Ask HN: Fulltime software engineers over 250k, how'd you get there(updated)?

Re:Ask HN: Fulltime software engineers over 250k, how'd you ... by csallen on Wednesday September 21, 2016 @07:31PM (#12553190)

    How much are you making? What industry are you in? Where do you live? Is your income stable or volatile?

I charged a $250k rate ($125/hr) as a contract front-end developer based in SF for years. I worked exclusively for startups, and I worked remote more than 50% of the time.

My income was stable. I never had any downtime between contracts, and I often turned down work. I only had "light" months when I took vacations. Some months I made as much as $30-40k.

    How long/What did it take to get to your level? What kind of work do you do? Do you enjoy it, or is it the stereotypical "highly paid because it's crappy" work?

I started as a web developer in college and I had contracts where I charged $60/hr. I didn't start charging $125/hr until I was 26.

I genuinely enjoyed the work I was doing. I only took gigs where I'd have a lot of creative license. More than a few times, I was the only front-end developer on the team. Sometimes I was the designer, too.

    Is this a short-lived opportunity, or do you expect it to exist in 5 years?

Depends on the supply and demand of the startup economy: how many startups there are, how much funding they're getting, and how many good developers there are. Things seem like they're going strong, though. Last year I taught a smart friend of mine to code. She got a job making $100/hr in January. In hindsight, I probably could've charged more than $125/hr :D

Personally, I'm done with contracting. I really like the idea of running my own businesses/projects that generate regular income. Currently I'm working on https://IndieHackers.com. Not only is it a business for myself, but it also helps other with the same goal. I think being independent is the future of work for programmers.

    What would your advice be to a 25-yr-old aspiring developer? 30? 35 ?

Don't become complacent. Never stop learning. Keep working on side projects and releasing them into the world. Almost all of my contract jobs were inbound requests that came when people saw my projects and wanted something similar for themselves.

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Re:Ask HN: Fulltime software engineers over 250k, how'd you ... by mclemme on Thursday September 22, 2016 @03:33AM (#12555138)

  Currently I'm working on https://IndieHackers.com

Just read a couple of the background stories on the page, bookmarked and subscribed to the newsletter, great site!

I've been working independently as a software developer for three years, I have customers all over. I mostly build websites/webapps, everything from server setup to fiddling with bootstrap and JS. There is definitely a lot of money to be made for good independent developers. Select good customers, prove you can deliver and build your customer base from there, increase your rate as your skills, track record and customer base improves. Build a cash buffer to handle dry periods!

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Re:Ask HN: Fulltime software engineers over 250k, how'd you ... by pulkitpahwa on Thursday September 22, 2016 @02:16AM (#12554806)

Hey,

Can you tell me where do you look for freelance projects ?

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Re:Ask HN: Fulltime software engineers over 250k, how'd you ... by infinite8s on Thursday September 22, 2016 @02:52PM (#12559207)

Getting that kind of rate requires building a network (usually in person).

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Re:Ask HN: Fulltime software engineers over 250k, how'd you ... by csallen on Thursday September 22, 2016 @04:21PM (#12560022)

infinite8s is correct, you need to build a network. I've never actively looked for freelance projects on any kind of website or marketplace. Almost all of my freelance requests have been inbound from either (a) friends of friends, or (b) strangers who've seen things that I've built. So my best tip is to spend time building cool stuff, publicize it to get your name out there, and make lots of friends and acquaintances.

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