TE
TechEcho
Home24h TopNewestBestAskShowJobs
GitHubTwitter
Home

TechEcho

A tech news platform built with Next.js, providing global tech news and discussions.

GitHubTwitter

Home

HomeNewestBestAskShowJobs

Resources

HackerNews APIOriginal HackerNewsNext.js

© 2025 TechEcho. All rights reserved.

Ask HN: As a hobbyist developer, what are the odds of getting hired as a pro?

5 pointsby robinhoodover 1 year ago
I&#x27;ve created some OSS projects, one of them being Monica [1], an open source CRM which pops up sometimes on HN. The project has more than 20k+ stars and a lot of contributors. I&#x27;ve also created other projects (OfficeLife [2], Bivouac [3]).<p>However, all these are passion projects, worked on at nights and weekends. My day job is about project management (currently a very senior position) at various big corps.<p>I would like to switch careers and become a professional full stack developer. I can&#x27;t choose between backend and frontend since I&#x27;ve done everything on my projects. I <i>only</i> know Laravel, Vue 3, HTMX. I have to deploy my projects myself, maintain them myself, and design everything myself.<p>I&#x27;m not an expert in anything, but I know a bit of everything that is required to ship something that works.<p>That being said, what are the chances of being hired as a professional developer? Will I be taken seriously?<p>[1]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;monicahq&#x2F;monica [2]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;officelifehq&#x2F;officelife [3]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;djaiss&#x2F;bivouac

6 comments

heldridaover 1 year ago
If that&#x27;s what you want to do for a living, apply for PHP roles. 20k+ starts project, that&#x27;s a very good story to share during an interview. If you know how to communicate, which I believe as a Senior PM you are, then you can look into leading a project, as long you are clear and frank about what your limitations are you are fine! Good luck ;)
kosasbestover 1 year ago
&gt; I&#x27;m not an expert in anything, but I know a bit of everything that is required to ship something that works<p>The landscape is always changing, potential employers change their requirements, so you need to know $framework or $language of the month. My advice is be agile and adapt. Don&#x27;t get set in your ways with a strategy that only works for you.
PaulHouleover 1 year ago
Excellent. Today you might have to work a little (ok a lot) harder to get a job than a year ago but a developer who has a portfolio has a chance, I think the project management experience is worth something too, particularly in a startup. You might take a pay cut though.
评论 #38179257 未加载
t-3over 1 year ago
The only reason I can see you not being taken seriously is that you might seem too expensive or that &quot;stepping down&quot; into more of an individual-contributor role may be seen as incomprehensible and scare people away.
houseatrielahover 1 year ago
Depends on what salary you are looking for. If you want the coveted FANG jobs, as I understand it, you&#x27;ll have to grind leetcode. There&#x27;s a bit of a downturn right now, so don&#x27;t let that dampen your efforts.
gjvcover 1 year ago
quickest way to hate your hobby, if you&#x27;re not careful what company you fall into