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Ask HN: Where to find good early stage devs?

2 points by maxrev17 ↗ HN
Starting my quest to find a good early stage freelance developer who wants some mentorship from some older bods who can help with both the technical, and the non-technical side of going it alone, and breaking away from employment.

I always wished I'd had a mentor. Maybe it's something some people still value?

15 comments

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chmaynard
Why is it a requirement that the developer you're seeking be young? Isn't this an example of arbitrary discrimination based on age? Just asking.
maxrev17
Changed the wording for that reason. I guess it's not discriminatory but when I think of someone getting into dev who is able to take the risk of going freelance I think primarily of people post education.
chmaynard
Agreed. The average age of people looking for this type of mentor is probably in the range of 20-30. On the other hand, a late bloomer could be just as rewarding to work with (I'm 72.)
1-6
Age is a topic which will generate a spectrum of responses. Why not do the same with someone who may have a little more experience in working but wants to transition into dev? You'll find a lot of people who are interested in the prospect of getting paid more. You'll probably meet a lifelong happy mentee.
maxrev17
That's a good point! Will edit - young I guess as responsibility free and learning the craft. I guess early stage is a better term!
1-6
Yup, don't forget about those late bloomers!
trinovantes
See if your local universities/collages have internship/coop programs. Depending on where you live, it's a great way to get government subsidized junior developers and build a pipeline for new hires once they graduate.

Just be careful of senior students that have too much ego

William_c
I could be interested, completely falling in the category of early stage (turning 33) and wishing to transition. I have some experience in dev but I have not practiced since college. What kind of dev are you working on?
maxrev17
It's mainly web dev using .net c# and go, but other stuff pops up too occasionally! :)
failedsides
If you're looking to help out some people who've never programmed for a living, I'd be happy to hear some pointers!
maxrev17
Definitely! I suppose there a tonne of pointers (not sure if your pun was intended :p). What are you building at the minute?
failedsides
Great! Right now I'll be building a simple project for a job application, but hopefully next week I'll have some time to start some of my own projects.. I'd also love to hear about freelancing, how you choose the technologies you use, how you bill for your time, etc!

And the pun was not intended, heh