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App freelancing (in the US) has been killed by cheap hourly rates thanks to globalization. As a client, why would I pay $100/h for a local Dev versus $10/h for

App freelancing (in the US) has been killed by cheap hourly rates thanks to globalization. As a client, why would I pay $100/h for a local Dev versus $10/h for a dev located in India or anywhere else where the cost of living is much lower? As a full time "app" developer I make $200K/y in the US. I tried freelancing on the side but it's pretty worthless. We're talking pennies by hour spent coding.

throwawaycash 9y ago
the money is in fixing broken apps delivered by cheap devs.
zackify 9y ago
Because overseas code quality is, many times, atrocious. Communicating can be harder since there is a huge timezone difference. Just a couple reasons.
huebnerob 9y ago
I know many people who are doing very well in the mobile development freelancing space, at least in the NYC area. Many gigs are still onsite or at least benefit from some kind of physical presence, so if that's a factor, then it's a much more level playing field. I'm a full-time mobile developer as well. Haven't taken a crack at contracting yet myself, but I think that the key to success is a tried and true one: connections, connections, connections. If you're going on these freelance-farm type job sites, you're in a race to the bottom for poor quality gigs. Also, I've heard that it's pretty hard to 'get started on the side' because many decent contracts want more of your time than you can reasonably offer when you have a full-time gig. Kind of a chicken-or-the-egg problem with that, but I figure that's the risk of it.
ProAm 9y ago
Because it will take you 10x longer to complete the project to a satisfactory level of quality. It's a typical 'Pay me now or pay me later' scenario.
morgante 9y ago
This is not at all my experience. Companies pay a premium for full fluency in American cultural and startup norms. I have made well over $100/hr even with clients who I literally never met in person and sometimes even serviced from beaches in Asia.

throwawaycash 9y ago

the money is in fixing broken apps delivered by cheap devs.

zackify 9y ago

Because overseas code quality is, many times, atrocious. Communicating can be harder since there is a huge timezone difference. Just a couple reasons.

huebnerob 9y ago

I know many people who are doing very well in the mobile development freelancing space, at least in the NYC area. Many gigs are still onsite or at least benefit from some kind of physical presence, so if that's a factor, then it's a much more level playing field. I'm a full-time mobile developer as well. Haven't taken a crack at contracting yet myself, but I think that the key to success is a tried and true one: connections, connections, connections. If you're going on these freelance-farm type job sites, you're in a race to the bottom for poor quality gigs. Also, I've heard that it's pretty hard to 'get started on the side' because many decent contracts want more of your time than you can reasonably offer when you have a full-time gig. Kind of a chicken-or-the-egg problem with that, but I figure that's the risk of it.

ProAm 9y ago

Because it will take you 10x longer to complete the project to a satisfactory level of quality. It's a typical 'Pay me now or pay me later' scenario.

morgante 9y ago

This is not at all my experience. Companies pay a premium for full fluency in American cultural and startup norms. I have made well over $100/hr even with clients who I literally never met in person and sometimes even serviced from beaches in Asia.