6 ms·
SV here as well, independent contractor. 190k a year, ~6 years of experience, was making ~120k 3 years ago, ~40k a year 4 years ago. Contracts are remote, so I
by coolsunglasses 14y ago
SV here as well, independent contractor. 190k a year, ~6 years of experience, was making ~120k 3 years ago, ~40k a year 4 years ago.
Contracts are remote, so I could leave but choose not to for various reasons.
Starting a product and services company soon for developers (the customers) based on the schleps I've encountered. Just need to wrap up the current contract...
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- csdreamer7 14y agoAny proof? Stories to link to?
- coolsunglasses 14y agoI don't feel particularly compelled to prove anything to anybody, but here's an anecdote: I had to stop scanning my client checks using my bank's mobile app because I exceeded the $12k per month limit they instituted. Now I have to take my checks to the bank like a prole. Edit: Since I know HN's humor parser is broken, the "prole" thing was a bit of humor. I grew up very poor and have memories of waiting in line at the bank with my mother when I was young.
- csdreamer7 14y agoIt's the internet, a little bit of scepticism is my first gut instinct. I have a question if you wouldn't mind answering. What did you do to find new (well paying) clients and why? P.S. I had to look up wikipedia for the definition of prole.
- ashray 14y agoJust trying to understand but what does that 190k look like post tax in the valley?
- coolsunglasses 14y agoI generally do my finances month to month, soooo: $16,000 per month $11,500 left after federal and social. ~$10,000 left after California takes its pound of flesh $1100 for rent (I am frugal and live with a roommate), utilities, cellphone $170/month for health insurance, $25 a month for motorcycle insurance Rounding monthly spending up to $2k. Roughly $8000 left over at the end of each month, meaning I stack up about ~3 months of runway for every month I work. My biggest indulgence/non-required expense is Instacart. I justify the expense of Instacart as a way of incenting myself to cook from home. (And I do.) A salaried programmer out here, if they live by themselves and eat out often could quickly find themselves living paycheck to paycheck. God help the people that have families, you need both parents working (now you're coping with the cost of child-care). Here's how somebody else's story out here looks: $90,000 a year in salary $5,500 a month in take-home after taxes. $3,000 for rent and utilities for a two bedroom apartment for the wife and kid (most people out here have fewer kids. Can't a afford a house for more than one or two). $600 a month in groceries for a family of 3. If the programmer resists the peer pressure to eat out, the food costs can be constrainted to this. $1,900 in slop month to month so far. $150 a month in health insurance premiums (insuring a family is expensive) $400 a month in car payments + insurance If any of them are commuting any distance, easily $100 a month in gas. $1250 left per month. And you haven't bought your kid any clothes yet. If you want a decent house in Mountain View (where I live) or Palo Alto you're generally looking at at least $1 million.
- sherm8n 14y agoThanks for sharing that. Just curious, how hard do you have to work for that $16K?
- coolsunglasses 14y agoIn my experience, the pay was independent of how difficult the work was. The hardest job I ever had (technically) was the lowest paying one. However, the stress has consistently gone up with any increase in pay and/or responsibility. Being a startup CTO (which I was before going back to contracting) was a total barrel of monkeys for example. By the grace of exercise, diet, sleep, and vitamin D supplements do I keep my sanity intact. Edit: I just noticed you're one of the Goodsense people. Could you elucidate your question a bit better so I can answer more completely? Do you want to email me instead?
- nachteilig 14y agoHow are you arranging your gigs?
- coolsunglasses 14y agoYou know, I tell people the same thing every time they ask me this, and they respond the same way every time. Networking, a knack for sales, and a reputation for delivery. You know this post is from an entity that claims to teach you how to do this, right? http://signup.goodsense.io/ http://signup.goodsense.io/ (I just signed up out of curiosity.)
- nilkn 14y agoDo you feel you could have reached this stage from outside the Valley?
- coolsunglasses 14y ago100% yes. I stay in the valley for the sake of risk aversion and because I am planning to start a product company soon.
- hnwh 14y agoHow would you be able to network as effectively as you do now, if you were outside the valley?
- coolsunglasses 14y agoThe same way I do now? None of my consulting contacts are in the valley.
- runT1ME 14y agoAs a contractor though, you kind of need to specify how many hours you work on average. I know some who make close to what you make but are killing themselves every week. Know plenty making much less, but work an easy 20hrs. Can you go into more detail on both your schedule and what tech you use? How you market yourself? 190 is quite a good number, so congratulations. Many of us could learn from you
- coolsunglasses 14y agoI'm not killing myself for the contract income, but the effort to get the product stuff rolling might do me in.
- hnwh 14y agoI'm in a similar situation to yours with similar numbers now. Just curious, what technology are you using? I'm on Rails, outside the valley, but my clients are inside. Ironically enough, 2 years ago I was working for $500/week, and working twice as hard as I am now
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- coolsunglasses 14y agoCurrent contract is 80% PHP. I usually prefer to stick with Python, Clojure, and Go. Most of my past work has been Python (including when I was CTO at a funded startup).