My first paying job was webmaster for a Quake clan that was administered by some friends of my parents. I was something like 14 or 15 then, and never stopped working since (I’m 27 now). Many people around me are aware of my skills, so work usually comes to me; I had about 20 employers (taking different positions on the spectrum from client to full-time employer) but I don’t think I ever got hired the “traditional” way with a resume and an interview.
Right now my primary job is a fun project we started some years ago with my classmates from school, and it’s grown quite a bit since then. My immediate boss is a former classmate of mine, and our CEO is the father of another of my classmates; moreover, I’ve known him since I was 12 or so when he went on hiking trips with us. In the past I’ve worked for friends of my parents, friends of my friends, friends of my own, people who rented a room at one of my schools, people who found me on the Internet, people I knew from previous jobs… Basically, if you need something done yesterday and your previous contractor was stupid, contact me and I’ll try to help :-)
ETA: I just noticed that I didn’t answer your last question. Not sure what to recommend to competent programmers because I’ve never needed to ask others for recomendations of this sort (hah, that pattern again). Maybe it’s about networking: back when I had a steady girlfriend, I spent about three years supporting our “family” alone by random freelance work, so naturally I learned to present a good face to people. Maybe it’s about location: Moscow has a chronic shortage of programmers, and I never stop searching for talented junior people myself.
My first paying job was webmaster for a Quake clan that was administered by some friends of my parents. I was something like 14 or 15 then, and never stopped working since (I’m 27 now). Many people around me are aware of my skills, so work usually comes to me; I had about 20 employers (taking different positions on the spectrum from client to full-time employer) but I don’t think I ever got hired the “traditional” way with a resume and an interview.
Right now my primary job is a fun project we started some years ago with my classmates from school, and it’s grown quite a bit since then. My immediate boss is a former classmate of mine, and our CEO is the father of another of my classmates; moreover, I’ve known him since I was 12 or so when he went on hiking trips with us. In the past I’ve worked for friends of my parents, friends of my friends, friends of my own, people who rented a room at one of my schools, people who found me on the Internet, people I knew from previous jobs… Basically, if you need something done yesterday and your previous contractor was stupid, contact me and I’ll try to help :-)
ETA: I just noticed that I didn’t answer your last question. Not sure what to recommend to competent programmers because I’ve never needed to ask others for recomendations of this sort (hah, that pattern again). Maybe it’s about networking: back when I had a steady girlfriend, I spent about three years supporting our “family” alone by random freelance work, so naturally I learned to present a good face to people. Maybe it’s about location: Moscow has a chronic shortage of programmers, and I never stop searching for talented junior people myself.
I was very surprised by this until I read the word “Moscow.”
Is it different in the US? I imagined it was even easier to find a job in the Valley than in Moscow.
I was unsurprised by this until I read the word “Moscow”. (Russian programmers & mathematicians seem to always be heading west for jobs.)