
Ask HN: Experience with Code Consultants? - obballin
You work for a small company. Or are a solo dev. You don&#x27;t get too many eyeballs viewing your code or don&#x27;t get to discuss architectural decisions with many others...<p>Have you ever hired a consultant?<p>I&#x27;m in the aforementioned situation, and thinking about seeking outside knowledge on topics where I lack experience. Curious how you may have approached something like this?
======
ioddly
I can speak to this from the other side. On two occasions I've been hired by a
solo developer and small company to develop a library and a proof of concept
while documenting and explaining everything I was doing so they could carry on
themselves.

I found both of these an enjoyable experience and I was told by both that it
was incredibly beneficial for them.

How I'd approach it: Honestly I would just check the HN freelancer thread and
start emailing people, get a quote on a day's worth of whatever it is you want
from them: code review, pair programming, etc. That's a relatively small
investment that will probably give you an idea of whether this is worth
pursuing, with them or in general.

I am personally fine with taking on anything that is >=1 day of work, some
people probably won't want to do anything that isn't a much longer project.

In any case you're trying to find professionals that will respond
professionally and should be able to break down how their time can benefit
you. So just email some people and let them prove that they meet those
criteria.

------
aosaigh
This is something I've also thought about as a solo dev who has experienced
the exact same issues.

Before hiring someone, think about collaborating with someone else in the same
position. Organising a regular screenshare or meet-up where you both go over
these things and provide feedback. Like a language exchange: 30 minutes
speaking English, 30 minutes speaking French.

I'm curious if there is a forum or service for these kind of exchanges?

------
rabi_penguin
Not affiliated, but there are services like PullRequest[0] that do code review
as a service -- it might be worth doing this in your situation to cut out the
overhead of trying to find someone qualified.

Disclaimer: haven't used them yet, so can't comment on quality.

[0] [https://www.pullrequest.com/](https://www.pullrequest.com/)

