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Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

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Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#31

Post by codingdave »

iandanforth wrote: post #16
xwdv wrote: post #4

Here’s a cheap and easier trick: find two easy remote jobs each paying $125k. There’s your $250k a year. You don’t need any particularly distinguished resume. With the right job responsibilities, this is doable for a software engineer. If you can offset the two jobs a bit by time zone it’s even better. But you better hurry, once people catch on that this is possible the supply of developers can quickly increase overn…

Note sure why this is getting down voted. Freelancers and contractors work multiple client jobs all the time. Low wage workers work multiple 'full time' jobs all the time. Are FT software engineers special?

FT in the software industry sets an expectation of full-time availability. Even if you have a light job that only takes a few hours a day, part of the reason we get away with that is knowing that if something blows up (Log4Shell being a perfect recent example), we are available to step up and spend the time needed to handle it. If you have 2 or 3 jobs, you do not have that availability.

This differs from low-wage jobs in other industries, where you are paid for your time on your shift, and then have zero expectations of your time outside of your assigned shifts.

Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#32

Post by hiq »

iandanforth wrote: post #16
xwdv wrote: post #4

Here’s a cheap and easier trick: find two easy remote jobs each paying $125k. There’s your $250k a year. You don’t need any particularly distinguished resume. With the right job responsibilities, this is doable for a software engineer. If you can offset the two jobs a bit by time zone it’s even better. But you better hurry, once people catch on that this is possible the supply of developers can quickly increase overn…

Note sure why this is getting down voted. Freelancers and contractors work multiple client jobs all the time. Low wage workers work multiple 'full time' jobs all the time. Are FT software engineers special?

Many (most?) work contracts mention that you can't just take another job without at least informing and asking permission from your current employer, who would most likely say no, especially if it's another software engineering job.

Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#33

Post by gorgoiler »

You need to passively attract the attention of multiple potential employers with lots of money — either revenue or funding — and then let them outbid each other until you find your true maximum market value.

That means getting found by sourcers (recruiters) without explicitly making contact with them. Recruiters are, alas, still prejudiced against active candidates when you are trying to claw your way up the seniority ladder.

You need to show up in their searches somehow e.g. sign up for tech talks / seminars, update your LinkedIn and visit their LI profiles (LI will tell the recruiter / exec that you are looking at their profile, unless you have a pro account.)

None of this is particularly duplicitous. If you don’t have the chops you won’t get an offer. But it certainly helps tip the negotiation in your favour a little bit.

Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#35

Post by ragnot »

cj wrote: post #21
xwdv wrote: post #4

Here’s a cheap and easier trick: find two easy remote jobs each paying $125k. There’s your $250k a year. You don’t need any particularly distinguished resume. With the right job responsibilities, this is doable for a software engineer. If you can offset the two jobs a bit by time zone it’s even better. But you better hurry, once people catch on that this is possible the supply of developers can quickly increase overn…

I recently fired an engineer who was working 3 full time jobs all paying $130k+. He ended up getting busted by all 3 companies at once, and all 3 fired him. Hopefully he can find a new job that doesn’t check references. If you care about your reputation, or if you have the slightest moral compass, don’t do this.

How did you find him out? Just curious since if someone was that determined they would probably go to extra lengths (i.e. different physical computers per job, etc) to conceal it.

Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#36

Post by xen0 »

moreira wrote: post #17
sgt wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MANGA companies. It didn't take HN long, did it.

What I will never understand is how harmless old Netflix found its way into an acronym for the big beasts of tech. Not even Microsoft gets that privilege (for some reason).

The acronym wasn't so much about 'the Big Tech' companies, more about 'Innovative tech companies that dominate, or are poised to dominate, their market'.

Also remember that the landscape has changed since the initial FANG acronym came into existence.

Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#37

Post by amelius »

fxtentacle wrote: post #11

Leverage. If your work improves the productivity of 100+ other people, you're surely worth the price. If your work saves $500k+ in annual costs, you're surely worth the price. If hiring you cripples key competitors, you're surely worth the price. If you can enable new revenues streams through knowledge that only you have, you're surely worth the price. If hiring you does not increase productivity, reduce costs, fend…

Most work is done in teams, so it's difficult to say whether you are e.g. responsible for saving $X.

Re: Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job

#38

Post by menomatter »

k__ wrote: post #14
ayoubElk wrote: post #3

An alternative scalable way is to switch from a full time job to becoming a freelancer/consultant and set your own rates. In order to be able to land high paying projects as a consultant, you would need to showcase your skills somehow (open source, portfolio, etc...). This can happen later on though and as a start the easiest way would be to ask for referrals and make it known to your network that you're looking for…

This. Freelancing is a good option. 250k a year is 20k a month, for 12 months a year. 20k a month is 1k a day, for 20 work days a month. How to make 1k a day? Write 2 technical articles. Btw. as a freelancer you could end up paying less taxes, because more things are deductible. This could mean, you can end up with the same money after taxes without making 250k a year.

A lot of companies now do consulting in W2. Is it still the same in terms of favorable taxes as c2c or 1099?
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