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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

#121

Post by vsareto »

mgaunard wrote: post #64

Personally I would just identify a technical niche that is highly valued by certain industries, and specialize in that. For example in high-frequency trading, there is a small niche developing ultra-low-latency FPGAs or ASICs for trading systems. The work in question is fairly straightforward compared to other industries, but most of the people with the right skillset tend to go to aerospace or other big user of soph…

Can you self teach yourself into these positions or do they filter for a degree?

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

#122

Post by temp234 »

sofixa wrote: post #116
300bps wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$150 per hour is $300,000 per year including two weeks vacation per year. I have a side client that I met 11 years ago that I charge $150 per hour for remote development. They feel lucky to get that rate! Most people around us charge $200 per hour but since I work full time for someone else and can’t always be available I give them that discounted rate. I don’t think they’re hard to find at all for consulting. Being…

2 weeks vacation per year is pitiful. Do people really get on and are happy with only that? I get 5 weeks ( minimum legal in France), i use it to the max and it's okay, but sometimes insufficient.

In my experience Americans are very stressed out but they're just used to it and don't know any other way and don't make the connection to lack of leisure time. Hardly anyone here gets 5wk

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

#123

Post by iandanforth »

cj wrote: post #28
iandanforth wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Yes. If you want to work multiple jobs, that’s what contracting / consulting is for. I don’t think you can compare engineers to a struggling single parent working 2 jobs at minimum wage. The former signs contracts saying they won’t work for other companies concurrently, the latter likely doesn’t. If you want multiple jobs, simply work as a 1099 contractor. It’s that simple.

This strikes me as nonsense. There seems to be an uncritical acceptance of a definition of FT software engineering responsibilities here.

As an exempt, salaried employee you are being paid for work, not time. If you can manage to do the work for two employers then they have no cause to complain and you've earned your pay.

If you fail to do the assigned work or are unavailable for sync meetings (probably the hardest part of this arrangement) then they can fire you.

Any parent who is also a FT software engineer has two full time jobs, they just don't get paid for one of them. Cultural inertia around what you 'owe' your employer is not to the benefit of employees.

In this situation, where there are plenty of low level jobs that pay $125k that require 4 hours or less of actual coding time per day, working two of those jobs seems like a totally viable option. As others have pointed out you have to avoid employers that try to prevent you from working more than one job, but there are plenty of those (personal experience) so this, again, seems like a pretty good option.

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

#124

Post by jerrygoyal »

Many commentators are suggesting exploring a freelance/contract role instead of a full-time job to make $250k. Now, If we do the math you should be charging ~$125/hr working 8hrs 5 days a week to annually make 250k. You need to charge even more if you plan to take leaves.

My question is where do you find these generous clients? From what I've heard even the top paying freelancing sites like Toptal don't have clients that pay that much to senior developer (after deducing platform commission).

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

#125

Post by zibzab »

cushychicken wrote: post #69
mgaunard wrote: post #64

Personally I would just identify a technical niche that is highly valued by certain industries, and specialize in that. For example in high-frequency trading, there is a small niche developing ultra-low-latency FPGAs or ASICs for trading systems. The work in question is fairly straightforward compared to other industries, but most of the people with the right skillset tend to go to aerospace or other big user of soph…

I run a job board for FPGA people and hoo WEE do the HFT firms compensate amply. Talking two to three times the salary of a comparable position at a defense or chip company. That's not to say you won't be earning it. The corporate culture sounds absolutely savage: https://www.reddit.com/r/FPGA/comments/pj43ar/my_experience_...

Wow, that was an interesting read.

Not sure I'm up for working in such a toxic environment, but the technical challenges seem very interesting.

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

#126

Post by dan-robertson »

sofixa wrote: post #116
300bps wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$150 per hour is $300,000 per year including two weeks vacation per year. I have a side client that I met 11 years ago that I charge $150 per hour for remote development. They feel lucky to get that rate! Most people around us charge $200 per hour but since I work full time for someone else and can’t always be available I give them that discounted rate. I don’t think they’re hard to find at all for consulting. Being…

2 weeks vacation per year is pitiful. Do people really get on and are happy with only that? I get 5 weeks ( minimum legal in France), i use it to the max and it's okay, but sometimes insufficient.

2 weeks makes the arithmetic easy (as you work 50 weeks in a year and 50 is an easier number) but I think it’s not really relevant: you can just plug in a different number of weeks or hourly rate and get your own answer.

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

#127

Post by ivanech »

randomopining wrote: post #103
vadym909 wrote: post #91

Almost every large tech company now has fully remote tech roles for senior developers. $250k total comp is average for someone w 4-8 years experience. You just need to be good in coding, data structures and system design - and be able to show this in the interview - achievable with some practice.

You mean FAANG or just general “tech” companies that are working on user software stuff?

Not just FAANG. Public and large private cos have caught up.

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

#128

Post by throwawaywork14 »

randomopining wrote: post #107
throwawaywork14 wrote: post #43

The easiest way to make a lot more money… Get a job making 120-180 but 4 days a week. It is possible to do this. Make sure it is not an exciting company, but rather a corporate, slow moving one. Now you can pick up a contract making 100+ per hour. 15-20 hours a week. Do 4 hours of the main job. Do 4 hours of the freelance work. You’ll easily be making 250k. Another thing to note, as a developer you can solve a proble…

What’s your strategy if the 2nd job is more time-consuming than you hoped for? Quit within a month? Or do you only go for part-time contracted stuff, so you can prioritize your original job and then fill in the gaps with paid productivity at the part time gig?

I would make sure the contract work is a skill area you are very comfortable with. Since it is only a contract, I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to leaving that quickly. But I would prefer to stay for 3-6 months at least.

I originally was going to try to do the full overemployed suggestion of two full time jobs but it’s much harder.

If you can find two jobs that have zero meetings. Go for it. With one being contract and part time, it’s much easier to set time boxes for things and ensure you are not stressed trying to join overlapping meetings.

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

#129

Post by bitcharmer »

rco8786 wrote: post #48

You just need to apply for roles with public companies that offer liquid equity. Very few of us are getting 250k+ on base salary alone. Most of us have the salary bands you’re already in, but have additional equity pay on top. It doesn’t have to be a FAANG either. There are loads of public companies out there hiring engineers at 250k total comp .

Sadly, going for equity in these scenarios is a mine field and almost never as profitable as advertised by the employer.

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

#130

Post by wongarsu »

300bps wrote: post #113
rco8786 wrote: post #48

You just need to apply for roles with public companies that offer liquid equity. Very few of us are getting 250k+ on base salary alone. Most of us have the salary bands you’re already in, but have additional equity pay on top. It doesn’t have to be a FAANG either. There are loads of public companies out there hiring engineers at 250k total comp .

$150 per hour is $300,000 per year including two weeks vacation per year. I have a side client that I met 11 years ago that I charge $150 per hour for remote development. They feel lucky to get that rate! Most people around us charge $200 per hour but since I work full time for someone else and can’t always be available I give them that discounted rate. I don’t think they’re hard to find at all for consulting. Being…

$150 per hour consulting is not the same as $150/h salary. With consulting you have to pay for your downtime, the time you use to acquire clients, your insurance, etc.
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