Ask HN: Experience with Code Consultants?

I can speak to this from the other side. On two occasions I've been hired by a solo developer and small company to develop a library and a proof of concept while documenting and explaining everything I was doing so they could carry on themselves.

I found both of these an enjoyable experience and I was told by both that it was incredibly beneficial for them.

How I'd approach it: Honestly I would just check the HN freelancer thread and start emailing people, get a quote on a day's worth of whatever it is you want from them: code review, pair programming, etc. That's a relatively small investment that will probably give you an idea of whether this is worth pursuing, with them or in general.

I am personally fine with taking on anything that is >=1 day of work, some people probably won't want to do anything that isn't a much longer project.

In any case you're trying to find professionals that will respond professionally and should be able to break down how their time can benefit you. So just email some people and let them prove that they meet those criteria.

This is something I've also thought about as a solo dev who has experienced the exact same issues.

Before hiring someone, think about collaborating with someone else in the same position. Organising a regular screenshare or meet-up where you both go over these things and provide feedback. Like a language exchange: 30 minutes speaking English, 30 minutes speaking French.

I'm curious if there is a forum or service for these kind of exchanges?

Not affiliated, but there are services like PullRequest[0] that do code review as a service -- it might be worth doing this in your situation to cut out the overhead of trying to find someone qualified.

Disclaimer: haven't used them yet, so can't comment on quality.

[0] https://www.pullrequest.com/