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  • #2248558

    How can I become a contract software developer?

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    by kveratis ·

    I have been working for small businesses as a software engineer for over 5 years making less than $30k. I am looking to become a contract software developer since I hate being a wage slave working for incompetent managers and all the corresponding office politics (but then again who does). The problem is I don’t know how to find this type of work, especially since I am stuck in a backwater state like South Dakota. I have a B.S. in Computer Engineering and lots of experience developing custom applications for small businesses, but no Certifications. I have thought about getting a MCSD.NET certification, but I’m not sure if it would really help or not. How do I transition from a wage slave to independent contractor and get better pay in the process.

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    • #3140633

      Dejection

      by onbliss ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      Hopefully your language reflects just your disillusionment on your situation and not your attitude.

      Some companies allow their employees to become contractors, and engage them in the same role. So you might want to check first that.

      Next,instead of becoming a independent contractor straight away, you could look into becoming an employee of a consulting firm. Slowly you could wean yourself into a full fledged independent contractor.

      If you feel SD has less opportunities, then you could think of Twin Cities. But I know of a person who constant speaks high of Sioux Falls as being such a great place to live and work.

      • #3140623

        Just looking for a ray of hope

        by kveratis ·

        In reply to Dejection

        Yes, you could definately say I am disillusioned with my current situation. I should clarify that I live in Rapid City which has a very different business climate than Sioux Falls. It’s true that Sioux Falls is a great place and I would love to live there, but I can’t afford to move my family there right now due to financial contraints. I don’t know if there are any applicable consulting firms here in Rapid City, but it’s definately worth checking into. Thanks for your input.

        • #3140611

          Just to let you know

          by onbliss ·

          In reply to Just looking for a ray of hope

          Minneapolis/St. Paul has some good consulting companies, and we have some strongly performing companies based from here. So there is need for consultants most of the time.

          May be others at TR can offer you more help than I did.

    • #3140554

      Your Second Job – Salesman

      by billbohlen@hallmarkchannl ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      Being an independent contractor is like having two jobs. The work you do for your clients is one…..and the even more important job of promotion, publicity, sales, and networking.
      See if you can find a market for small business application development where you live and work. Do any of your friends work for small companies? They may be able to get a foot in the door. You may also consider some of the clients and other companies who do business with your current employer (although be very careful not to go against company policy).
      If not, then you need to “get yourself out there”. If you don’t have a website already with some examples of your work, create one. There are many sites out there that have postings for piecemeal work for independent computer consultants. You may have to offer other services like PC support.
      However, beware…..many of the contracts you find on the Net may just be executives and other developers simply looking for a game plan or how much a project will cost. They will just take your quote and never contact you again. Give up as little information as possible until the contract is signed, and ask for some of the money up front.
      You will probably need to do the contract work in your free time while still employed, because the contracts you get initially will not be able to support you. So that’s like having THREE jobs. But the idea is to build up a solid client base so that eventually you can quit your “day job”.
      During every contract, always try and keep an eye on the next one. Identify areas of their business that could use custom developed solutions and present those ideas to those that hired you.

      Hope that helps! Best of luck to you!

      • #3140528

        location

        by kiltie ·

        In reply to Your Second Job – Salesman

        As location seems to be the major restriction here, the idea of online contracts looks tempting. It may need some travelling though, since you always have to visit sites, long hours in addition to your day job, which you musn’t lose, since you need to keep the bread on the table.

        Links anyone?

        • #3140520

          Online Contracts

          by billbohlen@hallmarkchannl ·

          In reply to location

          With a high speed Internet connection and today’s remote access software, online contracts involve a lot less travel than they used to.
          Many companies are perfectly willing to set you up with a VPN connection so that you can get solutions working on their own systems.

          Here’s a good organization for independent computer consultants that has a Job Bank:

          http://www.icca.org/

        • #3140495

          Thanks for the info

          by kveratis ·

          In reply to Online Contracts

          I didn’t know anything about the ICCA before, but it looks like a great resource. Thank you for letting me know about them, and for the other advice as well.

        • #3140449

          More Tips

          by billbohlen@hallmarkchannl ·

          In reply to Thanks for the info

          Despite all the outsourcing of software development, I think that a lot of small businesses are still open to the idea of hiring an independent in the US to do development work. There is still a great need for high-quality business software tailored to specific tasks. Not only is it much cheaper for them than hiring a consulting firm, but they have more control over the process as well.
          You’ll find that you’ll get a lot of responses if you learn, use, and advertise the latest industry tools, and buzzwords like “AJAX”.
          Don’t be a developer snob….If you are more comfortable in .Net, learn J2EE and LAMP. The more solutions you can offer a customer the more contracts you can get.
          Try to make sure no one (especially the IT department) curses you after the project is done. Design your software to be flexible and network-friendly and document it well. If you do this…..chances are you’ll be asked back when they want an upgrade, more features, or another app.
          The last time I was an independent contractor was 2001. That was a dark time for IT, and after 9/11 I couldn’t find a contract to save my life. I’m hoping you find the climate out there is a lot better now. Since then, I’ve been happily employed for five years but I still take on the occasional small project for extra money and to hone my skills.

        • #3280878

          make full use of current environment

          by tropicsu ·

          In reply to Online Contracts

          you may want to make full use of the resource in your current company. for example, to communicate with other project teams that doing some technology / project that you may be interested and also learn from them. If there’s chance to go to other project, then make the switch, else explore early for better opportunities elsewhere. I sure there will be a place suitable for a developer.

        • #3280221

          Nice link but

          by kiltie ·

          In reply to Online Contracts

          It is American.

          Please don’t forget that you are posting to a World Wide Web audience.

        • #3281960

          South Dakota is part of the US last time I checked.

          by royhayward ·

          In reply to Nice link but

          So the link is very appropriately also for a company here.

          Are you looking for some similar links to companies in your location?

          Please let us know where you are.

      • #3138604

        Very good advice

        by tony hopkinson ·

        In reply to Your Second Job – Salesman

        Don’t fall into the rolling contract trap, where you are simply an extra resource to correct a temporarily permanent shortage. It’s OK to do this is as a stop gap, but don’t think ’employed now’.

        I fell into this one, you need the time to keep your skills current. Very easy to end up years out of date, I know one guy been doing Fortran 78 for 15 years on a rolling contract, not a lot of call for that out side the people he’s working for!

        Don’t forget to budget (time and cash) for training etc, as a contractor you are meant to be the finished article, very rare your current ’employer’ will pay for it, especially a core skill.

        I missed out getting on the .Net bandwagon, that cost me big style.

        Can’t give you much advice market wise because I’m in the UK, but remember you aren’t working for them but for you. Contract developer isn’t permanent devloper with more money.

    • #3138418

      My biggest mistake

      by general c# ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      After working on a big contract I had some money and decided to take some time out to develop an accounting system of my own. It took me a bit longer than I planned and I ended up broke. I tried to find an easy way out and selling a software package is not easy.

      Now I’m back to customized solutions, and I’m giving my software away for free. I charge for installation, training, and support. The good thing is that companies that have implemented it now give me jobs to integrate add-ons, which is easy especially since I have the source code.

      My biggest problem is marketing. I spend a lot of time going through the yellow pages and it’s not very effective. Most of my business comes from recommendations. I worked for a consulting firm and I didn’t have to do any marketing, which was cool, but I only received 50% commission. All they did was marketing and I handled the rest of the work. I felt that 50% was too much to give away and now I’m alone.

      Try to work with existing system like Oracle Enterprise, and SAP. If you can integrate applications into those sort of systems, you’ll be rolling in the dough.

    • #3280482

      USE A CONSULTING/CONTRACTING FIRM

      by jefferyp2100 ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      The best method is to go through a consulting/contracting firm.

      First, post your resume on Dice.com. If your skills are in demand, you’ll get some calls or emails. Usually, you won’t get an offer until the firm can place you at a client for a contract.

      You may have the option of being a full-time salaried employee, a W-2 hourly employee or a 1099 contractor. Be aware that none of these positions should be considered permanent as your job will end when your billable work ends. Benefits can be hard to purchase if you’re a contract (1099) employee, so this is’t a good option for many people.

      Try to find the market value of yours skills before you give anybody a salary request or hourly rate. You should be able to earn more than a full-time (permanent) employee doing the same job. If not, you’re being underpaid.

      MCSD certifications can be helpful in getting your foot in the door if you don’t have a lot of experience with .Net. I haven’t found certifications to be very useful in general, mostly because the tests don’t teach you how to properly apply the technology.

      If you don’t get any calls or emails, you’re skills aren’t in demand in your area or you don’t have enough experience. You can also call some local firms and ask to speak to a recruiter.

    • #2825497

      Some info

      by nymmers ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      I have minimal experience with the computer side of things, but I am looking for guidance in this aera and a potential employee to do what you are looking for. If you could give me further infomation or if I you wouldn’t mind me picking your brain to see if your skills are what I am looking for, that would be really helpful. Thank you

    • #2881983

      Perception

      by winddroid ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      After reading this I felt like I read nothing more than a rant. Words and phrases like incompetent, “office politics,” stuck, “back water state,” slave tend to make me envision somebody who is feeling sorry for themselves. Typically this posting would be worthy of ignoring, yet I felt compelled to give my $.02.

      I’ve worked with computers (software developer, network admin, dba, system admin) since 1978, starting with Unix (c/bsh) programming on a DEC PDP 11/44 and Apple II (CP/M O/S) Pascal programming. My current knowledge is primarily C# .NET with over a decade in C++, some Java, but very little web development…For the first time since, I’ve been out of work for over two years. If I find myself looking at my situation in much the same light as you see yours, I know that things will only take longer to get better, if they get better at all.

      If you are over 50 like me, landing a job is extremely difficult. If younger, is still is very difficult–these are the times, and like in the past, these times shall pass. Most importantly we, including myself, often forget or fail to believe that where we are in our lives are caused, for the most part, by our decisions. And with that, we have the ability and knowledge to change. Often not trivial.

      If you want the best help, then don’t rant, don’t get emotional and don’t be inflammatory in these forums.

      I wish you and others in the same boat fair winds and following seas. Good luck,

      Martin

    • #2893034

      pay scale in software development contracting

      by gabiflorea ·

      In reply to How can I become a contract software developer?

      What sites do you all know that would give pay scales for working as a software developer through contracting/self employment?

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