Ask HN: Alternative ways to make money with coding and system skills?

I basically helped in whatever I could to give them a better shot at landing their first job.

Company selection, CV review, coding exercises and question prep. With one guy he actually recorded an interview without my asking him to do it, but it turned out to be really helpful as I discovered he needed help with basic small talk type skills as well.

The main challenges are: 1) Finding people that are at that point in their career 2) Most people actually are lacking in technical skills and need to up their skillset 3) The obvious challenge that people without jobs don't always have a heap of spare money floating about 4) Tech stacks are often quite different (although not really a problem for me personally).

It's not too hard to sell people (still a numbers game though), but the price point was Def a sticking point.

If this thread has life after 5 days, I'll offer some general perspective and my individual angle on the subjects discussed here.

People's tech experience has earning potential but untold thousands of people have similar experience and are trying to get a footing working for themselves using that experience. Absent some remarkable idea, the world probably isn't willing to pay (much) for yet-another person doing the same thing. Money should not be the only determining factor for the path we take, of course, but meeting our basic needs is pretty important, especially if you have kids like I do.

Thus, identifying an un(der)served niche can be a key differentiator.

I took an unconventional approach, after being (directly) in tech for 14 years, and started my own consulting business. This business works with law firms to analyze and describe software (and some hardware) to give them insights on intellectual property litigations. Most of my day is spent learning how other people implemented specific solutions and advising clients on what those solutions mean for their IP cases. I love helping smart, grateful clients through learning and then explaining their tech stack.

I have a handful of people on my team that are former developers that wanted to use their experience in a different way. We enjoy working together and like the work we do. People are key. We make reasonable incomes but not outlandish $.

This business is a relationship business, as any professional services business is, so we focus on meeting client goals and anticipating their needs. This approach does not need to be grueling (I've experienced a grueling form of this before going on my own) but this approach, and the business generally, requires some effort. Those that have gone out on their own will usually find that they put more effort into the business, than they did working on their own, but that the new approach is more gratifying and is thus an overall win for them.

This post is about sharing my experience and a different take the topic discussed in this thread, rather than looking for new colleagues, but I would be open to hearing from people who find what I say intriguing. DM me if so.

Watch out though because those people are often busy selling 'you' and you have to also find one with integrity and properly values your input.