

Ask HN: Dilemma of a freelance developer in the US - slyhatcoderp

My friend is a US citizen who is quite unable to provide any of the benefits companies get by hiring local developers instead of off-shoring the work. Due to some study and health reasons:<p>1)Unable to work on-site
2)Unavailable during regular office-hours
3)Unwilling to sign NDA
4)Unable to work 40 hours/week. Wants something like 20 hours a week or so - for few weeks at a time?<p>Bonus points
1)Excludes some websites solely due to the industry - adult dating etc. 
2)Too hesitant to speak over phone<p>Dilemma: Is relocating to some Asian country the only option - so that cost of living is much lower?
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patio11
It is an observable fact that _many_ US developers do not work on-site, are
not available on call between 9 AM to 5 PM, work for 20 hours per week, do not
sign NDAs, and do not work in the adult industry. (He should probably get over
the phone thing, given the utility of it, but it isn't a hard-and-fast
requirement. 95% of my work happens over email.)

The right answer to your friend's predicament is not "Attempt to compete on
price with people charging $5 an hour." It is "Demonstrate sufficient value
such that his clients _will deal_ if he can't make a phone call at 3 PM."

~~~
slyhatcoderp
How to demonstrate such value WITHOUT it resulting in him getting tied down?
As I said, he likes projects that last for a few weeks and then he hibernates.

~~~
trafficlight
Sounds like he doesn't have the reputation to hibernate. He just needs to suck
it up and do the work to build that reputation.

~~~
slyhatcoderp
He did work for a couple of years. When he tried to quit - it ended on
uncomfortable terms because they didn't want him to quit. Now, he can't even
use them as reference or something, because he's afraid they might say bad
stuff about him (I highly doubt this! He fears too much). This is the
situation he's trying to avoid.

------
bdunn
It's the difference between being a temp and being a consultant.

Your friend thinks of himself as a temp, and thus is in a commoditized race to
the bottom with with cheap labor overseas.

I'm an American freelancer, and so is everyone else I interviewed for my book
(shameless plug, see my profile). We all make near-or-greater-than lawyer
salaries freelancing for American companies. But we see ourselves as
consultants, and are perceived as consultants. The value we provide goes well
beyond being a warm body in a chair during office hours.

~~~
slyhatcoderp
You're right. He's too attached to the idea of temp. He would panic if he
hears "I would need you for 20 hours a week for rest of the year". Commitment-
phobia is what I can think of - due to health and study reasons. Does your
book address this?

------
omnimike
Why do you think moving to an Asian country would make it easier to get a job?
Do you think it's that much easier to get a job when you have _more_ people to
compete with? Do you think they only work 40 hour weeks? I really don't think
that moving to any Asian country is going to help him out.

His best bet is probably looking for work in a different industry, or thinking
long and hard about what he can do to make himself a viable employee.

------
Harkins
If your friend does not have the ties that prevent him from moving from his
current location, just moving from a large city to a rural location (while
staying in the States) could cut their cost of living 50%.

~~~
slyhatcoderp
He already is living in one such area in the US.

