Who is a contract programmer?

A contract programmer is a software developer who is paid an hourly rate for working on special software development projects for a period. Contract computer programmers are not paid salaries like full-time developers but hourly wages.

Contract programmers tend to be very project focused because they are hired to solve specific problems or code specific features and as soon as that is done, they have to move on to another project or find a new client.

Contract programmers are independent software developers who work with clients on a project-to-project basis. The relationship between a contract programmer and a client lasts as long as the client has a steady stream of work. What usually happens is that as soon as the client can’t find any work or the work starts dwindling down, the client initiates the process to end the relationship.

Contract computer programmers are not supposed to form strong emotional bonds or ties to their clients unlike their full-time colleagues because the nature of their work is temporary. That is why contract programmers are sometimes called temporary workers.

Contract programmers are specialists, experts and master craftsmen. When a client hires a contract computer programmer, the client expects to find a master programmer who will hit the ground running. This separates contract programmers from full-time software developers and the master craftsmen from the wannabe contract programmers.

A contract programmer is expected to start churning out high quality code, fixing bugs, improving their clent’s software and generally justifing their high pay by solving important problems within a few hours or days of starting work. Unlike full-time software developers who may take 6 months to 1 year to prove themselves, contract programmers who haven’t mastered their art well-enough to make a difference are usually dropped like hot potatoes by their clients.

Contract programmers may be W2 contract programmers or 1099 contract programmers. The difference lies with how their taxes are filed with the IRS.

The W2 contract programmer is paid by a recruiting agency that is also responsible for withholding taxes and providing liability insurance. Many recruiting agencies will also provide medical, dental and 401K benefits.

On the other hand, 1099 contract programmers, generally known as free-lancers, pay their taxes to the IRS and provide their own medical, dental and 401K insurance.

A contract programmer has the liberty of working as a W2 contract programmer with one firm and a 1099 contract programmer with another firm.

How long do contract programming projects last?

Contract programming projects typically last from a month to 5 years. The trend is towards fewer months and higher billing rates. The typical duration is 3 months, 6 months or 1 year.

How much do contract computer programmers bill?

Contract programmers typically bill anywhere from $50 per hour to $200 per hour.

What factors determine the contract programmer’s billing rate?

The factors that determine a contract programmers billing rate include:

1. Experience: The more experienced a contract programmer is, the more the contract programmer can charge

2. Demand: Some computer programming skills are in high-demand while others are not. So contract programmers who master computer programming skills that are in high-demand can bill at a higher rate than others

3. Client: The compensation provided for the same programming skills can vary widely by client with no other explanation other than one client having more money than the other

Who should be a contract programmer?

Contract programming makes sense for computer programmers who love to be independent or who do not want to climb the corporate ladder. It is also good for those individuals who want to make more money than is found in regular full-time software development. Finally, it works for those who can use their down-time in between projects to sharpen their computer programming skills, pursue other hobbies or take vacations.

What is the future or outlook for contract programmers?

The future is bright for contract programmers as more companies are trending towards out-sourcing their software development projects to temporary staffing firms or recruiting agencies that in turn out-source the programming work to contract programmers. Contract computer programmers are considered to be expert, highly-skilled craftsmen and their opinions and expertise are valued at client sites They are also paid significantly more money and do not have to stand inline or beg for a pay raise when they work for it.

How do you become a contract programmer?

The critical skills needed for a successful contract programming career are:

1. Expert programming skills

2. Well-crafted resume

3. Effective job interviewing skills

4. Aggressive Resume Marketing

Read this previous post titled “The keys of a successful computer programmer career” to learn more about these keys.

If you have these skills in abundance, you will do well in contract programming. If you don’t or will like to develop them, you should read “How to become a master contract programmer” or CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY IN A FEW MINUTES.

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One of my blog readers emailed me the question below about the feasibility of changing careers to computer programming in Malaysia.

Question:

Hi,

I am 34 years old, currently working as an electronic technician and am thinking of a career change and take up programming as a career.

I am interested to know if you have come across anyone like in my situation from Malaysia who has done your course and managed to get a job as a computer programmer?

I ask because the conditions in Malaysia is somewhat different as in the need for a degree, for example. So, it would be refreshing to know of a proven case for me to bear in mind when making the crucial decision to get myself to really go for it.

Thank you. Kind regards,

Edward

Answer:

Hi Edward,

1. Is A Computer Science Degree, a Legal Requirement? I’m aware that programmers who have degrees are sometimes preferred to those who don’t at job interviews. Notice that I use the word preferred. However the question to ask yourself is this: “Am I legally required to have a computer programming degree from a college or university?”

   The answer to this question in many cases is NO. No because in most countries that I know of, you are not legally required to have a computer programming degree from a college or university. Let’s examine my claim more closely. If you want to become a lawyer or medical doctor, in most countries you need to have degree from a university or college.

   So, you will be doing something illegal if you present yourself as a medical doctor or a lawyer without having the college or university degree to back it up. However, with computer programming, the preference is not a legal requirement. This means that you can present yourself as a computer programmer without having a computer science degree.

   So, this is what I urge you or any of my readers to do. If you are really serious about changing careers to computer programming, take advantage of the opportunity to do so now because the entry requirements and barrier to beginning a career in computer programming is quite low.

   The mechanics of how to master computer programming and begin a professional computer programming career is what I teach in my book: “the street smart guide to computer programming careers“.

2. What Are Employers Looking For? Yes, there are many job postings that list a computer science degree as a requirement. However, in most of these cases, the computer programming degree requirement applies to full-time computer programmer job postings and not to contract programmer positions.

   This is because the contract programming market works differently from the full-time employment market. For contract programmers, the important requirement is to have strong industry experience and the technical skills for the job and simply present your resume. It’s far better to focus on developing the technical skills required to master programming than on the degree requirements because employers would often hire programmers who have the required programming skills without a college degree.

3. Focus on Outsourcing And Increase Your Employment Options: You cannot focus on your local employment market in Malaysia alone because you limit your options by doing so. Whatever country you live in (Singapore, Japan, South Korea, South Africa), you have access to the internet and to a global supply of computer programming jobs. This means that even though you live in Malaysia or Kenya, you can bid for programming projects originating in US, UK, Canada, etc.

   Often these projects pay more than those originating in your own country. So, if you decide not to become a computer programmer because of the employment conditions in your country, you lose the option of working on better paying programming projects posted by more open minded employers on the internet. These software development projects do not require a computer science degree and are posted by employers in the US, UK, Canada, etc. for computer programmers living anywhere to participate in.

Edward, I have given you 3 good reasons why you should begin your professional computer programming career today without hesitation. Please let me know if I can answer any other question or comment that you may have.

Finally, If you are considering changing careers to computer programming, begin by reading the definitive book on how to master computer programming easily and get hired for a programming job fast.

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IT-Career-Coach.Com announces the release of Your Complete Guide to a Programming Career in 4 e-Books available for immediate download. This hi-tech career handbook provides you with the experience, insight and information on computer programming careers and hi-tech jobs that will cost you years to discover otherwise.

Reducing trial and error by learning from professional programmers is key to career success

By reducing the trial-and-error involved in becoming a professional computer programmer or finding a hi-tech job, you can learn a programming language fast, begin a high demand programming career easily and find a high paying job early in your programming career.

8 reasons why you should download and read the “how to” book on becoming a computer programmer

1. You will save money and time on becoming a computer programmer.
2. You will have complete and comprehensive information on what you need to do to become a marketable computer programmer.
3. You can download it now to your computer, and start reading it in minutes.
4. You will learn how to write computer code (computercode) and get a high paying hi-tech job without spending thousands of dollars.
5. You will learn the specific strategies currently used by professional programmers to advance their careers, get high paying jobs and rapidly master new programming languages and technologies.
6. You will get extensive and exhaustive information. Currently, there are more than 160 pages of practical information on how to become a professional computer programmer.
7. You will begin your journey into the world of experienced hi-tech professionals and obtain insider knowledge which usually takes years of intensive industry exposure or thousands of dollars of career coaching.
8. Your reading will be in plain simple English, in words that you can understand, whether you have a high school diploma, a computer science degree or no previous computer programming background.

How to think like an experienced professional programmer

This handbook is designed to help you think like a professional programmer and not like a beginning programmer. For example, beginning programmers think that “choosing or learning a programming language” is all that matters. Experienced programmers know that there is more to computer programming than just learning a programming language. Why this book matters to you

The career development information contained in Your Complete Guide To A Programming Career will help you build a hi-tech, hi-demand career faster and more easily than your colleagues who are using the trial and error method to start a new programming career or discover what works and what doesn?t in the world of hi-tech computer jobs.

Some of the challenges faced by beginning programmers which are addressed include:

1. How to learn programming fast.
2. Which is the best programming language: C#, C/C++, Visual Basic.NET, Java, Python, PHP, JavaScript, Visual Basic, Ruby, etc.
3. How to become a better, more skilled and competent computer programmer.
4. The pros and cons of contract programming or full time employment.
5. How to identify which computer skills and jobs are in high demand.
6. How to identify which computer skills and jobs pay best.
7. How to become a computer programmer in a shorter time.

It is important for a beginning computer programmer to choose the right programming language. This is because programming languages are not equal. Some are difficult for beginners to learn and others are easier to master. Some programming languages are in high demand and others are not. To succeed, beginning programmers need to choose the programming language best suited to their personal goals and avoid the frustration resulting from learning the wrong language.

Four Books In Your Complete Guide To A Programming Career

1. The Computer Programmer?s Quick Start Career Guide.
2. How To Be A Programmer.
3. The Street Smart Guide To High Paying Computer Programming Careers.
4. How To Learn Programming Fast: From Beginner To Professional Computer Programmer.

The Computer Programmer?s Quick Start Career Guide addresses 50 topics on becoming a professional computer programmer. Some of these are:

1. How to determine your salary or your hourly consulting rate.
2. How to become a programmer with or without a college degree.
3. How to find recruiters who specialize in hiring programmers.
4. How to learn computer programming at home and on a budget.
5. How to handle the effects of out-sourcing on computer programming careers.
6. How to find “freelance work” or “telecommuting jobs.
7. How to get the training you need to become a computer programmer.
8. How to keep up with rapidly changing of technology.
9. How to determine what you are worth.
10. How to become a programmer without a degree in math or computer science.
11. How to choose between a traditional college education and the self-learning / self-taught path to becoming a programmer.
12. How to shorten the time it takes to learn a programming language or software.
13. How to get the real world industry experience needed to get hired.
14. How to get past hard-to-understand programming books and languages.
15. How to turn your past non-programming experience into irresistible reasons for hiring you.
16. How to successfully negotiate your salary or consulting rate with a recruiter.

How to Be a Programmer addresses several topics on becoming a programmer including

1. How to deal professionally with difficult customers, managers or co-workers.
2. How to handle stress associated with programming.
3. How to manage software projects on time and under budget.
4. How to find the information you need to do your job.

The Street Smart Guide to High Paying Computer Programming Careers, the first in this series

1. Addresses the fundamental question of why you should consider a career in computer programming.
2. Explains how to successfully jump start your own computer programming career without spending years beating about.
3. Addresses how to get your resume into the hands of employers, prepare for technical interviews, and get hired for hi-tech positions.
4. Walks you through the multiple career paths available to hi-tech workers.

One of the reasons why aspiring information technology workers fail is that they assume that everyone employed in the industry writes code for a living. Well, this is not true. Some hi-tech workers write code, while others don?t. This career guide presents multiple career paths that may match your personality better.

The Street Smart Guide to High Paying Computer Programming Careers explains the difference in life style between full time and contract programming careers so, you can decide which is best for you based on facts. This level of detail will clarify for you, the career, pay and choices available to highly paid computer programmers and help you to become one more easily.

How to Learn Programming Fast: From Beginner to Professional Computer Programmer helps you discover

1. Which programming language is best suited for you.
2. How to learn a programming language or technology and accelerate from novice or beginning programmer to a competent professional programmer.
3. How to accelerate your career with complete study guides and career action plans.

1. You will become more successful in your career by following after experienced, successful professionals: Becoming a programmer is more than just choosing a programming language like Java or C#. Being a professional programmer is more like having your own business.

   So, there are lots of really important details to pay attention to. In these 4 e-books, you will gain critical insight into what it takes to succeed in a programming or hi-tech career.

2. You will become more effective on the job and save both yourself and your employer thousands of dollars in training costs: If your solution to learning new technology is always to attend a training class or go to school, your career may stall. In a real job you may have to master more than one new technology in your first month of employment. If you choose to take classes, you will end up in training for the month and get nothing productive done.

   If you keep up with this solution, your career may stall as your employer by-passes you for less expensive and more effective colleagues. So, learning new technologies quickly on the job is critical to your career success.

   From Your Complete Guide To Programming Careers you will learn how to master new technologies and programming languages without having to attend training classes and schools. Mastering the skill of self learning will definitely pay you rich dividends for your life time.

3. You will learn how to recognize and avoid career dead-ends: The author was once offered a job by a consulting firm that would have been a career dead-end. The hiring manager presented the job as a favor by citing 401K, medical and dental health plans, vacation pay and a guaranteed salary as strong pluses. Had the author accepted the offer, more than $25,000 would have been left on the table.

   Not only this, some important liberties like the right to negotiate one’s bill rate, choose one’s technology and client would have been lost. Your Complete Guide To Programming Careers will help you avoid taking rabbit trails and weird job offers by defining a tried and true path to either contract or full time programming.

4. You will save time and money by avoiding trial and error: Learning by trial and error will cost you. Things like knowing what to negotiate for and how to negotiate can mean the difference between a $25/hr. and a $38/hr. job ($26,000 difference).

   Not knowing which programming language is in high demand can mean the difference between a $20/hr. and a $40/hr.job (a $40,000 difference) and not knowing how to present and prepare for interviews can mean the difference between a well paying engagement and a career dead-end. So, if you eliminate the risks and cost of learning by trial and error, you will become more successful easily.

5. You will avoid becoming frustrated or worse giving up on your dream: Your attempt to become a computer programmer may stall and ultimately fail if you make a costly mistake like learning the wrong programming language.

   For example, your career may stall because the programming language you choose is too difficult for you, or because there are few resources to help you with learning the language or because you got left behind by the pace of change of technology.

Your Complete Guide to a Programming Career shows you how to achieve a successful high paying computer programming career and is available for immediate download here.

About Kingsley TagboKingsley Tagbo is a contract computer programmer, a software consultant, an author and an information technology career coach.

Kingsley’s career spans more than a decade of experience in various high demand information technology positions dealing with business analysis, database development, project management, software consulting, information technology sales, contract programming, full time computer programming, web development and information technology management. To download the e-Books described in this press release, please go here.

I would like to hear from you. You can reach me with your questions, concerns, and comments using the Contact Form on this site.

Please forward this message to any person or group that will benefit from this information.

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• Become A Leader Coaching - Develop hands-on experience, gain domain expertise, solve industry problems, Stand Up and Be Noticed, market your career using PULL instead of PUSH techniques!

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