Ask HN: I'm a junior C++ programmer looking for part-time remote job
I'm looking for C++ experience and am willing to program your app cheaply. I'm somewhat familiar with Qt, Boost and some *SQL libraries.
I have nothing to show at the moment on my github page C++-wise but have written a poker client (Texas Hold'em only) and a simple chat client/server.
Maybe it's completely unrealistic to find jobs that fits my profile but I really want to move into the C++ space in a few years time.
19 comments
[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 56.0 ms ] threadI have a lot of C++ experience, but I've been taking jobs in other languages because the demand for C++ isn't there.
Fast + Legacy = Finance
But based on complaints I hear here in Zurich, the OP would never become qualified learning C++ part time to be the local expert directing offshore junior engineers.
If you want to compete with people who will have more hours of experience then choose a playing field with a reduced instruction set so you will also have had adequate hours with everything and you will only lose out against the minority who continue mastering the subject instead of just getting good enough.
C++ is the wrong direction for someone with a life because it rewards almost every hour of learning equally (or equally poorly depending on your opinions and futures predictions.)
Personally, I am a long time C developer but I simply ignore any postings with "C/C++" and no longer use C very much when I have an option to use a language that is easier to find alone in job listings.
If you are serious about C++ part time then I would suggest something rather write-only in a small group. For example, I did consider learning some OpenMP and working with research scientists. That is a nicer situation since most groups end up using a reasonably small dialect to stay focused on the task and you probably wont waste limited experience time reviewing arbitrarily bad code that misuses esoteric features. But that is exactly why it doesn't adequately prepare you for situations like Banks or make you a "C++ Developer" instead of a good programmer who happens to be using C++.
People use C++ mostly for two reasons: 1. Performance 2. Legacy code. If you want to be in C++ space in a few years, you really want to know how to write code that's fast. To make a program fast, you have to at least have a basic understanding of hardware and parallelism. Look at Martin Thompson's blog "Mechanical Sympathy" and listen to his talk "It's all a numbers game " at last year's GOTO conference and see if these materials interests you.If not, you might be better off not solely focusing on C++.
Mastering modern C++ will make it easy to learn other languages and idioms and it will give you a tool to produce efficient code that can run in a vast range of platforms and architectures.
Personally I have more fun with visual projects such as games ( check out SDL or SFML for 2D game libraries, or Unreal and others for 3D ), interactive installations ( take a peek at Ogre 3D, Cinder or openframeworks ) and audio and video processing, but you might have different interests.
Good luck!
I'm constantly seeking good C++ remote gigs (from Europe). Also, due to pragmatic reasons, besides other things, you might consider Golang/back-end development - there is quite a lot of remote Go jobs out there, and I personally prefer using it over java/ruby/python/etc...
Thanks
As for US-only remotes - Actually, a vast majority of remote jobs from US companies are US-only, from my experience. This trend is as well becoming popular in UK (UK-only remotes). As for the places - HN job postings, SO, WFH.io, WeWorkRemotely.
Oh, and stay away from oDesk, Freelancer, Elance, etc race-to-the-bottom places.