Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On 07/03/13 02:54, Peter Corlett wrote: On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 04:34:30PM +, AJ Dhaliwal wrote: [...] I hope someone can kindly help me with these questions 1) How can I go about finding work? Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what roles you can do. If you can do Perl, you can quickly pick up Python or Ruby, for example. (Or Scala if the JVM/.NET is your kink.) Sign up with the job boards. Jobserve and CWJobs have been the most useful for me. Jobsite and "Careers 2.0" from Stack Overflow haven't found me anything useful yet, but are low-effort. Monster was a spam magnet and an utter waste of time. Consider using tagged email addresses so you can see where the leads are coming from, or at least don't sign up with your primary email address. Find other tech groups that may be relevant, such as GLLUG and DJUGL. Join the lists, go to the meet-ups, and network. London.pm has a social tomorrow, and as a newcomer you get a free drink. Now there's an incentive! 2) What should I charge per hour? How long is a piece of string? Look at the advertised rates on the job boards for roles that fit your skillset, and adjust to taste. Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. I have done a little summary here: 1) Job sites: I had actually forgotten about the job boards for freelance work. Somehow I associated them with full-time jobs. Thanks for reminding me about that. Now I have a few that I haven't heard of before to try... 2) Specialise or generalise: We touched on the question of being a language specialist or "casting a wider net". For the past two years I have been concentrating on PHP and Perl. I think I am going to "cast a wider net" now. I like learning languages but I think either approach is valid and it depends on the individual and the market. There was some discussion about this topic in this thread also: Re: Perl School 4: Database Programming with Perl and DBIx::Class Seems like on of those topics that people will keep discussing. 3) The jobs mailing lists. I haven't used those before. Thanks for the pointer. 4) Network. I am just starting to get the hang of this. 5) A piece of string is 3 inches long with the null pointer. I always felt this was the answer. So much to do... AJ
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
In addition to signing up to job boards, you might consider putting your CV up on the likes of LinkedIn and Xing. As networking sites go these seem reasonable and mean your CV is linked to and recommended by peers. It's a long term strategy but, as Peter said: "...network." -- Ciao Richard Foley http://www.rfi.net/books.html On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 06:54:31PM +, Peter Corlett wrote: > On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 04:34:30PM +, AJ Dhaliwal wrote: > [...] > > I hope someone can kindly help me with these questions > > 1) How can I go about finding work? > > Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what roles > you > can do. If you can do Perl, you can quickly pick up Python or Ruby, for > example. (Or Scala if the JVM/.NET is your kink.) > > Sign up with the job boards. Jobserve and CWJobs have been the most useful for > me. Jobsite and "Careers 2.0" from Stack Overflow haven't found me anything > useful yet, but are low-effort. Monster was a spam magnet and an utter waste > of > time. Consider using tagged email addresses so you can see where the leads are > coming from, or at least don't sign up with your primary email address. > > Find other tech groups that may be relevant, such as GLLUG and DJUGL. Join the > lists, go to the meet-ups, and network. London.pm has a social tomorrow, and > as > a newcomer you get a free drink. Now there's an incentive! > > > 2) What should I charge per hour? > > How long is a piece of string? Look at the advertised rates on the job boards > for roles that fit your skillset, and adjust to taste.
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On 7 March 2013 17:09, Peter Corlett wrote: > On Thu, Mar 07, 2013 at 02:31:48PM +, Ben Vinnerd wrote: > > On 6 March 2013 18:54, Peter Corlett wrote: > >> Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what > roles > >> you can do. > > > It depends on who you're trying to market yourself/your company to. Some > > companies are specifically looking for a Perl developer, therefore it's a > > good idea to use the word "Perl" in the title. > > > Other companies might not give a crap about what their > > product/website/whatever is coded in, so you'd perhaps use the title > e.g. Web > > Developer or Software Application Developer. > > So what? The CV and/or other promotional material can be customised for > each > potential client to emphasise those skills that the client is most > interested > in. Or in the case of job boards where everybody sees the same CV, upload a > different CV to each board as a crude A/B test. > > I'm not sure which part of my post you were saying "so what?" at, but anyway, I agree with what you're saying about customisation and it's kinda the point I was getting at -- call yourself a Perl Dev for a client who wants Perl, or call yourself a Web Dev for a client who just wants a website and doesn't care whether it's coded in Perl, Python or any other language :)
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On Thu, Mar 07, 2013 at 02:31:48PM +, Ben Vinnerd wrote: > On 6 March 2013 18:54, Peter Corlett wrote: >> Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what roles >> you can do. > It depends on who you're trying to market yourself/your company to. Some > companies are specifically looking for a Perl developer, therefore it's a > good idea to use the word "Perl" in the title. > Other companies might not give a crap about what their > product/website/whatever is coded in, so you'd perhaps use the title e.g. Web > Developer or Software Application Developer. So what? The CV and/or other promotional material can be customised for each potential client to emphasise those skills that the client is most interested in. Or in the case of job boards where everybody sees the same CV, upload a different CV to each board as a crude A/B test.
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On 6 March 2013 18:54, Peter Corlett wrote: > Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what > roles you > can do. > It depends on who you're trying to market yourself/your company to. Some companies are specifically looking for a Perl developer, therefore it's a good idea to use the word "Perl" in the title. Other companies might not give a crap about what their product/website/whatever is coded in, so you'd perhaps use the title e.g. Web Developer or Software Application Developer.
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On 7 Mar 2013, at 13:33, Richard Huxton wrote: On 07/03/13 13:05, David Cantrell wrote: With proper employees it's a bit different - you expect them to stay for longer, so can allow time for getting up to speed with the tools. Of course, this doesn't apply if you're the sort of idiot who hires a contractor for months or years on end, making them effectively a proper employee but more expensive. The Perl Ministry of Administration would like to clarify that where David said "idiot" he meant of course "valued enterprise client" ;-) Also there might be some balance sheet shenanigans going on around themes such as capex and potential future liabilities. Fortunately current and previous governments are committed to investing heavily into bodies to track this down, and the tax payer will be spared the burden due to the altruistic nature of companies that form PPIs. G.
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On 07/03/13 13:05, David Cantrell wrote: With proper employees it's a bit different - you expect them to stay for longer, so can allow time for getting up to speed with the tools. Of course, this doesn't apply if you're the sort of idiot who hires a contractor for months or years on end, making them effectively a proper employee but more expensive. The Perl Ministry of Administration would like to clarify that where David said "idiot" he meant of course "valued enterprise client" ;-) -- Richard Huxton Archonet Ltd
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On Thu, Mar 07, 2013 at 01:05:16PM +, David Cantrell wrote: > On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 06:54:31PM +, Peter Corlett wrote: [...] >> Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what roles >> you can do. If you can do Perl, you can quickly pick up Python or Ruby, for >> example. (Or Scala if the JVM/.NET is your kink.) > I disagree, a bit. If you can do perl you can pick up *the basics* of python > or ruby etc pretty quickly. To become as productive as you are in perl (well, > OK, I don't know AJ - to become as productive as someone with a few years > experience in perl) will take a lot longer. You need to learn the quirks of > the language, the toolchain and its quirks, where to get libraries, how to > work effectively with libraries, and of course what libraries to use and how > to tell a good quality library from bad without wasting time by trying to use > them. I agree entirely. There was an implied "go and learn the languages then cast your net wider", rather than just making scattergun pitches for random jobs and then picking up a copy of "Visual Parrot For Muppets In 24 Nanoseconds" if one succeeds.
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 06:54:31PM +, Peter Corlett wrote: > On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 04:34:30PM +, AJ Dhaliwal wrote: > > I hope someone can kindly help me with these questions > > 1) How can I go about finding work? > Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what roles > you > can do. If you can do Perl, you can quickly pick up Python or Ruby, for > example. (Or Scala if the JVM/.NET is your kink.) I disagree, a bit. If you can do perl you can pick up *the basics* of python or ruby etc pretty quickly. To become as productive as you are in perl (well, OK, I don't know AJ - to become as productive as someone with a few years experience in perl) will take a lot longer. You need to learn the quirks of the language, the toolchain and its quirks, where to get libraries, how to work effectively with libraries, and of course what libraries to use and how to tell a good quality library from bad without wasting time by trying to use them. All of that requires a lot of experience. And it's why I wouldn't hire a contractor to work in language $foo who didn't already have significant experience in language $foo. With proper employees it's a bit different - you expect them to stay for longer, so can allow time for getting up to speed with the tools. Of course, this doesn't apply if you're the sort of idiot who hires a contractor for months or years on end, making them effectively a proper employee but more expensive. -- David Cantrell | top google result for "topless karaoke murders" "IMO, the primary historical significance of Unix is that it marks the time in computer history where CPUs became so cheap that it was possible to build an operating system without adult supervision." -- Russ Holsclaw in a.f.c
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
Thanks for the advice. Will check out Jobserve and CWJobs. I thought I knew all the job sites?! A part of me was looking for some sort of magic bullet idea that would take all the struggle out of freelancing but the search for magic pixie dust continues...see hear for some http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nbEeU2dRBg Regards AJ
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On 6 March 2013 16:34, AJ Dhaliwal wrote: > I hope someone can kindly help me with these questions > 1) How can I go about finding work? You already know about: http://london.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/jobs which also has archives http://london.pm.org/pipermail/jobs/ Also check out: http://jobs.perl.org/ Peter has listed many others that are useful. Good luck Leo
Re: More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
On Wed, Mar 06, 2013 at 04:34:30PM +, AJ Dhaliwal wrote: [...] > I hope someone can kindly help me with these questions > 1) How can I go about finding work? Don't typecast yourself as a Perl developer, as that just limits what roles you can do. If you can do Perl, you can quickly pick up Python or Ruby, for example. (Or Scala if the JVM/.NET is your kink.) Sign up with the job boards. Jobserve and CWJobs have been the most useful for me. Jobsite and "Careers 2.0" from Stack Overflow haven't found me anything useful yet, but are low-effort. Monster was a spam magnet and an utter waste of time. Consider using tagged email addresses so you can see where the leads are coming from, or at least don't sign up with your primary email address. Find other tech groups that may be relevant, such as GLLUG and DJUGL. Join the lists, go to the meet-ups, and network. London.pm has a social tomorrow, and as a newcomer you get a free drink. Now there's an incentive! > 2) What should I charge per hour? How long is a piece of string? Look at the advertised rates on the job boards for roles that fit your skillset, and adjust to taste.
More advice about becoming a freelance Perl programmer
Hello, Thanks to Peter Corlett for your reply to my earlier message. I am starting a new message because my previous message was a reply to an existing thread and that has messed up the threads on my mail system. As advised by Peter I have not attached my documents but made my CV and portfolio available to those who want them here: http://www.bramrockton.com/about_aj.html I have spent the last 2 years working on LAMPP. Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP and Perl. By Linux I mean Ubuntu. By PHP I mean Drupal 7. The last 2 years have been a change in direction for me as I was working on .NET and Microsoft systems for 3 years prior. I have used Perl a great deal over the last 2 years for scripting, database work, building a time management site and an IT survey site. I enjoy using Perl and would like to use more of it for work. I hope someone can kindly help me with these questions 1) How can I go about finding work? 2) What should I charge per hour? I think the best option for me might be to freelance for an established company or individual but I don't know where to start finding these people. Thank you for your time AJ Dhaliwal
