Ask HN:i need Money and i need it fast

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1480424

by umen • 16 years ago

5 11 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hello HN readers Sorry for my bad English it’s not my native language. Well im in first time strange situation. im in big debt in the bank.. I have family to feed and a mortgage to pay me and my wife are hard workers and we work all our life's still do . So I ask straight to the point: Im software engineer with more then 12 years experience in the enterprise software bossiness I never did any thing on my own im sure I can use my development skills . im reading on the net that there is possibility to earn some money (not scam kind of thing ... ) but real things which I have no idea what they are … Maybe creating niche little software and try to sell it .. im confuse and in a big anxiety from the situation. Can someone please give me direction direction? Thanks

aymeric• 16 years ago

If you live in a country considered cheaper than most western countries, you could try to do some freelance work online. You could be better paid than in a job in your country?

I don't think creating a new software is a viable solution when you are in need of money.

umen4• 16 years ago

im not from east Europe or India or china if this is what you mean .. i looked in all the freelance sites i can't bit the prices the people from these country propose ..

gspyrou• 16 years ago

You could try freelancing as a extra income source ( http://www.odesk.com/ or http://www.elance.com/)

umen4• 16 years ago

see my reply , or maybe i wrong and people do have positive experience with oDesk and such , i never used it only browsed the sites.

scottyallen• 16 years ago

It's absolutely possible to make a decent living freelancing on job sites, even if you live somewhere with a high cost of living. I put myself through college (in Colorado) freelancing on Rent-a-Coder(now vWorker) and Scriptlance, doing web development and system administration. I started at $25/hr, and worked up to $75/hr by the time I called it quits (got a job at Google).

The key to doing well on these sites is to spend the time to prove to potential clients why you're worth paying a higher rate. The best way I found to do this was to ask lots of questions about what people wanted, describe in detail how I'd go about solving their problem, and do my best to show that I really cared about building them what they needed, not just what they thought they needed. I did all this before I would quote them a price.

It's also key to be choosy about what jobs you bid on - you'll need to spend at least an hour per job you bid on, so you'll want to make sure to choose ones that are going to be worth your time.

Lastly, view jobs that you get through these sites as interviews. I found that once I'd done a project or two with people through the site, we usually were able to work out an arrangement where they just paid me directly by the hour for further work. The money I made outside of the sites with established clients was by far the majority of the money I made.

minalecs• 16 years ago

get a second job.. i know its hard.. but sometimes you have to suck it up, and even mcdonalds, or some other part time job can help

umen4• 16 years ago

i must say this is option i consider , but im sure as we developers can use our skills to generate more revenue then working in MacDonald ,but again i don't disqualify any thing and im open minded

amk• 16 years ago

Working in MacDonalds can be a good experience. You learn how to interact with people. And maybe you could get a chance to improve your English skills there.

Remember, there is dignity in every form of work, and you can learn something almost everywhere.

mogston• 16 years ago

You could also try 99designs (http://www.99designs.com).

If you can't design yourself, perhaps team up with someone that can.

Good luck.

rubinelli• 16 years ago

You can freelance locally. A thousand business cards and a laptop, and you're in business. Getting customers is the hard part, so don't be shy and ask around.

Ask HN:i need Money and i need it fast

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