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Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

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Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#31
post #6

The money's what matters? Go into an investment bank (i.e. Goldman Sachs) and start doing stuff. It's easier to move teams internally than get hired for exactly what you want. Demonstrate that you are willing to put in the time and take the risks and you'll get your 100k, for all the good it will do you. Learning a new language part time is easy - if you're smart you could certainly pick up Ruby or C# in a couple of…

This. They'll treat you like shit, but you'll be making great money. If you want to be treated well and make money, well you're going to need to be a high-tier professional. Maybe a software architect or data scientist. Both require a lot of knowledge and practice.

I know people who work in IBs and are treated well. There is more then one you know. Sales still make more money then devs in Google but you could think the opposite based on their marketing. Maybe working in IB is more honest. You are not trying to "change the world" by working on some small feature in another smartphone OS or something like that.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#32

Dive into something that compiles. And also, what is the job pool like around you? Certain companies just don't pay as much as others. If you want to continue web dev, learn the backend. Take some time, and write a small webapp in Django, Rails, Play Framework, Node, and anything else that sparks your fancy (and learn their accompanying languages). Also, one other thing that will get you paid really quickly is databa…

"Dive into something that compiles. ... Take some time, and write a small webapp in Django, Rails, Play Framework, Node, and anything else that sparks your fancy (and learn their accompanying languages)."

Err... None of that compiles - they get interpreted.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#33
It's definitely achievable. I'm and independent consultant in Minneapolis, with a mortgage and kids. I went independent just before I turned 30 and have passed that threshold every year since. How? through a ever changing mix of consulting clients (throughout the US) and my own product dev. I agree w/ benjamincburns - focus on solving client problems rather than being a tool operator. It's both more lucrative and more fulfilling.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#34

Dive into something that compiles. And also, what is the job pool like around you? Certain companies just don't pay as much as others. If you want to continue web dev, learn the backend. Take some time, and write a small webapp in Django, Rails, Play Framework, Node, and anything else that sparks your fancy (and learn their accompanying languages). Also, one other thing that will get you paid really quickly is databa…

"Dive into something that compiles. ... Take some time, and write a small webapp in Django, Rails, Play Framework, Node, and anything else that sparks your fancy (and learn their accompanying languages)." Err... None of that compiles - they get interpreted.

The Play Framework compiles ;) But yea...other than that, wtf.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#35

You're aiming way to low. By the time you're 30 you may be married, might have a child, might like a home. If you drift into Silicon Valley proper, where I live, your $100,000 will not allow you to buy a house. What were once working class neighborhoods are now filled with $2.5 million dollar homes. (But the houses are the same.) Aim higher, or learn to love to commute. Most importantly, enjoy what you do. No matter…

He said he does not want to move to the valley or NYC.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#36
$100,000 a year works out to be ~$50/hr. Enterprise consulting will get you into the 6 figure club. It is not as sexy as working for a startup but a lesson that took me too long to learn is work for the people who have lots of money to spend.

The company I work for is hiring for front-end developers on the project I am working on in Denver. It would put you over $100k. If you have strong JS skills and are willing to come to Denver my work email is in my profile.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#37
Firstly, you are in the wrong industry to make money; however being 29 and having made over 150% of your goal last year without living on the coasts I have a few tips that might help you.

Unfortunately, those that make money decisions see you as just a resource. You are a thing. You have a recurring cost, you produce products, and they don’t really care about the quality of your work unless it becomes a problem. What you are worth to them depends on the amount you are willing to take, your rarity, and what it would cost to replace you. To make more, you should learn to market yourself as a thing.

If you want to stay a front end guy, learn good design and develop your taste. Business people in general have a higher respect for designers than front end coders, as their work visibly and directly impacts the perceived quality of the end product. Being a designer also gets you more face-time with product managers, who’s opinions are generally taken seriously by the money people when deciding your value. Being able to come up with both designs and implementations for those designs will help you shorten the development cycle on projects that you are assigned to (as there are fewer required meetings, and you are not going to push-back on yourself).

In my experience the back-end plan is a better (but more difficult) one. It will open more doors for you in the long run, and is less vulnerable to shifts in the market. Your work will have more depth, and it’s an easier place to set yourself apart from your competition later in your career. It's very important that you focus on learning OO first, before taking a deep dive into the language itself.

You CAN get to “senior” level without having a real understanding with OO. Anyone that does know OO well (likely everyone in development management depending on the company) will be able to tell you are a hack when they look over your code, and will be less likely to promote (or trust) you. From a development management perspective it is common to separate the developers who work for you into two separate camps: cattle (who build what they’re told), and problem solvers (who solve problems). At all cost, you want to be in the latter camp. If you find yourself in the cattle camp, it is easier to swap jobs than change that perception.

http://adriancheok.info/post/26835527269/secret-for-innovati...

If you choose c#, the framework is massive. This is daunting at first, but you will learn to love it. It is very discoverable (you can learn quickly by poking around). Whichever language you choose, find some heroes in your company, and talk to them often. Offer your free time to help them with their projects. Ask them to mentor you. Read their code. Ask them to be rough on you in code reviews. Never talk back to them, and listen to what they say; however remember that they are just people like you, and your goal is to get better, not to become them. These relationships will be important later in your career, as these people will help you get jobs later if you are good to them.

The language choice depends on what sort of company you want to work for. C# is not often used in startups, and ruby (as far as I know) is rarely used in large corporations. There are exceptions to both, but the exceptions are not what you want to bank your career on.

Whatever path you choose, this industry is difficult if you plan to be a world class player (where the money is). You should move into something you enjoy instead of making a decision based on earnings potential.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#38

I'm 27. I've crossed the 6-figure barrier twice. 1: Consulting on the side. Find a company that has you working an actual 40 hours per week (government contractors are good for this), which doesn't bar you from doing some side work (bonus points if they have a culture which supports this). Then, find a client or two. You won't have to charge much in order to cross the six figure barrier. 2: Work outside of the softwa…

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it! It seems like a lot of people are suggesting consulting. Do you know of any good resources on how to start consulting? I live in an area with a population around 200k and there really aren't any large business interested in hiring people to do web dev work. Also, businesses here severely undervalue developers so the chance is finding a decent paying gig is quite low. Is it possible to do remote consulting or something along those lines?

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#39

Firstly, you are in the wrong industry to make money; however being 29 and having made over 150% of your goal last year without living on the coasts I have a few tips that might help you. Unfortunately, those that make money decisions see you as just a resource. You are a thing. You have a recurring cost, you produce products, and they don’t really care about the quality of your work unless it becomes a problem. What…

"Firstly, you are in the wrong industry to make money"

Are you talking about the front-end side of things being the wrong industry or web development in general being the wrong industry?

Also, i'm definitely not making a decision solely based upon monetary reasons. I really enjoy what I do but I know there is the possibility to make more than I am now and I would like to advantage of that possibility.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 26 and would like to make 100k/yearly before I'm 30. How do I do it?

#40
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Dive into something that compiles. ... Take some time, and write a small webapp in Django, Rails, Play Framework, Node, and anything else that sparks your fancy (and learn their accompanying languages)." Err... None of that compiles - they get interpreted.

The Play Framework compiles ;) But yea...other than that, wtf.

> Dive into something that compiles. > If you want to continue web dev, Django, Rails, Play Framework, Node, and anything else...

I imagine they're alternative options.

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