Ask HN: Yrs exp SDE, how much should I charge?

[Ant_on_]

Hello HN! For the past 15 years, I've been working as a Software Developer Engineer. I've focused mostly in back-end languages, and also a bit of front-end (though I'm not up-to-date with the latest Front-End trends). I have added a lot of value to the companies I've worked for, but I have the feeling I've never been compensated fairly. 1) My question for you guys is: how much should I charge per hour? 2) Is there a way to finding clients or companies that pay better wages? Thanks!

[rantallion]

There's no simple answer to this. It depends on where you live, what languages and technologies are in demand in your area, and how strong you are with them. Years of experience don't mean anything - we've all worked with bad devs with long careers and good devs with short careers.

Check out job listings near you. Interview for a few of the better paying and more interesting sounding roles. See which ones you're well-suited to and take it from there - you're under no obligation to actually accept any of them if you don't want to go through with it.