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Ask HN: More interesting side work?

7 points by RDDavies ↗ HN
I probably do 20 or so hours of side work in addition to my typical 9-5. The extra money is nice, and in the past, I was getting to do some pretty neat things. Now, although I'm still making good money, most of my side work has turned into installing/theming/configuring various CMSs for clients, and, well, its not interesting. I've got several years experience as a PHP & Front-End developer, and I'm really looking to work with a "cool" startup and better utilize my talents, and help grow as a developer, but am not ready to leave my 9-5 for it. Anyone out there looking for someone to work on the side for them? Suggestions on how to find something more interesting without leaving my day job?

9 comments

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asimjalis
What was the more interesting work that you did in the past? Can you describe it more and how you got that?
RDDavies
I've always been pretty involved in the automotive industry (hobby of mine), so got to write a bunch of neat web apps to do with it. Inventory/parts interchange stuff that connected a bunch of different online retailers together so they'd save time calling between each other to see who had what in stock, and kept track of pricing models to use. The total scope of the projects is really off-topic for the thread :). Got a lot of the people interested in that through a big trade show a few years ago when I was going through a lull in freelancing jobs.

Honestly, money is the least of my concerns. I don't have any interest in working for free, but I'm billing out around $100 to do CMS work. All of which is mindless for me. I'd rather take half as much and do something I enjoy.

AmberShah
Approach car dealerships, parts stores and detailers to do web work. My husband has done a lot of side work for these types of companies. They all need websites/ecommerce/cms and most of them have money to spend on it. Perhaps working in this domain that you are passionate enough combined with your skillset will be enough to interest you.
apowell
If you're game, I'd like to talk -- your experience sounds like a great match for my business. Contact info is in my profile. (Also, if you'd like people to get in touch with you, add some contact info to your profile. The email field isn't visible to the rest of us.)
RDDavies
Sent you an email. Looking forward to talking with you!
borisk
Can't you write a CMS installer/themer/configurator tool? You already have the domain knowledge and potential clients.
RDDavies
I suppose. Particularly the config/install part. Just not so exciting to me anymore.
imp
You can try making a product to sell, like the Bingo Card guy. It may not be a "cool" startup, but it's a step above CMS stuff.