Is web development still a good remote work option in 2019?

[Epicurus.]

I am switching career tracks into web development, my toolset focuses on Javascript and React.js (I'd say I need another 4 to 6 months to pick up enough skills to start applying for a junior position). Tools change every few years so my question is about the greater paradigm.

Do you guys see web development as still being a good choice for working remotely, even abroad? Or is the influx of new talent giving employers more power to keep things in house?

If I could make even $3,000 or $4,000 a month living in Pattaya my main life goal would be fulfilled. I'm in the US so the income potential is there, but I care more about the remote aspect.

Any other advice about remote salaried vs freelance paths are also welcome, thanks.

[fatclown]

I cant help you too much on the subject since im still a regular old salaried employee in america. But i definitely have thoughts.

Im a software engineer...computer science degree and only 5 years experience so far. Im young but i work for a very competitive company in the bay area.

Pretty much everything these days is web related. It sounds like maybe you are specifically talking about front end web development? Are you learning by yourself? Any coding bootcamps or anything? Any thoughts about getting a degree?

In my opinion, which is obviously biased, is that a degree is very good to have. Much easier to break into the industry, but its not impossible without one. Youll have to probably make a portfolio and whatnot.

But you should also learn full stack development. Back end server work kinda goes hand in hand with real software engineering. Cookie cutter web dev is fine too...but Id say it can maybe get boring and maybe the market is saturated with people in a similar situation as you. What sets you apart from them? Need to think about how to sell yourself over others. Theres people in india and other poor countries that will make websites for fucking pennies. Perfect english communication is probably a big advantage over them. (I gotta go but i have more thoughts on the subject. I wrote the next few paragraphs before finishing my thoughts here. We can definitely chat further.)

My dream is to build up a nest egg (maybe 1 or 1.5 million) and then take a lower paying remote job or possibly freelance. By that time i will have a lot of industry experience and a good resume to sell myself. I would love the flexibility of freelance work, but would kinda hate the sales part of it. Fuck dealing with clients and shit like that. Salaried remote position might be the way to go for me.

Theres a few websites specific to finding remote positions. Some will have restrictions like living in a certain timezone, but some wont. I can do a quick search to find the websites again if you want me to. I believe stackoverflow and maybe glassdoor have filters for remote positions too.

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[Epicurus.]

Yeah I was thinking full stack. Front end is okay too, but a mix of both allows for the puzzley aspects of back end and that feeling of building something fully.

Though with JS frameworks so much of the logic is on the front end that I'm not sure back end is the hardcore path anymore.

 

As for dealing with clients i'm with you. Whole part of pattaya is to skip the dinner convo nom-sayin? I get fatigued after "short time 1,000?" personally.

You're more patient than me holding out for $1 million though. Hell I'm coming back to the US because my internet business (not related to dev) failed.

 

As far as freelance sites, sure post what you know! Would be a great resource for so many developers here.

- Toptal is a big one. Annoying 4 step interview process with projects though.

- Stackoverflow.com/jobs

I also had a list but will have to post it later when I find it again. 

 

[fatclown]

Also i would try to distance yourself from the idea of "web development" and orient yourself more towards "software engineering."

Web dev is just a subset of software engineering. The best companies hire for more general aptitude and technical abilities - not for specific languages, technologies, frameworks etc.

I can learn a new language or technology very quickly. Most of the good companies dont interview for a specific languages, they want fundamental computer science topics and good problem solving ability.

That being said, sometimes companies are looking for experience with specific language or technologies so the new employee can hit the ground running. I would prefer not to work for one of these places, but its an option. I dont think its inherently bad, i just know a lot about the interview process at the "good" companies and what they look for.

I just saw you replied and lost my train of thought...more to come soon!

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[fatclown]

Weworkremotely.com

Remoteok.io

Those are sites for full time remote jobs.

The freelance stuff are things like upwork, fiverr, and theres several others. These are the ones i would say are infested with foreigners that will work for pennies.

When clients are looking to cut costs and look for cheap options...you usually get the short end of the stick. They dont turn out to be great clients (just my opinion, ive literally never done any freelance work).

Im currently 30 and i think i can hit my financial goals by 40. Not retirement, just more flexibility. Financial independence and digital nomads are some terms you might want to get familiar with if you arent already. Check out reddit, theres big communities for all of this stuff!

I have definitely done a fair bit of research on these subjects, but im also very risk averse. Im going to try to set myself up for success, with backup plans in case things dont work out.

I work for Big Internet Company right now and im even considering moving to one of our international offices sometime for fun. More vacation, closer to destinations i want to travel to, etc. It would likely be a large pay cut though, so i dont want to do that yet.

And actually im currently only an hour flight to tijuana...love it there haha. Not as good as asia, but its in my backyard.

Finding a job in san diego is also one of my options, i could go to tijuana anytime i want. Dont know what ill decide, but im excited for the future haha.

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[fatclown]

Also i studied my balls off for those coding interviews...

Extremely difficult but im getting paid the big bucks as a result. If you need coding interview resources, i can help. Theres a whole culture for interview studying though, meaning books and websites dedicated to it. Cracking the coding interview, leetcode.com, etc.

Remember that these resources are geared towards the aforementioned companies that care about problem solving and general computer science concepts (not specific languages etc).

Other interviews can be LARGELY different

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[Epicurus.]

Ahh, I heard about those sites/books. I think I will check them out now. If one is taking this path, may as well make the most of it.

I have read that the profile of a company that hires non-CS grads is that they look heavily at portfolio (and are also smaller/more web dev focused than usual). But I'd hate to go into an interview expecting one thing and then they hit me with the complex algo questions.

[fatclown]

Yeah i mean you can definitely ask the recruiter what the interview process is like. You willl have contact with HR before any real technical interview. All the mega internet companies (especially bay area) will be extremely algorithm focused. Elsewhere it will be different. Actually theres a list of companies maintained on github for companies that specifically think the current interview process (coding algorithms interview) is broken. So all of these companies have different style interviews. I think a lot could be project based instead. I can find a link for that too.

The problem without a degree is getting your foot in the door. It usually takes experience and/or a portfolio. You can even try to pick up clients on upwork or whatever, not really for the money (charge smaller amounts just to get experience). Now you have PAID work experience and can show the websites you made on your resume/portfolio.

I got a degree, decent job out of college, and just recently upgraded to a very good job. My path is a bit different than yours. I think your path will definitely lead to some frustration, but its not insurmountable. Hard work always pays off.

Plus 3 or 4k a month is very attainable in america for software engineers, but remote positions tend to be lower paying in general. So it will be a bit more competitive to make the same amount remotely.

Personally i would look at 70-100k salary remote jobs for myself, which is a large pay cut for me. Im just ballparking, i havent looked at numbers in a while. Im going to sit at my cushy job for the foreseeable future and see what i decide in due time.

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