ausdevthrowaway's comments

On: Ask HN: How do you feel when the Internet insults you?

[ausdevthrowaway]

I made a pull request for a plugin I used frequently. They didn't like my changes so I deleted my pull request. For that I was accused of not being open source, so I deleted my GitHub account. Then they mocked me further. I almost killed myself! I still haven't created another GitHub account.

[wlkr → ausdevthrowaway]

Not being aware of the situation I cannot comment on the bulk of your post, other than to say that I hope you are OK now?

I'm always cautious about pinning anything I do online to an identity - HN is actually about the only site I use where I post under my own name. Largely this stems from not wanting to make mistakes and avoiding any possible future public repurcussions. I truly wish anonymity was more embraced on sites like GitHub. For instance, I think the ability to hide your identity from others when submitting a pull request would strongly encourage people to contribute, which could only be a good thing.

On: Ask HN: How much should I be paid an hour? (Australia, Contract FED)

[ausdevthrowaway]

Is that full-time? At my last full-time job I was paid $80,000 a year, after taxes I took home about $1,000 a week. So that's $25 an hour.

[xytop → ausdevthrowaway]

Yeah full time, but consider it a net salary. I dont pay fees.

On: Ask HN: How much should I be paid an hour? (Australia, Contract FED)

[ausdevthrowaway]

Thanks so much for your reply. Sorry I wasn't very specific, you're spot on except I've been freelancing for about 3 years now. I've pretty much worked exclusively for digital agencies building websites for external clients, ranging in size from five to three hundred people in the office. The front-end dev team size ranges from one to twenty, but it isn't proportional. I'd rate my JS skills highly.

I've always thought the order of pay for people with similar experience in their field was: front-end, back-end, design, UI, UX, project managers, anything client facing.

The stress of finding work has been getting to me lately, and at my current daily rate it isn't enough to get me through the troughs.

In comparison to your rates I'm getting shafted royally.

(Thanks for pointing out superannuation, I really should put more into it.)

[seekingcharlie → ausdevthrowaway]

You don't have to contribute to your super if you're self-employed.

If you're planning to buy a house in the next 10 years, it makes zero sense to lock away what could effectively be money off a mortgage.

Save what would be your super in a high interest account. Better yet, invest in ETFs.

[candeira → seekingcharlie]

You don't have to contribute to super, but you should consider the super contribution your employer makes for you (and that both of you and your employer pay lower taxes on) when you compare a salary with your yearly take home as a freelancer.

[seekingcharlie → candeira]

Agreed. You should definitely factor your own super payments into your rate (whether or not you pay super is up to you).

[candeira → ausdevthrowaway]

You don't say which city you work and live in. Start attending MelbJS (or the equivalent), and put yourself forward. You should 2x your rates without even trying, 3x is within easy range if you have a good portfolio (and I'm sure you do).

I have a throwaway email address in my profile. If you write to me there, I'll answer from my real one.