Ask HN: How can I get a remote position?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22376197

by lessthanseventy • 6 years ago

3 4 6 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I live in an area with not that great public transportation, and due to a visual disability I am unable to drive. I'm commuting six hours a day right now which includes seven miles of walking and I can't keep it up forever. My life would be so much easier if I could work from home. Is a remote position something I can hope for as my first development job? What should I have to show I would be capable of it and how can I best work towards it? Is freelancing my best bet for awhile to try to get a foothold?

It might not be super impressive but I've got a personal page up at lessthanseventy.com. What kind of projects can I work on that might be enough for someone to give me a shot? I just want to get as much direction and focus into my learning as I can since my free time is pretty limited at the moment and I would appreciate some advice.

smt88• 6 years ago

Is a remote position something I can hope for as my first development job?

Yes, especially if you're willing to take a lower-than-market salary. The reason is that remote jobs in higher demand, and remote companies can hire from all over the world. I currently have remote Colombian devs who make $100k/yr (which they can live really well on), but who would cost me $120k-$140k in the US (outside of SF or NY). By looking at remote jobs, you're competing with a much larger pool of candidates who may have lower costs of living than you.

I'm commuting six hours a day right now which includes seven miles of walking

In many US cities (not sure where you live) there is free or subsidized public transit for people with disabilities. Does your city have that?

Also, if you got a few hrs/wk of freelancing income from Upwork, perhaps you could use that money to pay for Uber/Lyft/whatever to take you to work? Or perhaps there's a carpool network near you?

lessthanseventy2• 6 years ago

I'm absolutely willing to take a lower salary. I'm not expecting to start at the top by any means. I'd be thrilled to make $50,000 a year. I intend to start trying to find some freelance work it's just been hard fitting in around the rest of my life as I also have a seven year old stepson. I'm currently building an e-commerce website for a local store that I'm almost finished with. Any advice on how to go about finding stable remote employment? Technologies I should focus on? Ways to stand out from the crowd?

My biggest issue with the commute right now is that the bus doesn't go as far as my job so I ride to the last stop and walk the rest of the way. It's a temporary position doing taxes. I've got nine years of tax preparation experience and I am looking to get into development as soon as I can before my vision gets much worse. Working in a text editor and terminal is something I can do even if I completely lose it, and I want as much of a jump on it as I can get.

scawf• 6 years ago

why don't you move closer to your current work ?

lessthanseventy2• 6 years ago

I'm kinda stuck in a position of not being able to afford it right now. Plus we really like the school district our kid is in.