Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Is There a 'Gig Economy' Site For Tech Skills?
"Where I can meet up with people who just need solutions implemented?" asks Slashdot reader datavirtue:
Somewhere people can go when they have a solution designed in-house with documented requirements and are in need of a competent engineer(s) to assist with implementation. Where timelines and price estimates and rates are well defined and enforced. If they like me, and agree to the terms, we can proceed with the project -- expecting solid deliveries at each milestone....
I have been on some gig projects where the relationship was well structured by a third party and it was a lot of fun. I know a lot of engineers who would use a system like this if it streamlines entering the freelance tech market for them. People who would rarely take gigs otherwise. I have looked around but the services feel dead. I have been approached by startups in the past wanting to sign me up their service...but they didn't really go anywhere.
The original submission complains that many projects end up going to consulting firms that just scrounge up candidates from job boards. But what's the alternative? "Am I missing some great online community or website that has already solved this?"
Leave your own thoughts in the comments. Is there a 'gig economy' site for tech skills?
I have been on some gig projects where the relationship was well structured by a third party and it was a lot of fun. I know a lot of engineers who would use a system like this if it streamlines entering the freelance tech market for them. People who would rarely take gigs otherwise. I have looked around but the services feel dead. I have been approached by startups in the past wanting to sign me up their service...but they didn't really go anywhere.
The original submission complains that many projects end up going to consulting firms that just scrounge up candidates from job boards. But what's the alternative? "Am I missing some great online community or website that has already solved this?"
Leave your own thoughts in the comments. Is there a 'gig economy' site for tech skills?
Um...because the more competent devs emigrated to countries where they could get better pay? These sorts of sites are a confluence of cheapskates, pretenders, and unrealistic expectations. That tends to go just about as well as you'd expect. If you go with the lowest bidder you deserve what you get.
I use Upwork (formerly oDesk). I've hired domestic and foreign contract engineering labor. For a server I needed setup and configured, I hired a guy in Vietnam and for $18/hour (and 5 hours) he had it doing everything I needed. Hired a guy in India to do some custom CSS work for me, for $80. Hired a Ph.D. applied math/physics professor in Russia for some advanced 3D FEA modeling software - he was $35 an hour, but great quality C code from him. Hired several electrical/RF engineers here in the US to do some spot PCB/schematic/RF design work when my team was overloaded. All were between $50-$80/hour.
All turned out really well, did what I needed and when I needed it, and at a price that was reasonable. Having a US IT guy quote $2500 to set up a Windows server with SVN, Wiki, and a few other features was crazy, but I didn't have the time to do it myself. Having a guy in Vietnam do it for $100 was exactly what I needed. And finding a Ph.D. professor with a background in applied math and physics was essentially a needle in a haystack - I got lucky, the fact he was $35/hour was insane (I would have gladly paid 3X that amount). Currently using an MSEE to solve a hairy GSM noise issue on a PCB, and he's worth it at $80/hour.
Moral of the story: if you're doing basic, simple work - you're not going to be able to compete with overseas where there are millions of people who can do basic, simple work for a lot cheaper than you. If you're doing more complex, advanced things, you can most likely charge a lot more and still get work...
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!