Color me ignorant



  • I am always hearing about Developers who find part-time work outside of their regular job. I am interested in finding something like this to earn extra money but every "lead" I come across seems marginal at best in its legitimacy. I am sure most of you know what I mean. Things like:

     Looking for part-time software development work? Call 1-800-YOURJOB. This is a startup. Pay will be in stock options once our product sells.

    Or sites like RentACoder.

    Can anyone point me to a proven, legitimate resource for what I am pursuing? Or am I living a pipe dream that this sort of thing exists?



  •  RentACoder is one of those ideas that I love in theory, but which I can't figure out how to make work in practice.  Maybe some tough standards for entry on both the coders and renters?  Some javascript validation that checks for obvious homework and sends an electrical shock through the keyboard?  I don't know, but when I figure it out, I'm starting my own version.  I'll call it notformorons.com or something.



  •  I understand your frustration jpaull.  I tried a while back to get some side work started and it was a pain.  I check out craigslist all the time and I see "WEB SITES FOR 25$ A PAGE ==>> 135 FOR AN ENTIRE SITE!!!".  Or you see posting from some habib saying "work for $11 / hour".  I know, quality > cheapness, but I don't think everybody out there quite understand the whole "you get what you pay for" thing yet.   



  • @amischiefr said:

     but I don't think everybody out there quite understand the whole "you get what you pay for" thing yet.   

     

    When I see people run to places like MAACO for a $250 paintjob for their car and then they are all confused a year later when the paint starts peeling off....I gotta fully agree with your statement.



  •  On the other hand, you'd also expect the renumeration demanded to reflect the number of hours per day one could put in. A programmer with an existing nine to five job who only had evenings and weekends to devote to the task would naturally charge significantly less than one who could devote their full working day to the project, unless they possessed some serious chutzpah.


  • Garbage Person

     Network network network network network. The most fulfilling "side project" is going to be the one that you and two other software developers come up with over beer after work.

    That said, my current side job consists of hacking out hacktastic PHP to run hacktacular ad-heavy websites (seriously, the site I'm working on right now has a 76% ad-pixel ratio - actual content space due to layout spacing is around 15%) for my girlfriend's uncle's web design firm. Again - due to networking.


  • ♿ (Parody)

    @jpaull said:

    Can anyone point me to a proven, legitimate resource for what I am pursuing?

    You've already found the resources that farm out strictly labor (RAC, eLance)... and in that marketplace, you're going to have a really tough time competing with freelancers in Kerbleckistan.

    Who you need to find is the client that isn't able / doesn't want to spec things out to the point of outsourcing and has a small enough budget that requires freelancers. You ain't gonna find these folks online.

    Weng nailed it: you have to go out there and network. Ask people you know if they need a {website}, or if they know someone who needs a {website}. Talk to former coworkers. And former employers. Go to local user groups. Join your local chambers. Expect to spend months looking.

     

    @jpaull said:

    I living a pipe dream that this sort of thing exists

    Definitely not. I worked pretty hard to land my first freelance gig (a $2000 project to build what otherwise would have been a $10,000 project), but it opened doors. Years later and by the time I was ready to go full-time at Inedo, I had 20+ hours a week in freelance work.



  •  Hmm.. as for finding side work in this economy, I did...

     

    I had an idea for how to improve MTGO trading bots... I asked if one of the bigger stores wanted to by this product, they needed something else though (they have their own tightly coupled, home brew method that has evolved). So they needed somethingg similar, so I worked on that project for them. I suppose you could say it started from an original business idea and ended in an agreeable arrangement for some side work. Keep in mind this was strictly over the internet, but the shop owner was found of the idea that I, like him was a fellow country men (from America) and actually graduated from the same college and that I was not "someone over the internet".... So Alex does bring up a good point about trying to find work with people face-to-face since I also happende to be lucky that the person I did some work for was a good person to work for, like many people from Wilmington NC......

     

    I would scope out where people need programming solutions right now. You could look at rentacoder to see what is in demand on the market, then go DIRECTLY to the source of who needs this work. Pound the virtual pavement.


Log in to reply