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It seems hard enough to establish credibility for an in-office job these days. I can't even imagine trying to get a remote gig. Perhaps that says more about me

by trentmb 10y ago

It seems hard enough to establish credibility for an in-office job these days. I can't even imagine trying to get a remote gig. Perhaps that says more about me though? Granted, I've deliberately eschewed larger cities, and as a consequence I've had a harder time convincing people that just because my degree was in math I can still be a competent developer.

bbcbasic 10y ago
This is a problem definitely. Freelancing may be required. Save up 5k and that should keep you fed and accommodated in say Laos for a year ... plenty of time to get the freelancing going. Charge as if you are in the US and invest most of it!
- lmmlzxx 10y ago
  Yep, I did this (after going the traditional college route and languishing for a few years after) but more like 15k over three years. I'm a pretty good web developer now but it's still very tough establishing that initial credibility. Plus, I wanted to have many experiences outside of just programming, like learning the language for instance.
joshontheweb 10y ago
I've found that my past employers actually didn't care at all about my degree. I actually never finished university but it never comes up. They want to see what I've built and hat is the determining factor. The first job is the hardest since you have to build a portfolio on your own. After that it has seemed pretty easy. Not trying to refute your point but rather to suggest that there are other ways to get n the door aside from leaning on your degree.
- trentmb 10y ago
  > Not trying to refute your point but rather to suggest that there are other ways to get n the door aside from leaning on your degree. I guess I didn't articulate myself well- I think we're in accord here. The degree seemed to hamper me-at best not help-in getting a CRUD gig in smaller cities. I'm 'coming around'- started looking into work in Kansas City or St. Louis. Those are probably as large a city as I can handle.

by trentmb 10y ago

bbcbasic 10y ago

This is a problem definitely. Freelancing may be required. Save up 5k and that should keep you fed and accommodated in say Laos for a year ... plenty of time to get the freelancing going. Charge as if you are in the US and invest most of it!

lmmlzxx 10y ago
Yep, I did this (after going the traditional college route and languishing for a few years after) but more like 15k over three years. I'm a pretty good web developer now but it's still very tough establishing that initial credibility. Plus, I wanted to have many experiences outside of just programming, like learning the language for instance.

joshontheweb 10y ago

I've found that my past employers actually didn't care at all about my degree. I actually never finished university but it never comes up. They want to see what I've built and hat is the determining factor. The first job is the hardest since you have to build a portfolio on your own. After that it has seemed pretty easy. Not trying to refute your point but rather to suggest that there are other ways to get n the door aside from leaning on your degree.

trentmb 10y ago
> Not trying to refute your point but rather to suggest that there are other ways to get n the door aside from leaning on your degree. I guess I didn't articulate myself well- I think we're in accord here. The degree seemed to hamper me-at best not help-in getting a CRUD gig in smaller cities. I'm 'coming around'- started looking into work in Kansas City or St. Louis. Those are probably as large a city as I can handle.