Re:Ask HN: How do you make money on the side in tech?
by mooreds on Wednesday September 22, 2021 @06:33PM
(#28622877)
> If an experienced engineer can make over $500K/yr plus benefits working 40 hours a week at a large company, there should be an opportunity to spend a few extra hours on a side gig to increase that number by a few percent.
Why? I don't follow this reasoning at all. There's no reason that because someone makes a lot of money, there should be an easy path to making more. What am I missing?
The only thing that comes to mind is contracting/moonlighting. This lets you work in the domain in which you are already an expert. To do this, just follow these simple steps:
* examine your employment contract and ensure you can legally do this
* carve out time on your nights and weekends
* reach out to former employers and colleagues and say "do you need any extra hands? I'm looking to moonlight"
* manage expectations carefully
* deliver
* wash, rinse, repeat
In this scenario, you are simply taking on a second, part time job. That's why it is so easy to get into.
Everything else I know of (consulting, writing a book, blogging + selling ads, starting a company) isn't an extension of that, so takes a lot more effort.
Now, should you? That's a question of the value of your free time. That I can't comment on, except to say the older I get, the more I value my free time rather than money.
Why? I don't follow this reasoning at all. There's no reason that because someone makes a lot of money, there should be an easy path to making more. What am I missing?
The only thing that comes to mind is contracting/moonlighting. This lets you work in the domain in which you are already an expert. To do this, just follow these simple steps:
In this scenario, you are simply taking on a second, part time job. That's why it is so easy to get into.Everything else I know of (consulting, writing a book, blogging + selling ads, starting a company) isn't an extension of that, so takes a lot more effort.
Now, should you? That's a question of the value of your free time. That I can't comment on, except to say the older I get, the more I value my free time rather than money.