Ask HN: Which Project to Concentrate On? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Which Project to Concentrate On?

27 pointsBrowdi21 comments

Hello,

I am a REALLY broke programmer, have negative credit and just one step from homeless. Yesterday, I decided I want to get rich. I am documenting my struggles here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve4T-vKV6zU

Each month, I will pick a project that I 100% commit to and see how far this takes me.

When I say 100%, I really mean it (even if it entails selling software from the back of a trunk).

Do you have any ideas that I could focus on?

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Background: I am relatively proficient in C++ and CUDA. Also did some things in Javascript. I am OK at mathematics, I wrote a book about probability and how to implement multigrid procedures on gpus (https://keinefirma.xyz/pages/fluid_tutorial/). But I am open to learn more!

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Unfortunately I don't have any specific insights on which type of projects is likely to net you any money. So here's some unsolicited feedback instead, from more general to more specific.

First, I think that your priority right now should be getting a job (any job) instead of winging it as a solo developer. Going solo is already expensive enough, which doesn't make it the best idea when you are one step away from homelessness.

Second, and assuming you are still going to do it, I suggest you dedicate some time to improve your personal website. I visited your website, which took me to your Twitter, which told me to visit your vlog. Your main homepage had no link to neither your books, your CV, nor your vlog. Fixing that should be quick.

And finally, I deduct from your video and your Twitter bio that you are living in Germany. If you are living here legally then the Budesagentur für Arbeit can almost certainly provide you a list of open jobs. They won't be fun jobs for sure, but they'll keep you out of homelessness. You may also qualify for unemployment.

First you must be honest, because it's your life.

If you cannot pay expenses from programming, this is not because you bad, but because you need to fit, like key fit lock, nothing more, but nothing less.

Some thing in job "lock" are not so tight as in real modern door locks, but they are very far from what doing typical engineer.

- I mean soft skills could be lubricant, which could allow you to enter job, where you are not fit perfect.

Also, for real investors, better universal soldier, who could be engineer, manager and marketologist in one, so they just pay money and you deliver product in need quantities. But be even two in one (any from engineer, manager, marketologist) is not for all.

That's all. Other thing is just, more tries makes more chances.

And for now, you should find auxiliary airfield, some job, which is acceptable for your pride, and ideally, gives enough money to pay all expenses, but not engage all your time, so you will have enough spare time to learn-train, and to make all self-sell activities - attend events, make portfolio, meet with employers, etc.

For me was surprise, when in 2021 I found acceptable for me non-qualified jobs, where I got few times more money than at freelance. - Such jobs for sure exists in normal economy (where not war or some other extremes), but people are not talking about them, you need to go to field and check yourself.

BTW for war I also not sure, but what I could see now (I'm in Kiev, Ukraine), appears not too optimistic.

Read "The Art of Money Getting" by P.T. Barnum. (It's a hundred and forty years old!) https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8581/8581-h/8581-h.htm

And read "The Richest Man in Babylon", a series of pamphlets publish a century ago "on thrift and financial success" https://archive.org/details/RichestManInBabylon_650/mode/2up

These two books will give you the basics of how to make money and what to do with it once you have it. You have to come up with the particular idiosyncratic business to pursue, of course.

> Do you have any ideas that I could focus on?

Assuming your general idea is to write some software and sell it, the easiest software to sell is generally software that saves or makes people money somehow.

> I am a REALLY broke programmer, have negative credit and just one step from homeless.

Maybe find a job instead of focusing on some random projects?

Gainful employment, building your career, and personal finance might be a better way to avoid being homeless. Getting rich should probably a second priority.

My take is that you’re unlikely to get rich in 1 month. So instead, I would find a way to go for the long run: - become a consultant and sell your time to cover basic needs - invest the rest of your time into solving a problem you care about, and building a business around it. Caring is important as starting a new business is incredibly challenging and you will think of giving up often

It seems like making a video and documentary the process will add overhead preventing you from committing 100% to the core of the projects, unless it is something meta.

Back when I was making games, it was making devlogs and having an audience that forced me to commit. It's usually worth the overhead.

The common advice is to build something a few people really love, rather than something a lot of people just like.

The logic is that it's easy to scale that up and people are happier to pay.

The other thing is to normally pick the harder option when confronted with two equal options. There's less competition there and higher demand.

Most likely anything you work on now will look nothing like the final product, but the feedback from that will bring you there.

Good luck!

I'd suggest trying Toptal or even Upwork.

Toptal's process is very long, probably more than the average job, but yeah, it's a great career path.

Upwork is the opposite - the entrance bar is low, people are doing it at a loss, so you have to stick around a very long time to be taken seriously. It's probably similar to a full time job, with more stress and anxiety.

Agreed about Upwork, it's a cesspool - however if you're desperate and are looking for the tech equivalent of a minimum wage job it could work. It's definitely not a sustainable long-term career path, but if your alternative is a fast food joint then it might be worth a try.

Look for niches in social networks and create apps for those, promote them in the niches.

Good luck. If you decide to work on something in the real estate space, give me a shout ;)

Don't get rich. Get happy. Getting rich leads to nothing useful other than not being homeless. Being happy will lead to you not being homeless, OR rich, but way better off.

the question that keeps me worried is: is it possible to be happy as an employee?

You don't need to be anything to be happy. And you can be unhappy with all the fame/money/freedom in the world. Happiness is a choice, but it requires work.

With proper unions, yes, very much so.

Absolutely.

I think so. My work is uncorrelated to the financial health of the company that hires me, so I just don't care about it. I focus on my work.

When my work is done, I focus on my hobby (learning to code). I can now launch my own projects, albeit much slower than if I went full-time. I just don't want the stress of knowing where my next paycheck is coming from, no matter how big it is :)

Just get some gigs to make quick money. When you have some money on your hands, you can have long term thinking.

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