9 ways I’ve made money as a software dev, sorted from most enjoyable to least: 1
9 ways I’ve made money as a software dev, sorted from most enjoyable to least:
1. Independent consultant and developer
2. Teaching workshops at companies and conferences
3. Doing code audits for companies
4. Principal engineer (my job was to “lift all boats”)
5. Team lead
6. Developer
7. Course author
8. Production support
9. Dev team manager
Managing a dev team was frustrating.
- Tons of meetings, so I didn’t control my schedule
- I couldn’t put on headphones or do focused work
- I was responsible for many things I couldn’t control
- I was forced to make people to do things I didn’t believe in and I wasn’t empowered to change.
Being independent is wonderful.
- Set my own schedule
- Free to pursue what excites me most
- I can say no to work that isn’t a good fit
- I get to capture more of the value I create
- I'm responsible for my success...or my failure
Writing courses and doing workshops has been most lucrative on a per hour basis, but it’s the hardest work on this list.
Lots of tradeoffs to consider in this list!