Let me offer a different perspective. I'm a professional developer and I write arduino software for money "on the side." The effective rate varies a lot, but i

Let me offer a different perspective. I'm a professional developer and I write arduino software for money "on the side." The effective rate varies a lot, but it's safe to say I won't be giving up my day job too soon. I basically describe it as getting paid to tinker. It benefits two parties: the person who needs help/needs code written and me. I get paid to do stuff I like and can do it sitting on the couch watching TV. This is how I envision a lot of skilled devs doing this: as a nice sideline that's fun to do. Not everything needs to be thought of as a replacement for your primary income source.