Finding Coding Work Through Placement Websites? 86
An anonymous reader asks: "Poking around the net, I found a site called RentACoder. As the name implies, it allows people who need a program/web app written to 'hire' a coder to do the work, for a certain amount of money (minus a 15% commission). I was wondering if anyone on Slashdot has written code for this (or a similar) service, and if it's worth the time and skills. I would've evaluated it sooner, however they ask you to provide a social security number at registration. Is the site worth it, or will it just make me bait for ID theives? Is there a similar service that's less intrusive?"
SSN (Score:2, Informative)
All payments are through them, not directly from the person hiring you. I've not had good experience with the coders on there, I tried to hire some of them once. They all put in lowball bids, then when they realized the project was nontrivial, as I originally said, they all just stopped responding to emails.
Re:SSN (Score:4, Interesting)
Accept a bid that impresses you as coming from someone who can finish it, or don't waste your time. There are other sites, craigslist, or other options -- if you can't find anyone to do it at all, you may just have to figure out how to do business without the product.
You are the flip side of the American coder who said they looked on there and thought they couldn't compete with the Asians on price, and so never bid on anything.
This is not ebay, you don't have to take the lowest bid.
Although in fairness, and without being too stereotypical, it's the Russians on rentacoder who have the most competance and the better skills. Argentina also seems to have more good coders than it's population would warrant. I would not advise selecting bids on nationality though -- get on IM and chat with the guy and figure out if he knows his stuff.
And if you have a bid that you guess is undercutting it, and the person does make good progress, you should re-offer it at a higher price or bonus them so they can finish it. Remember, this is capitalism -- if you want to keep a sustainable relationship, you can only both win, i.e. you get the project and they get enough money.
The usual pattern is that after 4 or 5 jobs though the site, for certain types of jobs you start going straight to the person you know will do it best.
Re:SSN (Score:2)
i prefer normal labor right here were i can see it and have someone to poke once my stuff needs some upgrade or fixing. if you let dude X write it, dude Z fix it and dude Y update it, it's most probably a mess cause Y will have no id
Re:SSN (Score:2)
Moreover, rent-a-coder sounds like programming prostitution, where you don't know who's doing what, and what bugs you might catch.
Re:SSN (Score:1)
We have that problem at our company, because we are a small manufacturing company with only a two coders, myself and one very part time, as he is a college student working just a few hours a week during the semester. I review his code but he doesn't really have time to review mine. I've found that unless someone else reviews code, it generally is
I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:4, Informative)
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:4, Informative)
Nothing against Indians or Eastern Europeans, they just often take the "volume" approach to getting these projects done. They can afford to take these projects at a much lower fee than North Americans, Australians, etc. can.
These kinds of sites may be worth your time if you're selective and bid what you are worth, it might work out as occasional additional income using the approach I mentioned in the first paragraph, but I can't imagine most programmers in developed nations being able to make much of a living at it.
I'm worried this will sound racist or elitist. It's not meant to be. I'm just talking economics, here.
The little experience I've had with these kinds of sites have not raised any privacy issues for me. Just research the site, check the whois info, look for support phone numbers before you offer up your SSN or other sensitive information.
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:2)
US programmers are not known by their quality coding skills, at least not overseas.
The disadvantage the US has with Indian individuals _and_ corporations is not that they can code for less money that you.
The problem is that they can code, charge less, provide a better service, and the quality of work you need. TCS has a code farm, here in my country, Uruguay, where they pay around $500 a month to locals, and you are not talking
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:1)
I joined the site years ago, but I've never actually bid? The reason being that the bids already made are usually a tenth of what I'd want as a minimum.
You could make higher bids yes, and hope that the guy decides you're likely to make a better job and pick the higher bid BUT if it's the first project you've done on the site, you have no feedback and show up as having done 0 projects.
Not the best looking profile.
So you'd find it hard to get onto the first rung of t
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:2)
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:5, Funny)
Your loss is my gain:
public class Hello {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello, world!");
}
}
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:1)
Re:I wouldn't hold my breath (Score:1)
Slightly concerned (Score:1)
"eBanking
Fully functional, highly sophicated and secured online banking internet site using XML, java as the prime programming language with jdbc in the background connected to oracle or db2 or sql server is urgently needed. The system should have a friendly user-interface with a proffesional feel. It has to allow customers over the internet to open bank accounts, check balance,view account details, acc
It (Score:5, Interesting)
As a programmer you need to be able to communicate to the potential client what you can do. This is the hardest part in my opinion.
Overall communication is the biggest key. Do you understand what the bidder wants? Does the bid have enough information for you as the coder to accurately estimate the amount of time.
Bottom line is can you work with the person at the other end? The few times I have participated it went pretty well because as a coder I knew what they wanted, and if there was a question I come usuallly elicit a clearer response. As a buyer, it was easy for me to define metrics / milestones for the project. I also knew approximately how long and hard the task was because I have done a lot of coding (I just didn't have time to do it myself).
Anyway, I think rent-a-coder is a pretty good service,
-MS2k
It's all small shit (Score:2)
What's a "phone" ? (Score:1, Insightful)
University students use it... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:University students use it... (Score:4, Interesting)
Great for them. (Score:4, Informative)
How about when you're on the job?
Maybe in a glorified technical college this would be useful, but at a real University, such slacking would be auto-corrected pretty quickly -- if not, I'm sure the job sites would deal with it
Re:Great for them. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Great for them. (Score:2)
Re:Great for them. (Score:2)
In my experiences cheating is rampant within U.S. universities.
Re:Great for them. (Score:2)
I once watched a room full of slovak students making tubes of paper designed to slip onto pens with crib notes on them.
Re:Great for them. (Score:1)
That may be true for the class, but many CS courses also have corresponding labs. 100% of your grade for the lab is based on projects.
Re:Great for them. (Score:2)
I've taken classes where the coding project is largely independent of the tests, meaning that having someone code your project would not necessarily hurt you on the test. If it doesn't hurt you, it will free up lots of time that can be spent preparing for the test.
As for a work environment, the programming I did in school was never anything more than fuel priming a pump with some oft
Re:University students use it... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
Re:University students use it... (Score:1)
Have you been in the workforce long (or at all)?
I just ask, because I've never heard of any manager having a solid clue about what the people he manages actually do.
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
I never understood the CS professors who gave graded homework assignments in the first place. It was almost as bad as those that graded attendance.
In my opinion the only real use of grades is to show others, outside the university, how well you've mastered a particular subject, and the only way to do that is through testing. This is not to say that homework and attendance aren't important, at least for most students, but they are important in that they help a student to learn. Different students learn i
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
In my opinion the only real use of grades is to show others, outside the university, how well you've mastered a particular subject, and the only way to do that is through testing.
It's because some students do better in practical work than they do on tests. Also, there are good tests and bad tests. Some instructors have never learned how to create an exam that tests your knowledge with clear, concise questions.
Re:University students use it... (Score:1)
It's because some students do better in practical work than they do on tests. Also, there are good tests and bad tests.
You've answered the problem in your first sentence with your second.
Some instructors have never learned how to create an exam that tests your knowledge with clear, concise questions.
Agreed, some instructors suck.
Coding assignments allow honest students to overcome those limitations.
There's no reason a test can't involve coding.
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
No, I haven't. But it does point out that you don't understand the problem. Some students get test anxiety. They can understand the concepts perfectly, but put them in a stressful situation and they can't communicate them properly. It won't affect them in a working environment because rarely are you put in a situation where you have a small number of hours to solve a problem, with no reference materials, and a predetermined solution.
The men
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
No, I haven't. But it does point out that you don't understand the problem. Some students get test anxiety. They can understand the concepts perfectly, but put them in a stressful situation and they can't communicate them properly.
I'm sorry, but I have to say "tough shit" to those students. Let them explain to whoever they show their grades to why they didn't score well, but if a student can't figure out how to take a test without getting stressed out then they don't have any sympathy from me.
It won't
Re:University students use it... (Score:2)
Sounds like they're well on their way to a successful career in management...
Craigslist (Score:1)
I’ve used them (Score:2)
Re:Better Idea (Score:1)
And that there's the problem.
Re:Better Idea (Score:2)
Or placing ads in classifieds across the country.
Not just any ads, but "tiny little ads".
I'm a buyer on RAC (Score:3, Informative)
It's completely legit.
Global Marketplace (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:1)
MOD PARENT UP!! (Score:1)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
If you're that good of a project manager, you should be able to make serious coin inside a corporation, with a lot less personal accountability (i.e. risk).
I doubt it. You see, corporations tend to make a profit. By running your own corporation, you get the benefits of a salary and the profits of the corporation. The risk is really not that much more, assuming you incorporate.
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
great sig (Score:2)
Re:Global Marketplace (Score:2)
First I thought it was depressing. Now I look there when I need a laugh (though, for my giggles, I usually look at the college kids who want someone to do their assignments for them).
Funny you should mention that (Score:2)
I have had some e
Re:Funny you should mention that (Score:2)
Re:Funny you should mention that (Score:3, Informative)
I think this is the key to making RAC work; you have to understand what the buyer wants and make them comfortable with you. /. after I'd had enough.
I am actually got up an hour ago to work on a RentACoder project cause I couldn't sleep. I jumped on
I stick to specialized work only and avoid the web monkey stuff and I ended up with a TopCoder designation because of it. I've turned down two invitations to private bids this week
No its not worth much time (Score:3, Interesting)
I tried sites similiar to RentACoder years ago which never amounted to anything. However, I did post my contact information and resume on various websites. To this day, I still get emails for contract opportunities. The little bit of effort I put forth to submit my name to various websites resulted in excellent contracts with clients in the U.S. and Canada (and I reside in Canada). Now I have been working for the same clients for several years -- the business is repeat.
While my approach may not be the greatest, when clients went looking, they somehow stumbled on me. That beat's bidding against foreigners who can make it seem as if you are overcharging. How can $50 an hour (or whatever your rate is) compete with $8 to 10? It's difficult when you can't accurately sell yourself online.
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:4, Insightful)
The best advice I can give to you is to get your name out on forums (for job postings), check classifieds (like craigslist), check regular job sites (devbistro, etc.) and pursue every avenue to get your name and skillset in the public eye.
Then subcontract out all the work to people on rent-a-coder.
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
Similarly, the $30 / hour project
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
If I buy a hammer from Home Depot, should they charge me $500 because that's how much I'll save over having to bang in nails with a rock?
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
If you had no idea of an alternative to that hammer and had know knowledge of hammering technology to investigate alternatives, but you know that you are going to lose $1,000-$5,000 a year if you don't buy _s
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
That's over 1/2 of what you charge right there (in the US) if you're doing things above the board.
For that reason, $100/hour is pretty normal because that makes it more like $40 or $50 that we actually see and then the work isn't necessarily steady, so you put back money for when you're between contracts.
There's a reason we charge "so much".
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
welcome to the real world.
Re:No its not worth much time (Score:2)
Adblock (Score:1)
And no, I do not work for Dice nor use them.
Yea (Score:1)
My boss used this site (Score:1)
my experience (Score:3, Informative)
My feeling is that it would take a one to two years of competition against the low-cost bidders to get to a point to where you might stand out enough to make it worthwhile. The low-cost guys generally received poorer ratings - so if you can understand customer needs you can work your way up to higher paying clients that wanted not only programming, but problem solving expertise. It wasn't really worth my investment of time to climb that hill, but you have to decide for your own situation.
I've tried guru.com (Score:1)
More than worth it for me (Score:1)