3 ms·

Have you considered hiring remote workers? Surely your money will go further hiring a remote developer in the Mid West with the cheaper cost of living than NYC?

• gaustin 16y ago
  It seems that despite the ever decreasing barriers, people just don't want to hire, or aren't comfortable hiring, remote workers. I live in Montana. I grew up in Kansas City, and went to school in NY. There is no language barrier, I'm a skilled developer and a pretty good communicator. I'm willing to relocate sometime in the next 2 years. It seems I might as well be a non-English speaker in Siberia, when it comes to getting my foot in the door at an SV, NYC, etc. startup.
  • plinkplonk 16y ago
    "It seems that despite the ever decreasing barriers, people just don't want to hire, or aren't comfortable hiring, remote workers." The good news is, this is changing, and fast. Pretty anecdotal, I get pitched for remote work all the time, but over the last year or so, the number of offers has gone up significantly . Of course plenty of "we'll help you relocate" type offers too. I see many more good devs working for companies in the USA than there used to be (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1879225 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1879225) And I live in Bangalore, India where even really good devs are lost in the sea of mediocrity. Kansas is way closer :-) I suspect you just have to wait a little till the demand supply gap gets painful enough to overcome this particular prejudice/preference.
    • gaustin 16y ago
      I should also build my brand and portfolio more. That, I think, is the biggest barrier next to geography.
  • warren_s 16y ago
    I work remotely, and have done so since 2004. I've worked for and with distributed companies and people all over the place, including the US, Slovakia, Singapore, New Zealand, and closer to home here in Australia. Where I live is classified as a regional city (100k population) and is 1 hour flight from the nearest major city (Melbourne). Software development work locally is virtually non-existent, or pays WAY below what I can make working remote, so I chose this path over moving my family elsewhere. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it IS out there, but remote work is probably the most hidden of hidden job markets - every single one of these roles/projects has come through word of mouth. As you've already pointed out, if you're in the US, you already have some things going in your favour, namely language, timezones, same culture, same currency and banking system, etc. The best advice I can give is start working your network - people you went to school with, mailing lists and IRC channels for technologies you use, etc. If you want to ask me anything else about working remotely, feel free, I'll try and answer to the best of my ability.