How much is a Perl hacker worth?

Anonymous Monk has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by jbrugger (Parson) on Apr 11, 2005 at 20:11 UTC
Depends on how good you are (Perl is just one of the many tools a developer can choose from). I stated this before, Perl IS a beautiful language, but a good developer should at leat be comfortable with 2 or 3 languages, and be quick enough to learn another as well. Development is a mindset and a way of solving problems, not just knowing the language (syntax and libraries) you choose, that's just one of the tools. e.g. Do you know your algorithms, when to choose them, design patterns (like mvc and singletons), uml, OO, common pitfalls, test-driven development, Agile methologies like DSDM, Extreme Programming, are you able to manage your own (and others) planning, I can go on. Next it depends on where you live, what age you are, how good you sell yourself, etc. etc. Anyway, i know you can get a fair price for perl programming, but there are companies who like to underpay you as well. We've seen this question before, and i really wonder what it has to add to your knowledge as a developer. Anyway, as you can see, there is much more that makes the developer than just the language he / she uses. And thus the price he's worth (or gets payed) "We all agree on the necessity of compromise. We just can't agree on when it's necessary to compromise." - Larry Wall.	[reply]
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by jhourcle (Prior) on Apr 12, 2005 at 04:30 UTC
A Perl hacker is worth next to nothing. The code you write is worth something, but what it's worth varies on the context. (the same program may be worth more to one person or company than another). Don't focus on writing code -- a coder can be replaced with someone who's willing to take less money for the job. I'm an analyst, and a programmer, and Perl is just one of the tools that I have to build solutions, and to get jobs done. You shouldn't think of it as any more than that. (Yes, it might be nice language to work in, but odds are, you could accomplish the same solution in any number of other languages as well ... or well, someone could, at least). As for how much to charge -- I seem to come back to this on a whole lot of my answers -- it depends. There are a whole lot of variables. (If they're in a rush, or pushy, or rude, you charge more. I try not to turn down work, unless I think it's immoral, but I'll make sure they'll pay more for it.) My brother calls this the 'annoyance factor' of his fee... although, he's a carpenter, not a programmer. NateTut isn't far off the mark -- you're worth whatever someone is willing to pay you. If they're willing to pay you a lot, take it, and save it for a rainy day. Contracting rates are also much different from salaried work -- you have to charge more per hour, because you don't work as many billable hours total. Salaried work is going to be influenced more by the location, but per hour it's typically only ~1/6 to 1/3 the pay rate. (skill and reputation affect the scales quite a bit). Also, this doesn't take into effect benefits that a salaried person might get, or factor in the insurance and other costs that a contractor might have. For some assorted reading: http://msdn.microsoft.com/Longhorn/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnsoftware/html/software08052004.asp http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CamelsandRubberDuckies.html http://www.alistapart.com/articles/invoices/ http://www.sage.org/salsurv/	[reply]
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by Joost (Canon) on Apr 11, 2005 at 20:02 UTC
I don't do much work for non-profit organisations, but I charge somewhere between 50 and 75 euros an hour, depending on the the number of hours and the type of contract. That's in the Netherlands, by the way. YMMV. "What should it profit a man, if he should win a flame war, yet lose his cool?"	[reply]
Re^2: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by cog (Parson) on Apr 12, 2005 at 09:16 UTC
somewhere between 50 and 75 euros an hour I just gotta leave Portugal :-\	[reply]
Re^3: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by Joost (Canon) on Apr 12, 2005 at 11:28 UTC
Maybe :-) As far as I can tell, that's pretty much the average rate for "freelance" programming jobs here. "What should it profit a man, if he should win a flame war, yet lose his cool?"	[reply]
Re^4: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by sh1tn (Priest) on Apr 12, 2005 at 11:55 UTC
Re^5: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by jbrugger (Parson) on Apr 12, 2005 at 21:07 UTC
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by samtregar (Abbot) on Apr 11, 2005 at 23:35 UTC
I suggest you pick up a copy of Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg. It has some really good advice about pricing your time. -sam	[reply]
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by NateTut (Deacon) on Apr 11, 2005 at 19:51 UTC
As much as I can get ;)	[reply]
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by Anonymous Monk on Apr 12, 2005 at 14:28 UTC
Anywhere from $0 for a 2-week job to $10000+expenses for 4 days. But none of it was just "a perl hacker doing perl work". I do a job, and Perl might be one of the tools.	[reply]
Re: How much is a Perl hacker worth? by ghenry (Vicar) on Apr 12, 2005 at 09:22 UTC
I think this depends on if your are also a project programmer/engineer/manager, as project management skills are a must. My 2p. Walking the road to enlightenment... I found a penguin and a camel on the way..... Fancy a yourname@perl.me.uk? Just ask!!!	[reply]