recommending to be an elite athlete.

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

#196

Post by netizzio »

WesleyJohnson wrote: post #184
3pt14159 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, ClojureS…

I'd consider myself in the same boat. Also been a professional developer for 20 years. Wouldn't say I'm full stack anymore as I'm a little out of the loop with all of the changes with front-end development in recent years, but trying to improve in that area and become a better, more-rounded developer.

Also in Florida and in the low $100k range. Always a bit surprised to hear these stories on HN and elsewhere of developers making $150-200k+ salaries, and wonder how I can get to that level.

Imposter syndrome is very real for me too, especially in my current role where my coworkers all seem much smarter and more technological-savvy than me.

Would also like to contribute to open source projects, but not really sure where I'd start and whether I am good enough.

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

#197

Post by ghaff »

derefr wrote: post #154
synthc wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is also tons of people that work on OS projects and get paid nothing. The ones that get paid a lot are the exception.

I hypothesize that the people who get paid are the people who actually set out with the goal of getting paid. I really doubt there are many long-time FOSS contributors who want (as their top-level goal) to be paid to do FOSS, but still haven’t managed it after months/years of trying. Most people who do FOSS don’t do it with the goal of being paid for it. Just like most people who play a sport don’t do it with the goa…

>Most people who do FOSS don’t do it with the goal of being paid for it.

It depends how you define "doing" FOSS. Yes, certainly there are many people who casually fool around with FOSS with no expectation of payment. And even a fair number of people who have some sort of spare time FOSS hobby.

But most of the big FOSS projects (especially server infrastructure/platforms) depend heavily on developers and others getting paid to work on them full-time.

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

#198

Post by mattbrewsbytes »

andreygrehov wrote: post #166
localhost wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1. I found my most recent hire at Microsoft this way. She was the top performer on my team and continues to do excellent work at the company. Also it’s important to choose your project wisely as well. I wasn’t looking to hire anyone in particular. The recommendation came out of a casual conversation with the creator of the open source project.

I'm curious, how does the interview look like for these people? Do they still have to go through all the coding/system design rounds?

I also would assume and sincerely hope the stupid tests around "can this person write software?" are eliminated when you have people on the team _using_ software the candidate wrote.

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

#199

Post by lukeramsden »

cpascal wrote: post #178
myth_drannon wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, like the Brew guy interview at Google.

For context: https://twitter.com/mxcl/status/608682016205344768

The tweet from Brian Acton[0] that someone replied with is truly legendary. I want to frame that and put it in the lobby if I ever found a successful business.

[0] https://twitter.com/brianacton/status/3109544383

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

#200

Post by rodrigodlu »

ooobit2 wrote: post #167
rodrigodlu wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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), w…

I did an MSDA, and I wanted to let you know that you're cutting off the majority of your opportunities for Data roles if you aren't specializing in a business component as well. For me, it was Sales. Started out as a Jr. Analyst and within a year owned all Sales Ops and Sales Enablement. Was a small 60-person, $23MM training company, but my skill with data paired with projects like forecasting models, process optimiz…

Thanks for your considerations. I have a soft spot for financial and educational things. More the second than in first.

For the first one is imperative (If I want a career in a company) that I move to Sao Paulo, and I have no desire to do that. Rio is already full of mega city problems, but I manage to have some good life here.

In Sao Paulo you need to make more concessions in quality of life to land on the nicest jobs.

Remote working is something that I really desire, because I like nature, doing crafts with wood, you know, some place to get energies back. But I have a intense fear for risking my family safety by doing that.

For the second one the payment is really low. ed techs here pay 30% less and have hard time to get some traction.

I'm trying to make some demos for both industries right now, that I hope will spark some more confidence inside me.

Thanks again!

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