Ask HN: As a hobbyist developer, what are the odds of getting hired as a pro?

5 pointsby robinhood3 anni fa7 comments

I've created some OSS projects, one of them being Monica [1], an open source CRM which pops up sometimes on HN. The project has more than 20k+ stars and a lot of contributors. I've also created other projects (OfficeLife [2], Bivouac [3]).

However, all these are passion projects, worked on at nights and weekends. My day job is about project management (currently a very senior position) at various big corps.

I would like to switch careers and become a professional full stack developer. I can't choose between backend and frontend since I've done everything on my projects. I only know Laravel, Vue 3, HTMX. I have to deploy my projects myself, maintain them myself, and design everything myself.

I'm not an expert in anything, but I know a bit of everything that is required to ship something that works.

That being said, what are the chances of being hired as a professional developer? Will I be taken seriously?

[1]: https://github.com/monicahq/monica [2]: https://github.com/officelifehq/officelife [3]: https://github.com/djaiss/bivouac

7 comments

kosasbest3 anni fa

> I'm not an expert in anything, but I know a bit of everything that is required to ship something that works

The landscape is always changing, potential employers change their requirements, so you need to know $framework or $language of the month. My advice is be agile and adapt. Don't get set in your ways with a strategy that only works for you.

gjvc3 anni fa

quickest way to hate your hobby, if you're not careful what company you fall into

PaulHoule3 anni fa

Excellent. Today you might have to work a little (ok a lot) harder to get a job than a year ago but a developer who has a portfolio has a chance, I think the project management experience is worth something too, particularly in a startup. You might take a pay cut though.

robinhood3 anni fa

It's true that a pay cut is inevitable. I don't think the stack I'm interested in has any chance to reach that level of income, but I think it's worth it in the long run.

t-33 anni fa

The only reason I can see you not being taken seriously is that you might seem too expensive or that "stepping down" into more of an individual-contributor role may be seen as incomprehensible and scare people away.

heldrida3 anni fa

If that's what you want to do for a living, apply for PHP roles. 20k+ starts project, that's a very good story to share during an interview. If you know how to communicate, which I believe as a Senior PM you are, then you can look into leading a project, as long you are clear and frank about what your limitations are you are fine! Good luck ;)

houseatrielah3 anni fa

Depends on what salary you are looking for. If you want the coveted FANG jobs, as I understand it, you'll have to grind leetcode. There's a bit of a downturn right now, so don't let that dampen your efforts.