Ask HN: How do I beat the solo development blues?

Use Cake to build an app that you can sell online as a service. If the service takes off, there's all kinds of opportunity for learning as it grows and technical requirements change (scalability, security, etc).

I've been doing client work in my one company for years (7 to be exact) and while it's an okay model for making a living, the revenue is connected with the hours you put in, which to be honest sucks. It means you can grow by adding people or becoming a bit more efficient, but neither of those allows for exponential growth. As such, it's not the right model for startups.

Instead, you want something where you make residual income every month off something like subscriptions. With that type of model, you make steady income (if you can sell it) and there's the potential for exponential growth without exponentially increasing the number of people involved.

As for ideas, most software you can write that you install on your own server (Cake type stuff) can be made as an on-demand service as well. And most jobs that are done in a consultancy can also benefit from software to make those jobs more efficient. I say pick one and go for it!

Isn't addons.mozilla.org written in CakePHP? They might need open source helpers.

If you did the same sort of thing for the Code Igniter framewor, then we'd be willing to help/donate a tad bit in that endeavor.

I'm in a similar position to you. Since going solo I've missed working with other people and have found that I'm learning new skills slower without regular code reviews, pair programming, etc. Here are some solutions I've been looking at:

1) Join a small company, such as a startup or web dev studio. The small size will ensure you have a chance to have a varied role and to do lots of different things.

2) Team up with other local developers to form a cooperative or studio of your own.

To my credit, I also tend to recognize that I fall into the trap of learning new things because I like to learn new things and never use them. This is the same trap that catches you always starting projects and never finishing them.

Learning a new language to me would be just that; starting a NEW project. Instead, I'd like to take something I know well and learn to do even more with it. That to me would be an educational effort well spent.

In that vein I feel that working with other devs who code at my level on a collaborative goal would be something I have yet to experience and that I think I could learn alot from.

Adventure time!

> Do you actually want to work in a large dev team?

  -- Yes

    >> Why ?

      --- Want to gain knowledge about 'working in a large dev team'

         >>> Why?

            ---- Because... it might be useful?

                >>>> You're stupid.

            ---- Don't know.

                >>>> You're stupid.

            ---- Some actually valid reason.

                >>>> Wonderful! Please state it next time.

      --- Want to learn about [insert hard thing here].

         >>> What's stopping you?

            ---- Nothing.

                >>>> Damn strait!

            ---- Not motivated enough to learn it by myself.

                >>>> Join a start-up dealing with [insert hard thing here].

                    ----- But... but... it's against my entrepreneurial spirit. (Which, by the way, please don't lump together with the hacker spirit, you insensitive clod!)

                         >>>>> Wipe off your wah-wah tears?

      --- Want to be around people.

         >>> Hint: The open source community doesn't hit up bars after work.

      --- Need large team experience to tackle cool problem X.

         >>> Are other people tackling cool problem X?

            ---- Yes.

                >>>> Join them.

            ---- No.

                >>>> You don't need large team experience. Take your passion and just get to work.

      --- Don't know.

         >>> Read 'Getting things Done'. Also: You're stupid.

  -- No

    >> Then why did you post this?

      --- Because you're silly.