Times are tough at the moment (cozzie livs), but as developers we've got a unique set of skills which are in high-demand, if you know where to look...
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Easier said than done. While these are good ideas it does not mention the amount of work put in. Finding clients is not easy and not even counting the time to research and vet a client. The time it takes to do a project can vary.
I spend more time networking and finding leads than the actual job.
There are also ways to make money without coding. A developer can have a side hustle that is not tech related. Being a dev 24/7 is going to lead to burnout.
Thanks for your comment Ash :)
And yes, I do agree a lot of this is so much easier said than done. But it's only meant to give you ideas. If you were to pick one idea (from here or elsewhere) and focus soley on that, it's very very much possible to make a success of it.
I do several of these myself (open source, sponsors, bounties, hackathons, engagement-based earnings, non-tracking ads and consulting). And although certainly not enough to quit my day-job, they do provide a very decent amoutn of suplimentry income, plus are quite a lot of fun (which IMO is the most important thing!).
I think the last section is probably the most important - so I've updated the post to include a Skip to Conclusion link ;)
I agree with you @lissy93. I think all that is very doable, I am a web dev and software dev, social media manager, and more, and I think your post was very helpful.
Thanks!
You're speaking sense
There is a quote that says "The only way to make money is by providing value to people who can pay for that value"
so as long as we build valuable we don't worry about getting customers, they will come toward the value.
Finding clients is not easy
That's THE (good) counter argument from @codefatale from a good article from @lissy93
And I have a counter counter argument.
Building a product technically sound is not what devs struggle with, we can all agree on that.
That's our job.
When developers do open source for developers, they are really good at building good products, and don't need that much external help, we can all agree about that I hope.
If you have a good product that solves the problem of your ideal client, finding them is not that hard.
Like if you have the cure to a specific kind of cancer, selling it to the public is really really easy. They have a huge problem and you sell the fix. Easy busy.
So what's missing here ?
Trigger Warning : Marketing
To build a good product you MUST know really well your ideal clients. In the case of developer tools, developers do it perfectly
The real issue is that to market your product, you need to, but will be skip because you think it's not important, while in fact it is absolutely essential, do your home work to understand your ideal clients.
You must have read 0 to 1
Nope, marketing is nothing new.
And I wil never read something from Peter Thiel, I think the guy is a psychopath.
Why do you say that?? What’s he done?
Peter Thiel was instrumental in making Facebook the Facebook we known, both a an early investor and that made him rich.
But also as an ideologue.
Peter Thiel thinks and writes that monopolies are good for socities.
He says they are good for societies because they make people like him rich.
And the reason that's good according to him is that people like him are the best and the brightest.
That's logicial from his sense of ethics but that absolutely clashes with mine.
My sources
shortform.com/blog/peter-thiel-mon...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of...
This may be too far on the extreme opposite of Peter Thiel but do you believe people deserve something for nothing?
Also, I feel as if he’s moreso arguing that people should get as much as they put in, innovators (having made something that advanced us humans) getting the most. This isn’t an exact quote but in 0 to 1 he talks about the ideal monopoly being one that provides new opportunities for others, and not just the person who made the innovation.
I’ve only just discovered Peter Thiel though so those sources you provided should be a good read. I’m eager to learn more about what your perspective.
This may be too far on the extreme opposite of Peter Thiel but do you believe people deserve something for nothing?
It's impossible to answer in general. You have to study that case by case.
I think you should look at how many value rich people created for themselves, and what value, positive and negative, they created in the world while doing so.
United Fruit Company was a monopoly that had basically a private dicatorship over multiple countries in so-called banana republics – such as Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala.
I would argue that it was 100% bad that United Fruit Company got rich.
Now think about investors in a company like Philip Morris, Alcool companies, Opoid companies, ....
They also get rich, and I would also argue that's a Bad Thing.
Steve Jobs on the other hand, I would argue the got very very rich and absolutely deserved it.
Imagine a world without Steve Jobs : no Apple 2, no Macintosh, no iMac, no MacBook pro, no Ipod, no Iphone, no Ipod, stupid music industry, no alternative to Microsoft, bad huma interfaces, crappy design everywhere, and on and on and on. Steve Jobs was the ultimate pioneer of the personal computer revolution. As far as I'm concerned he deseved what he got and more.
I have looked at the Criticism of Facebook wikiepdia page page and I made my opinion that Facebook and Peter Thiel are Bad from an ethical standpoint.
I didn't think this way a couple of years ago, I get my personal reasons to have radicalized my opinion.
So feel free to make your opinions.
Bad or Wrong means nothing at some point, it's an ethical statement.
Vladimir Lenin was very bright, and he thought he was a Good person doing the Right thing for society.
My ethical statement is that he was a very clever asshole, and the assholery is what matters.
I don't like the side effects of what he did to the world.
I can see why it’s a case by case thing. Thiel argues that in a static market (one where no new innovations are made), things like the fruit monopolies that have been the cause of much slavery and horrible servitude in history, take place. But in a moving market new innovations, which form new monopolies, take the place of bad ones (bannana republic) as well as the place of good ones (IBM into newer forms of the computer). So maybe you might actually agree with Thiel, you both would likely agree that an evil monopoly, in a static market = horrible results for humanity (bannana republic). And from the good things that you’ve said about apple you agree with his views on good monopolies too? Good monopoly + moving market = good results for humanity.
Peter Thiel and I can't possibly agree.
I think Faceook is bad and that existing antitrust regulation should be applied to loosen Facebook's power and minimize that harm its power does on society.
I am 100% sure that Peter Thiel would not be ok with that.
I think TikTok is doing what the government isn’t in your eyes. Although Thiel still got rich, the facebook monopoly was brought down (if not already completey taken off) by TikTok a new monopoly. Win for Thiel because his ideology proves correct, win for you because what you say is a bad monopoly has been taken off by a new one.
I think both TikTok and Facebook are bad, for pretty much the same reason, too much conncentration of power.
I don't really care if that concentration of power is called "united fruit company" or "communist china" or "spanish inquisition" or "napoléon" or "tech avantgarde" or "Maximisation of Human Happiness".
At some point, too much concentration of power is Just A Bad Idea.
I also think Peter Thiel's view is flawed. Citing the articel:
Let's be clear about where the profits come from, namely two things:
I think it's a bad thing and there are so many examples of monopolies abusing their positions, it's not even funny. Basically, they have a free ticket to make as much profit as they want and screw with the competition because of their higher position.
At least Thiel concedes that [...some monopolies...] prospers at society’s expense. I personally think it's the default pattern.
I think is flawed. A monopoly tends to be self sustaining. Their goal is maintaining their dominance in the market and they have the means to do so. If some promising "challenger" dares to come up, it'll be bought or destroyed. Simple as that.
Again, this is flawed, especially in the context of software development.
So in the end, I think monopolies are bad for societies as a whole and that it encourages the status-quo rather than innovation.
Upton Sinclair
Great resource for developers
Great tips, great article, thanks a lot!
With quine.sh developer can make money by creating open source repos or solving GitHub issues for companies 🙂
Is your education really Youtube? Awesome article!
I would also include clickworker alongside amazon mech. turk but for EU regions, it provides fast paypal payments and relatively easy manual tasks. (not sure if it still is online though).
This gave me some great ideas, thanks!
Thank you! This article is an inspiration! I am currently working on my side hustle and this gives me a bunch of ideas.
It would be awesome to see memoir of a developer documenting what ways they have done, the time and money spent and the yield income.
These are brilliant ideas but I fear the work behind might might be bigger than imagined
I've added comments (in quote) section for each one I've done.
I've done open soruce, sponsorships, non-tracking ads, engagement-based earnings, and consulting.
Happy to share feedback on how much time/effort each took, compared to the return they yeilded.
Generally, I do hundreds of housrs of coding, and make barley more than pennies in return. But that's because coding is my hobby, and I'd do it even if I made nothing.
You are awesome 👏
What about #48? 😢
I read a few comments and was a bit surprised by the ones which criticized this post.
Thank you for sharing this knowledge bit, it's very helpful since you provided something which is unique - experience; and in the AI era, that's valuable (and appreciated).
I will definitely look into Brave rewards plan, so thanks again 🙏🏻
These are all good tips - although I'd suggest domain flipping is a little ethically dubious.
Certainly! Here are 50 ways for developers to bring in extra cash, and with dedication and effort, you can potentially see results within 90 days from now:
Freelance Web Development: Offer your services on platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.
Mobile App Development: Create and sell your apps on platforms like Google Play or the App Store.
Website Design: Specialize in designing websites for businesses or individuals.
Online Tutoring: Share your coding expertise with others through tutoring platforms.
Coding Bootcamp Instructor: Teach coding skills in a bootcamp setting.
Open Source Contributions: Contribute to open-source projects and earn recognition.
Technical Blogging: Start a blog to share your knowledge and monetize through ads or sponsorships.
Online Courses: Create and sell coding courses on platforms like Udemy or Teachable.
Freelance Writing: Write technical articles for websites or magazines.
Affiliate Marketing: Promote products related to development and earn commissions.
Remote Consulting: Offer remote consulting services for businesses.
Custom WordPress Themes: Design and sell custom WordPress themes.
Bug Bounty Programs: Participate in bug bounty programs and get paid for finding vulnerabilities.
Podcasting: Start a podcast on tech-related topics and monetize through sponsorships.
Ebook Authoring: Write and sell ebooks on programming or development tips.
Participate in Hackathons: Win cash prizes by participating in hackathons.
Create and Sell Plugins: Develop plugins for platforms like WordPress and sell them.
Social Media Consulting: Offer expertise in social media integration for businesses.
Remote Debugging Services: Provide remote debugging assistance.
Build and Sell Templates: Create website or app templates and sell them online.
Custom Software Development: Offer tailored solutions for businesses.
Game Development: Create and sell games or collaborate on indie game projects.
API Development: Build and sell custom APIs for businesses.
Graphic Design for Developers: Offer graphic design services for development-related projects.
YouTube Tutorials: Create video tutorials on programming and monetize through ads.
Sell Code Snippets: Sell useful code snippets on platforms like GitHub or Gumroad.
Virtual Assistance: Offer virtual assistance services with a focus on technical tasks.
Freelance Testing: Offer testing services for websites or applications.
Coding Challenges: Create and monetize coding challenges for other developers.
Tech Support: Provide tech support services for individuals or small businesses.
Blockchain Development: Explore opportunities in blockchain development.
AI/ML Consulting: Offer consultation services in AI and machine learning.
Cybersecurity Consulting: Provide cybersecurity advice to businesses.
Remote Database Management: Offer remote database management services.
IT Project Management: Take on project management roles for tech projects.
Language Localization: Offer coding language translation services.
IT Recruitment: Connect developers with job opportunities and earn a commission.
Custom Blog Development: Create and sell custom blog setups for businesses.
Content Management System (CMS) Development: Build custom CMS solutions.
E-commerce Integration: Offer services to integrate e-commerce platforms for businesses.
Remote Networking Services: Provide remote networking assistance.
Software Licensing: License your software or tools for commercial use.
Virtual Reality (VR) Development: Explore opportunities in VR development.
Software Automation: Offer services in automating repetitive tasks for businesses.
Data Analytics Consulting: Provide insights through data analytics for businesses.
Remote DevOps Services: Offer remote DevOps support.
Technical Recruiting: Connect tech talent with companies seeking skilled professionals.
Technical Translation Services: Translate technical documents or content.
Accessibility Consulting: Offer services to make websites and applications more accessible.
Create a SaaS Product: Develop and sell a Software as a Service (SaaS) product.
Remember, success in these endeavors may vary, and consistency is key. By actively pursuing these opportunities, you may see positive results within the next 90 days.
Not to be pessimistic, but there are tons of developers who'll save this post and never do anything because we're too busy working on other things...
That doesn't mean I won't join the long list of those that'll save this post for later.
Thank you for this compilation @lissy93 for this well-crafted and insightful post
When you find yourself writing articles with disclaimers which aren’t visible without clicking an extra button to expand, it may be time to reconsider the article.
thanks for so many great ideas. while most of them will still require a great deal of effort, they're still useful for people like me that need some inspiration from time to time. for ex., I completely forgot about the api services.
great write up .👍
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Thanks lot for sharing this post
Awesome 👌 thank you
Nice of you to put in efforts to bring these methods. Thanks a lot.
Hey guys! Really good article for Developers! Thank you so much. If you are a developer for software, You can need SVG icons or JSX icons, you can try it: iconsvg.co
This list is amazing! Thanks you very much, must have been a pain to put this together.
Great article, Very helpful, Thank you.
Try My UI - (Averages on $10 per website or app test) link has some suspicious activity and redirections
Awesome. Very helpful article.
Nice post, It doesn't look like AI content
That’s really saying something nowadays too
thank you so much!
Grate article, I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you for the enlightenment >>>
Thank you @lissy93. I am using this article to build a resource (A Notion Table) to rank, sort and dB build a dyanmic resource for ideation and reference.
Great article! So many well thought approaches (and realistic disclaimers). ⭐️
Thank you for this great list!
Thanks for bringing out these 50 ways to earn a developer. This article is real gold🥇
Great resource! In #11 there is a typo, it should be "Code Code Ship". :)
Need to try some of these, thanks for sharing
This gave me some ideas, thank you!!
Thanks for your fruitful sharing. It is super useful!
Nice advice. Thanks for sharing this article. The last part is so important.