Ask HN: Should I focus on iOS or Rails as Freelance?
I'm currently trying to go freelance full-time and going through a dillema on where I should focus my attention and time.
While I'm more versatile on iOS (and have a lot of experience on C++ code, from nginx modules to multiplatform systems code and games) I have also been involved in various Rails projects.
I'm trying to build a small portfolio to attract potential clients and find work but I don't really know on what I should focus. Preferences wise, I have things I like and dislike about both platforms. I'm more worried about getting clients than personal fullfilment to be honest (as I have my own pet projects for that) as I want to focus on getting more international clients and as such, a good portfolio is a must (since networking is so much harder).
I currently charge 50 USD/hour for iOS development work but would like to up my charges a bit since going full-time involves some more expenses as well.
Thank you Bruno
17 comments
[ 2.4 ms ] story [ 50.0 ms ] threadI guess that is actually what I'm asking. At HN, seems there are more people requiring Rails/web devs, but outside, seems iOS devs are more in demand.
Right now and in all honesty, my main concern is supporting my family, I have a few months salary I can burn through while developing the portfolio, but I'm afraid of betting on the wrong horse so to say.
Another way to look at is if you want to bet on apps vs. the web in terms of growth over the long term. And frankly I don't think anyone has a real answer for that yet, in fact over the long haul it might even be a false divide.
Lastly for my money I think the best programmers are always ones who are good at multiple languages. So for example you might build a native app with Objective-C (maybe Java for Android) and then create a backend using Ruby or something on a server. I'd also point out to you that other skills like a knowledge of a specific industry and just the ability to communicate can make an average programmer very desirable as an employee or freelancer.
btw, you last name Pinto, latin/portuguese by chance?
Seriously though, while not from India or Pakistan, I still live in a low-cost country (Portugal) compared to most of the USA or UK. $50/hr affords me a good quality of life. The market may allow me to charge more, but at the moment, I can't even find many clients at this rate (thus, focusing right now on building a public portfolio, I have other projects I have worked on that are very well rated on the Appstore, but can't really use them as showcase due to NDAs I've signed).
All the reason to charge more. If you have lots downtime between clients then you should make enough during your uptime to compensate for that. There are other benefits to outsourcing besides cheap labor and clients should pay a premium for those luxuries.
Edit: Even the good people I've worked with outside the US charge $75 US/hr for iOS development work.
Is 50/hr that low? I know it isn't the US rate, but getting even 30 USD/hr here is hard (that's why I'm trying to focus more internationally and thus the need to do portfolio work as much of my apps are in the local app store).
Keep in mind that people will naturally appraise your abilities on your perceived value. If you are coming in 50% lower than the competition, they instantly think that you are worth at least 50% less.
Something that seems to work fairly well for me is I have a base rate of $85 (for rails or UX dev) and then offer discounts depending on the duration (in months):
2 - 3: $80
3 - 9: $75
9 - 12: $70
This tells them that I'm "worth" $85/hr but because they are saving me money by reducing downtime, I'm passing that savings on to them. They feel like they are getting a good deal and I get longer contracts.