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I need out - should I try solo app dev or a small company?

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Anonymous
·Nov 20, 2017

I'm a young developer on the west coast and for certain reasons (misled by shady company that changes names yearly and funnels young professionals into exploitation at a large company), I really need to find a new job or income source. The sooner the better. I am a pretty good developer, went to a good CS school, and can learn anything quickly, with a wide range of skills. I see 2 options, basically: I don't have the mental energy to mess around with interviews at the tech giants (nor do I ever want to get near them now), so either make premium or subscription based apps (I'm a macOS/iOS/watchOS user) that are simple (at least initially), but well crafted - I've got an obsession about detail and use a lot of niche apps. I can also make web apps. I have a lot of ideas but... none scream killer app to me, so it's a gamble. The other option was to try and get in touch with smaller companies - but not necessarily "startups" - although I would try a startup again with my new perspective. And I am gonna try networking heavily, although it will be hard to do without sounding any alarms.

I also have teaching experience. I don't know how to monetize that, though.

So - any advice / experience to share? I'm really worried about me and my partners future and financial stability.

(to the people below, since I cant reply anonymously - I specifically referenced non startups. never dealing with a big company again though. its kafkaesque and was the worst day of my life when things went sour)

i guess i'll try networking online and in person and try to find remote opportunities or possibly something local that isn't mismanaged or evil