4 ms·

Ask HN: Can a 19 years old get a dcent job in web development

1 points by kiraken 12y ago

This question have been bugging me for a while now. So i'm 19 years old and i've been learning web development since i was 13 and started freelancing 4 years ago. I code in: HTML and haml CSS, SCSS, SASS, LESS javascript and all its major libraries i'm quite decent with Ruby and python Also: I've coded about 100-120 website since i started learning I pride myself in writing beautiful understandable code I know that none of these are special traits, but i'm thinking of quitting school since my final objective is to work as web-dev so if i can score a good gig with my current knowledge there is no use wasting 5 years of my life. And it's not like i lack experience, 4 years of freelancing should count for something. I appreciate any input you have on this subject and any advice you have to offer! And thanks for taking the time to read my question

adampassword 12y ago
Dont see why u couldnt get a job with a big and decent portfolio. Although i would not state that you are " I'm a UI expert I use github I'm good at Photoshop and illustrator " . Whoever states being an expert is an idiot: let people find out ur an expert or a pro no need to advertise it.
- kiraken 12y ago
  Thanks! Noted, and it was my attempt to explain that i'm pretty good at graphic design as well. Anyways thanks for the tip. Also is a senior web developer position possible with this portfolio and with my age?
monroepe 12y ago
There are definitely jobs out there for you if you have the portfolio. But I hardly think college is a waste of time.
- kiraken 12y ago
  Never meant that college was a waste of time, i was just stating that it would be a waste of time for me to go through it then get a job i would have gotten 5 years ago and i could have become a senior web developer by then! And thanks, but as i mentioned in the title are decent jobs a possibility for me? Because age i assume would always be a problem for me if i want to pursue higher paying jobs.
  - monroepe 12y ago
    It depends on the company, but I doubt you could get a senior level position. But you could probably get a well paying mid-level position at the right company.
    - kiraken 12y ago
      Thanks and sorry for bothering you with all these questions since there is no where else i could actually ask theme. And if i may ask what would be the salary range for someone with my portfolio?
      - monroepe 12y ago
        No problem. It depends on where you are looking for a job. NYC and San Fran will be higher for instance. I don't know much about the foreign markets. But I would say starting salary around $60k-$75k. You might be able to get more, but I doubt it. All this is assuming your portfolio is well stocked.
phlyingpenguin 12y ago
I'd mirror sentiments I see elsewhere, but add some things... "javascript and all its major libraries": bullshit. You may have good experience with JS, but anybody that claims they know everything is going to have a bad time. And on that subject, which technologies you've used is a little bit less interesting than how many large scale projects you've done. 100 websites? How many of those were of any substance? This is an important question because what you think is a big project may be different than what an employer thinks. Senior level is going to be reserved for people with degrees (at LEAST a bachelor's) and is very unlikely to fall into a young person's hands. You could probably find a place that just needs a web developer but does not have a large IT shop that will take a chance, but in my experience, it's not the kind of job that will take you anywhere. Go to college. It'll do you good, and you can freelance while you're there to get the leg up/not be as poor. What you find with what you have now will likely amount to an internship. This isn't just because you lack experience in a workplace (freelancing is different), but also just because you are a great risk at your age. Beginning employees are risky because the employer has to sink a lot of money in training and adjustment, and the employee can then flutter off to a job that the employer was not prepared to match in terms of pay and benefits.
mswen 12y ago
As someone else has suggested, keep doing freelance web development while studying at university, it is a perfect flexible income source that pays significantly better than the average pay a student would get from a part-time job. It might be tempting to take your degree in Computer Science, however that will not set you apart as significantly as some other choices. A CS graduate who is also a competent developer? Great but pretty much expected. On the other hand if you study Design, UX/UI - now you are a wow for front-end web development. A second stand-out route would be to major in Statistics and really focus on mastering Python, R and data visualization libraries. This route would set you up to purse a data science career. In both of these routes everything that you have learned about web development continues to help you post college. Also, as Patrick McKenzie and others advise, start raising your freelance rates. If you really are a solid developer and write beautiful understandable code that solves a business problem, you can probably double your rate over the course of the next few months. Then work toward doubling your rate again before you graduate. My own son is 13 and I have been encouraging/nagging him to learn to code. He has the appropriate intelligence. I have often told him that 2-3 years of self study now would position him to do freelancing and pay his way through college and be an important skill regardless of what he ultimately chooses to do in life. Of course kids want to make their own way. I can't complain too much since he is getting pretty good at 3D modeling with SolidWorks and gaining skills in robotics, machining and 3D printing. Good for you for learning practical, marketable skills so early in life. But I still think that long-term you will be well served by getting a college degree.
- kiraken 12y ago
  Thanks for the input man! I found your advice to be extremely helpful! And good luck with your kid, hope he grow up to be as good of a coder as his father

1 points by kiraken 12y ago

adampassword 12y ago

Dont see why u couldnt get a job with a big and decent portfolio. Although i would not state that you are " I'm a UI expert I use github I'm good at Photoshop and illustrator " . Whoever states being an expert is an idiot: let people find out ur an expert or a pro no need to advertise it.

kiraken 12y ago
Thanks! Noted, and it was my attempt to explain that i'm pretty good at graphic design as well. Anyways thanks for the tip. Also is a senior web developer position possible with this portfolio and with my age?

monroepe 12y ago

There are definitely jobs out there for you if you have the portfolio. But I hardly think college is a waste of time.

kiraken 12y ago
Never meant that college was a waste of time, i was just stating that it would be a waste of time for me to go through it then get a job i would have gotten 5 years ago and i could have become a senior web developer by then! And thanks, but as i mentioned in the title are decent jobs a possibility for me? Because age i assume would always be a problem for me if i want to pursue higher paying jobs.
- monroepe 12y ago
  It depends on the company, but I doubt you could get a senior level position. But you could probably get a well paying mid-level position at the right company.
  - kiraken 12y ago
    Thanks and sorry for bothering you with all these questions since there is no where else i could actually ask theme. And if i may ask what would be the salary range for someone with my portfolio?
    - monroepe 12y ago
      No problem. It depends on where you are looking for a job. NYC and San Fran will be higher for instance. I don't know much about the foreign markets. But I would say starting salary around $60k-$75k. You might be able to get more, but I doubt it. All this is assuming your portfolio is well stocked.

phlyingpenguin 12y ago

I'd mirror sentiments I see elsewhere, but add some things... "javascript and all its major libraries": bullshit. You may have good experience with JS, but anybody that claims they know everything is going to have a bad time. And on that subject, which technologies you've used is a little bit less interesting than how many large scale projects you've done. 100 websites? How many of those were of any substance? This is an important question because what you think is a big project may be different than what an employer thinks. Senior level is going to be reserved for people with degrees (at LEAST a bachelor's) and is very unlikely to fall into a young person's hands. You could probably find a place that just needs a web developer but does not have a large IT shop that will take a chance, but in my experience, it's not the kind of job that will take you anywhere. Go to college. It'll do you good, and you can freelance while you're there to get the leg up/not be as poor. What you find with what you have now will likely amount to an internship. This isn't just because you lack experience in a workplace (freelancing is different), but also just because you are a great risk at your age. Beginning employees are risky because the employer has to sink a lot of money in training and adjustment, and the employee can then flutter off to a job that the employer was not prepared to match in terms of pay and benefits.

mswen 12y ago

As someone else has suggested, keep doing freelance web development while studying at university, it is a perfect flexible income source that pays significantly better than the average pay a student would get from a part-time job. It might be tempting to take your degree in Computer Science, however that will not set you apart as significantly as some other choices. A CS graduate who is also a competent developer? Great but pretty much expected. On the other hand if you study Design, UX/UI - now you are a wow for front-end web development. A second stand-out route would be to major in Statistics and really focus on mastering Python, R and data visualization libraries. This route would set you up to purse a data science career. In both of these routes everything that you have learned about web development continues to help you post college. Also, as Patrick McKenzie and others advise, start raising your freelance rates. If you really are a solid developer and write beautiful understandable code that solves a business problem, you can probably double your rate over the course of the next few months. Then work toward doubling your rate again before you graduate. My own son is 13 and I have been encouraging/nagging him to learn to code. He has the appropriate intelligence. I have often told him that 2-3 years of self study now would position him to do freelancing and pay his way through college and be an important skill regardless of what he ultimately chooses to do in life. Of course kids want to make their own way. I can't complain too much since he is getting pretty good at 3D modeling with SolidWorks and gaining skills in robotics, machining and 3D printing. Good for you for learning practical, marketable skills so early in life. But I still think that long-term you will be well served by getting a college degree.

kiraken 12y ago
Thanks for the input man! I found your advice to be extremely helpful! And good luck with your kid, hope he grow up to be as good of a coder as his father