Saturday, July 09, 2016

How Can A Developer Earn More Money?

The question on Quora was, "What is the best career advice for a software developer to earn a higher salary?

There were many logical answers, but in my experience the best way to earn a higher salary is to go to work for a badly managed company with lots of legacy code that they can’t get anyone to maintain. 

The managers of such an organization are usually desperate for a way out of the mess they've put themselves in, but being bad managers, the only idea they have about getting out is to buy their way out. They think that if they pay ridiculously high salaries, they can induce some foolish programmers to come and bail them out.

So, if maximum money is your only concern, find a company like this and work there until you can't stand it any longer, then take your money, leave, and find some other badly managed company.

Don't stay too long. The company may go bankrupt and not pay what they owe you. Warning sign: when they tell you your paycheck will be delayed, leave immediately.

If you want to know how to recognize badly managed companies, take a look at my 


Eventually, you may grow tired of this strategy and decide there are more things in life than maximum money. When that time comes, quit and look for a well-managed company, following some of the good advice in the other answers to this question on Quora.

4 comments:

Purclot Avignon said...

oh boy, your story is funny, sad and scary as well! You're perfectly right!

Purclot Avignon said...

oh boy, your story is funny, sad and scary as well, but you're perfectly right!

Unknown said...

That is fine advice - I LIKE it!

Unknown said...

Mr. Weinberg's works have been a mainstay of my education in the world of information systems and I have benefited greatly from his insights and efforts.

In this particular case I would express one cautionary. My experience has been that no man is an island, and the work practices, thinking, and decision making processes prevalent in an environment eventually influence my own work practices, thinking, and decision making processes - for better or worse.

Skills can deteriorate as fast as they can improve, if not faster, in the wrong environment...

best,
ken