Ask HN: Strategies to land fully remote $250k+ job • Hacker News Board

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

#131

Post by sbilstein » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:46 PM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #70

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…

> The easiest way to make a lot more money… Finding two separate jobs that each pay median developer salaries while requiring only half-time input, working them concurrently, and then constantly finding new contract jobs that fit your criteria is not what I’d call “easy” FWIW, I’ve managed remote teams for a long time. It’s not hard to spot the people who are playing games like this to put in half-time.

yea tbh working hard and iterating on skillset to climb the promotion ladder sounds/was much easier for me.

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

#132

Post by Jensson » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:47 PM UTC

bitcharmer wrote: post #129

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.

Getting $100k sticker price worth of stocks per year is worth about $100k a year. If stocks go up they are worth more, otherwise less. On average they will be worth more than cash, and for a big company it is rare for them to go down a lot, so I'd say that getting the $100k worth of stocks a year is at least as good as just getting the cash.

Edit: Not sure why people think otherwise. Maybe they are used to companies where you have to pay money to get those stocks? Big companies gives them to you for free, there is no exercise cost.

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

#133

Post by lotsofpulp » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:49 PM UTC

wongarsu wrote: post #130

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…

$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.

It is especially not the same due to loss of tax advantaged benefits like health insurance ($20k+ per year if you have a family), 401k matching ($10k+), DCFSA and HSA matches ($5k), and then the 8% FICA taxes up to $10k that have to come out of your pocket.

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

#134

Post by natas » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:50 PM UTC

When I came to the US I worked and earned $47/hr as a developer, I was employed as a consultant and had one client whom paid the consulting company $550/hr for my services. I worked over 40h/week but my pay was capped at 40h. I worked this job for 3 years. It was a bit of a sweat shop, but it worked out as after 3 years I was able to get a much better paid job.

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

#135

Post by Brajeshwar » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:51 PM UTC

jacknews wrote: post #30

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…

> EDIT: And if you're outside of the US, set up a local LLC so that US-based companies can treat you like an independent contracting business. By local, do you mean a US-based company (eg delaware), or local to where you are?

The other option is to use Stripe Atlas[1] to start an LLC and get a Bank account from Mercury[2]. Most other banks will need you to be physically present stateside unless you are part of an institute that takes care of that (YC, On Deck, etc.)

1. https://stripe.com/atlas

2. https://mercury.com

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

#136

Post by lotsofpulp » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:52 PM UTC

treeman79 wrote: post #118

mustyoshi wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of meaningful job produces enough value to justify making 7x what the median US worker makes?

When young, I was asked to take over reporting for a couple weeks while someone went on vacation. It was a full time position that required 7 solid hours a day of work. I had the position fully automated by the time person got back. Thankfully they took it well and they got more interesting assignments. 2 weeks of my time saved several years of salary for company. I did this many times.

Ironically, that is also what the “meaningless” HFT firms do. Automate trading so fewer and fewer traders are needed.

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

#137

Post by rco8786 » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:52 PM UTC

bitcharmer wrote: post #129

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.

I could not disagree more. Public companies will give you $X amount in stock. In writing. With specific vesting periods, etc. Obviously if the stock goes up or down so does your pay. But there’s no real way for companies to game this against you.

Nearly Every highly paid SWE in the US takes a significant amount of their pay in equity. As an anecdote - I take around 70% of my pay as equity and so does everyone I work with.

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

#138

Post by jasonkester » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:54 PM UTC

wongarsu wrote: post #130

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…

$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.

Sounds like he has a steady client that accommodates as many hours as he likes at that rate, and has done so for a dozen years.

I imagine he has covered his business development expense by now.

This is how I do it too, by the way. Long term relationships with good companies. It's more like contracting, but without the 40h expectations of a contractor. ( Unless I feel like working 40 hours in a given week for some reason).

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

#139

Post by ctvo » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:55 PM UTC

bitcharmer wrote: post #129

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.

You seem to be confusing RSUs typically issued by public companies as part of total compensation with options used by private companies, which often amount to nothing.

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

#140

Post by jasonkester » Sun, Dec 19, 2021, 2:56 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #133

wongarsu wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$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.

It is especially not the same due to loss of tax advantaged benefits like health insurance ($20k+ per year if you have a family), 401k matching ($10k+), DCFSA and HSA matches ($5k), and then the 8% FICA taxes up to $10k that have to come out of your pocket.

That's all stuff you can calculate and price into your rate. It's not like you just take the salary number they offer and divide it by two to get your rate.