There are many open source business models. For individual developers, probably the most viable one is to become a domain expert in a popular open source techn

There are many open source business models. For individual developers, probably the most viable one is to become a domain expert in a popular open source technology and then to find a commercial entity who uses that technology and is willing to sponsor some work on it, in exchange for having someone on staff who can help them use it much more effectively. Not all technologies are suitable for this business model, and it is best if you are comfortable with permissive licensing. And you may wind up working more and working harder than colleagues who don't choose an open source route. Nevertheless, there are big advantages: the job security that comes from having a good reputation in open source is valuable, and if you care about open source ideals, you can take pleasure in how much this sort of position allows you to spread them and move them forward in our industry.