From Indie Hacker Path to Job Market
From Survival to Sustainability
We were born with a unique genetic blueprint that, along with our actions, words, and thoughts, shapes who we become. We are part of a larger world, interacting with society, friends, and family. This interconnected web is a tiny dot in the vast universe, yet it profoundly influences our lives and our contexts.
In 2024, living in the First World, we rely on exchanging resources, with money being the primary medium of exchange. To earn money, the most straightforward and legal method is through work. When we work, we trade our time for money, which we then use to acquire resources. These resources are limited on Earth but could be limitless in the universe. Imagine if we had magical machines that could produce everything we needed without effort; perhaps we wouldn't need to work at all.
However, our time is finite. In life, time is our most precious asset, and without obligations, we can spend it however we wish. But we need to survive.
The Dichotomy of Survival and True Self
In the quest for survival, we often find ourselves living dual lives. There is the 'survivor you' who works to earn a living and the 'true you' who enjoys hobbies, spending time with family, and pursuing passions. This duality can also be seen in companies. For instance, Google might aspire to work on groundbreaking projects, but survival demands they focus on ad revenue, employing numerous people to optimize ads rather than innovating for humanity’s benefit. Similarly, some teams work on making apps addictive to capture attention instead of developing the next big thing. This survival instinct drives them, regardless of the potential drawbacks to humanity.
Embracing the Indie Hacker Path
The indie hacker path for me it’s the intersection between my survivor me and my true self. It represents a journey where you work on your projects, make your own decisions, manage your time, listen to feedback and focus on what you believe is best. It’s about learning what you want, building your own products, and truly being yourself. If your creations are good enough, you can achieve sustainability. This is my ultimate goal on this path. Sustainability here means transcending survival mode and becoming the creator of your life.
After dedicating more than a year to the indie hacker path, I haven’t yet achieved sustainability. This means I need to return to the job market to find a job that allows me to survive.
Finding the Ideal Job
My ideal position would involve research and learning a lot. I once considered pursuing a PhD, but I am not keen on the current system of publications and citations. Additionally, research relies heavily on grants, making it challenging to find a project that aligns with your interests and is worth your time.
I prefer roles similar to what I do as an indie hacker, so I gravitate towards startups. Working at startups allows you to learn about various business and technology aspects.
Exploring the Job Market
I have a list of preferences for things I want to learn. However, since there isn’t a list of companies that match my learning interests, and companies often prioritize specialists, finding the ideal job is tough. If I can’t get my ideal job, I want a job that offers a good quality of life, where I can learn new things and be rewarded well enough for more personal time.
What you learn in a new job depends on your current knowledge. The best insight into potential learning opportunities comes from job descriptions, what the company does, and its scale. You can also ask former colleagues for references, but that’s not always feasible.
The job market it’s not at its best moments, I read Panic! at the Job Market post and liked the relationship between job openings and interest rates. I recommend giving it a light read at least.
Given these challenges, I decided to start by reading job descriptions and researching companies. I focused on companies that could offer me more personal time through better compensation.
Researching High-Paying Companies
A few months ago, I came across a GitHub repository on Hacker News listing the 500 highest-paying companies for software engineers. I decided to get deep into it, searching their career pages for remote software engineering jobs and related roles.
Most of these companies are US-based, and there were fewer remote positions than I expected. Despite this, I applied to 20 companies but only secured one interview, which didn’t go as planned.
I also realized that there is a ranking for high-paying companies depending on country in levels.fyi website if you would like to know rankings in your country.
A gift for you
I compiled a CSV file with the top 100 companies from the list. Initially, I considered creating a webpage about these top jobs, but the SEO keyword difficulty statistics didn’t seem promising. Here is the CSV with the first 100 high-paying software engineering companies. I’m not sure if it will be useful to anyone, but I will appreciate your thoughts.
Conclusion
Navigating the indie hacker path and the job market can be challenging. It requires balancing survival with the pursuit of personal and professional growth. By sharing my journey and resources, I hope to help others who are on a similar path. Whether you are an indie hacker or seeking a job that aligns with your passions, remember that sustainability is the ultimate goal. It’s about creating a life worth your time, not just surviving.
Good luck!