Hacker News Reader

Comment by whatshisface | Hacker News Reader

>Good Eastern europeans are really good coders. Would not hesitate a second outsourcing any development to ukraine or romania if the contractors are vetted and proven to deliver value.

The problem is not that America has a monopoly on good coders but that the good coders in any country will not work for the Ed-Edd-n'-Eddy type foreign contracting firms.

View on HN

I have seen this happen so often. A large company will want to outsource some of their development to India, hire some shady agency to facilitate this, pay half of the going rate for good talent, then come away with the conclusion "Indian developers are terrible".

Great point. But also, if that’s what happens, that’s the reputation that develops.

"Ed-Edd-n'-Eddy type"

This is now in my lexicon. I loved the show as a kid and this so perfectly captures how I feel about some shops.

"aw man, Plank is sending us PRs now"

Suppose you were looking for good quality foreign contractors. How would you go about finding them?

If they are good, they have already moved to the US or some other higher income country. There’s probably a “good quality foreign contractor” living down the road from you.

A significant amount of people don't like to move really far away if they don't have to.

As someone that decided to stay (even after getting visa sponsorship offers), not necessarily (although Uruguay is probably a "higher income country" these days).

Although the good contractors are SWAMPED for work, I definitely have to up my rate.

Upwork, it's one name that springs in my mind. And as any marketplace, it has its slackers and hard workers.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com