What are contractor rates for RoR programmers?

Rails
1

I’m in the Bay area, finishing my CS degree part time and learning
RoR. I’d love to be able to quit my day job and do RoR contracting in
6 months to 1 year. Just wondering what people are getting paid for
contract gigs. Or, are there any ways to find out what the going rate
is?

2

On 7/7/07, elgringo [email protected] wrote:

I’m in the Bay area, finishing my CS degree part time and learning
RoR. I’d love to be able to quit my day job and do RoR contracting in
6 months to 1 year. Just wondering what people are getting paid for
contract gigs. Or, are there any ways to find out what the going rate
is?

You may be better off asking on
http://groups.google.com/group/rails-business

3

I didn’t know there was such a group. Thanks!

4

Perry,

excellent explanation!!!

I am working in a full time job, and as most of the full time workers
dream to start my own business. advices like yours are very
professional.

jsn

Smith wrote:

elgringo wrote:

I’m in the Bay area, finishing my CS degree part time and learning
RoR. I’d love to be able to quit my day job and do RoR contracting in
6 months to 1 year. Just wondering what people are getting paid for
contract gigs. Or, are there any ways to find out what the going rate
is?

Generally, for any contracting job, you charge double your salary. So,
if you make $50K per year now (as a full time employee of some company),
that is $25/hr. You would charge $50/hr. If you can’t find work at
that rate, give up early.

I’ve not had a full time job since a year after college. I’ve done
contracting and consulting my whole career. About 15 years ago, a guy
told me I was thinking about it all wrong. Don’t think dollars per
hour. Do fixed bid contracts based upon the value of your work.
Usually the dollars per hour you make thinking this way is astronomical
– but you take the risk of doing what you promise.

Never turn down a job because you are too busy. Keep tweaking your
prices higher. And, even more important, never take a job that smells
bad from the start. This is really hard to do but you have to learn how
to say “no”.

Clear honest communication up front of what the customer wants, needs,
and expects is key.

Good luck
Perry S.
Ease Software, Inc. (www.easesoftware.com)
SATA disk storage for AIX

5

elgringo wrote:

I’m in the Bay area, finishing my CS degree part time and learning
RoR. I’d love to be able to quit my day job and do RoR contracting in
6 months to 1 year. Just wondering what people are getting paid for
contract gigs. Or, are there any ways to find out what the going rate
is?

Generally, for any contracting job, you charge double your salary. So,
if you make $50K per year now (as a full time employee of some company),
that is $25/hr. You would charge $50/hr. If you can’t find work at
that rate, give up early.

I’ve not had a full time job since a year after college. I’ve done
contracting and consulting my whole career. About 15 years ago, a guy
told me I was thinking about it all wrong. Don’t think dollars per
hour. Do fixed bid contracts based upon the value of your work.
Usually the dollars per hour you make thinking this way is astronomical
– but you take the risk of doing what you promise.

Never turn down a job because you are too busy. Keep tweaking your
prices higher. And, even more important, never take a job that smells
bad from the start. This is really hard to do but you have to learn how
to say “no”.

Clear honest communication up front of what the customer wants, needs,
and expects is key.

Good luck
Perry S.
Ease Software, Inc. (www.easesoftware.com)
SATA disk storage for AIX