12 ms·

Show HN: Fractional jobs – part-time roles for engineers

281 points by tbird24 1y ago

I'm Taylor, I spent about a year as a Fractional Head of Product. It was my first time not in a full-time W2 role, and I quickly learned that the hardest part of the job wasn't doing the Product work (I was a PM for 10+ years), it was finding good clients to work with. So I built Fractional Jobs. The goal is to help more people break out of W2 life and into their own independent careers by helping them find great clients to work with. We find and vet the clients, and then engineers can request intros to any that seem like a good fit. We'll make the intro assuming the client opts in after seeing your profile. We have 9 open engineering roles right now: - 2x Fractional CTO - 2x AI engineers - 3x full-stack - 1x staff frontend - 1x mobile

Gualdrapo 1y ago
Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42425473 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42425473
philip1209 1y ago
That’s cool- I worked on a similar website a few years ago. Do your jobs tend to be for technical or non-technical customers? What are the characteristics of developers who succeed on your site?
- tbird24 1y ago
  Thanks! Most of the clients hiring engineers tend to be non-technical, especially those hiring Fractional CTOs of course. But sometimes we'll work with CTOs to hire a contractor for their team too. I think the devs that have the most success have the following qualities: - They can clearly show their work history (Linkedin, Resume, Github, custom site, etc.) - They have some baseline level of knowledge/experience in relationship management, i.e. they can talk the talk. You do have to do a bit of "selling", especially when looking for contract work.
tbird24 1y ago
I realize I should probably comment links to some of the better engineering roles we're currently featuring right now. BTW I should also note we don't take a % commission like Upwork, Toptal, etc. So if you get hired you'd work with the company directly and get paid by them direct. Fractional CTO @ A Consumer Healthtech Marketplace 20 - 40 hrs | $175 - $200 / hr | Remote (USA only) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/chief-technology-officer-at-a-consumer-healthtech-marketplace https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/chief-technology-officer-... Senior AI Engineer @ A European Insurtech Startup 20 - 40 hrs / week | €85 - €100 / hr | Remote (CET +/- 6hrs) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-ai-engineer-at-a-european-insurtech-startup https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-ai-engineer-at-a-e... Senior Full-stack Engineer @ A Consumer Social Startup 20 - 40 hrs / week | $125 - $150 / hr | Remote (EST +/- 5 hrs) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-full-stack-engineer-at-a-consumer-social-startup https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-full-stack-enginee... Staff Frontend Engineer @ An HR-tech Analytics Platform 20 - 40 hrs / week | $120 - $180 / hr | Remote (USA / Canada only) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/staff-frontend-engineer-at-an-hr-tech-analytics-platform https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/staff-frontend-engineer-a... AI Engineer @ A Creator-focused AI Startup 10 - 15 hrs / week | $100 - $125 / hr | Remote (USA / Canada / Europe only) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/ai-engineer-at-a-creator-focused-ai-startup https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/ai-engineer-at-a-creator-...
- raggi 1y ago
  These prices seem very low.
  - jameslk 1y ago
    As someone who's done freelancing previously for years and also has run an agency previously for years, it really depends. I've certainly seen freelancers at double or triple these rates. If you already have clients, are well known, or you're good at selling the value of your time, you can ask for much higher. If you're just getting started or you're going through an agency, these rates seem pretty competitive. Also macro economic factors will change the equation and what you can ask for. For those just getting started, my piece of advice is to be OK taking a lower rate initially, and just keep pushing it higher until you find resistance. If you're good at what you do, you will quickly find that you will get referrals (make sure to ask!) and can charge a ton more. It's a lot easier as a freelancer/contractor than a salaried employee since the market is much more liquid (you spend less time at one gig) and therefore you can test the waters with a higher rate much more often. Regardless, what these companies list as what they will pay hourly isn't necessarily what you have to ask for. If you think about it from a negotiation perspective (and you have the ability to sell yourself), these are simply just the lower bound of what you can ask for.
    - jameshush 1y ago
      Great advice. Sometimes you need to take a step back to take three steps forward. Referrals are the key.
  - emseetech 1y ago
    My rule of thumb as a contractor is to take the hourly rate x2100 to get an equivalent full-time salary plus benefits, 401k, vacation, etc. Fractional CTO | $368k - $420k Senior AI Engineer | €179k - €210k Senior Full-stack Engineer | $263k - $315k Staff Frontend Engineer | $252k - $378k AI Engineer | $210k - $263k Given that the rates are decent. Not the best out there but decent. I'd consider this before Upwork where contract rates are criminally low.
jcims 1y ago
May want to look into finding fractional security roles as well. Lots of smaller companies don’t need full time security staff but *do* need help.
- tbird24 1y ago
  Totally agree! We've featured a number of Fractional CISO roles.
  - hn_throwaway_99 1y ago
    I'm curious if anyone has any experience either as a "fractional CISO" or at a company who had one. CISO is famously a "sacrificial lamb" sort of job, and it's certainly never one I would take on on a fractional basis (all of the risk but a lot less of the reward). I could understand having a fractional "security advisor" or "security lead", so maybe I'm just arguing about semantics, but again I'm primarily just interested in hearing about real world experiences with this sort of arrangement.
    - jcims 1y ago
      I know someone who actually enjoyed the fractional CISO role. Unless your goal is to move to a less expendable CxO role I actually see it as less of the risk and more of the reward.
TexanFeller 1y ago
There’s definitely a need for this! I’ve been thinking hard recently about how I could go part time without leaving the industry. Almost all of the good SWE work situations I’ve heard of require full time. Even the contractors I’ve worked with in my career have been full time.
- chilldsgn 1y ago
  Same. I hate the 9-5. It's soul-crushing for me. This is right up my alley!
rubyfan 1y ago
I use an ad-blocker which seems to break the “Function(s)” multi-select drop-down on the sign up form.
- tbird24 1y ago
  Which ad blocker? I will test this.
  - rubyfan 1y ago
    BlockBear, Firefox Focus, Hush and Wipr on Safari mobile. And it’s still not enough, though from time to time I run into issues like this where it seems like I’m asking for it not to work. Thanks for looking in to it, I like the site.
eikenberry 1y ago
Any thoughts on a reputation system for talent/clients? A way to streamline hiring for talent and clients who have received good feedback from past work through your service?
- tbird24 1y ago
  Here's the thing, and I'm open to thoughts here. But I've found that candidate A can be a great fit for company B, but a terrible fit for company C. I think a match is way more subjective than folks tend to give it credit for, and a rating system (like Uber) makes it seem more objective than it actually is. It works for things like Uber, where you can have hundreds of ratings very quickly, and so it converges on a natural truth. But with fractional clients, I think the N is so small that there's might just be too much noise. Thoughts?
  - protocolture 1y ago
    Hot take: I find that a lot of the businesses that are a good fit for terrible staff, have terrible business practices. It would probably be beneficial for a lot of absolutely garbage clients to consider hiring better people to fix their processes and corporate culture, rather than just picking the person they like.
    - volkk 1y ago
      > a good fit for terrible staff, have terrible business practices I think generally the people that end up choosing terrible staff that perpetuate terrible business practices are probably pretty terrible executives/founders themselves. Talent generally attracts talent in some way. There's really almost no situations where someone really fantastic would even _want_ to work for a bad company barring huge pay, or a rare moment of desperation due to life circumstances
      - protocolture 1y ago
        Agreed but thats why a good rating system goes both ways.
giantg2 1y ago
Screw part time. The whole economy is moving towards part time, gig work, etc and it's terrible for most employees who need good wages and benefits.
- thot_experiment 1y ago
  Screw full time, I have a life and I want to enjoy more than 30% of it.
  - giantg2 1y ago
    Sure, but how do you pay for it?
    - bigDinosaur 1y ago
      If single with no dependents this is still very achievable on 4 days a week (and more than doubly so if dual income no kids), and it gets progressively more difficult the more dependents one has, so it really depends far too heavily on the individual context to make sweeping judgements about feasibility.
      - stronglikedan 1y ago
        > single with no dependents sure, but that's an unfulfilling existence for most, naturally
        bigDinosaur 1y ago
        You can still have kids and not have any dependents. As in, they grow up and move out.
        throwmeaway222 1y ago
        you ever feel like getting this far out on a wacky thread and realized everyone was coming from their own perspective, which means everyone is naturally just talking past each other and so, basically, into the wind?
icelancer 1y ago
This is great. I currently work a fractional role on top of being a founder. Wish it was more commonly available.
shooker435 1y ago
How does this compare to https://www.hirefraction.com/about https://www.hirefraction.com/about ? I've noticed they market 'overemployment' as a benefit, is this platform similar?
- tbird24 1y ago
  I'm personally not a huge fan of the over-employment trend, although I do see some arguments for it. A lot of the companies that are looking to hire on fractional jobs are quite explicit that they don't want folks that have full-time jobs (aka are over-employed) because of the negative connotations and consequences. I'm familiar with Higher Fraction. I believe that the core difference is just that they're an agency that takes a percent markup on your hourly rate, so typically it's 20%. I think the best software engineers don't need to do this, though, and they can find clients directly through their network or even through places like Fractional Jobs where we connect you directly with clients, and it's your relationship to own.
- the-alchemist 1y ago
  They don't pay much. $5k-$6k/mo for half time.
freecodyx 1y ago
[flagged]
- philip1209 1y ago
  view-source says Webflow
- tbird24 1y ago
  Are you trying to insult my design skills or my Webflow skills?
  - fn-mote 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - jimbokun 1y ago
      A self deprecating sense of humor demonstrates a lot of confidence.
- dang 1y ago
  "Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
VirusNewbie 1y ago
I think there's an interesting market here. I know a couple moms who were exceptional FAANG level engineers who were willing to take huge pay cuts to go part time. They wanted to keep working but have enough time for their family. I'm also aware of someone who made a lot of money in tech and doesn't really need to work but wants to stay in the game. They have told me they'd take a lot less money than they were making for a low salary and some equity if there weren't crazy high expectations for hours worked. I don't think you could build a team of only part timers, but it really could be a solid way to round out a less experienced team without breaking the bank.
- tbird24 1y ago
  Yup, I see these examples all the time. You're spot on.
- kgilpin 1y ago
  Yes. For someone who’s already financially comfortable, it’s nice to be able to stay in the game, keep working with great people, and make some money without having to deal with burnout. Lots of people in tech like their jobs; they just like other things too. Personally I don’t know why I would want to stop working completely. It sounds boring. I love to build. Why ever stop?
  - chilldsgn 1y ago
    I'm not yet financially comfortable, but once I am, this is definitely how I see my life going. I love my work, but I don't love the job, I've gotten burned out too many times. For people who want some more freedom with their time, part time is ideal. I want to have more time to experiment and learn. Currently there is just no time for it.
hinkley 1y ago
One of the things I always found a bit dumb about contracting houses is that the sales contact and the manager might work multiple projects but nobody else did. Why shouldn’t I as a client get 10 hours a week from an architect and 5 hours a week from a security expert instead of paying for a whole one? We should be comparing notes with our consulting house colleagues on design problems and interpersonal dynamics, but we never have. Only when they project is going badly does anything like this happen, and then it’s done begrudgingly.
hinkley 1y ago
You could use a better string interpolation tool that replaces, “0 days ago” with “today”.
- jaggederest 1y ago
  ActiveSupport still has a wonderfully readable implementation: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/b0c813bc7b61c71dd21ee3a6c6210f6d14030f71/actionview/lib/action_view/helpers/date_helper.rb#L95-L158 https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/b0c813bc7b61c71dd21ee3a6... Though I don't really use Rails that often any more, I still miss some of the niceties.
- ralferoo 1y ago
  If something was less than 24 hours ago, there's a good chance that it was actually be "yesterday" rather than "today". The peer post linking to someone else's solution that uses size appropriate scales seems better.
alberth 1y ago
I’ve only skimmed the FAQ articles but haven’t seen anything about how exactly you get paid (1099, does that platform facilitate fractional pay, etc).
neuroelectron 1y ago
So like, gig economy but for people who should know better than to accept gig economy jobs. Sounds exactly like the next YC project.
- em-bee 1y ago
  huh? that's what freelancing always has been. what's wrong with that?
  - neuroelectron 1y ago
    Freelancing already exists, good point. There is no need for this product.
    - em-bee 1y ago
      finding projects for freelancers is hard. if only because many freelancers struggle at the networking side of it. anything helps. also most freelancers are not interested in long term commitments. this service therefore solves the problem for a subset of freelancers for both sides. i am in the market for exactly what it offers: part time long term engagements.
baxter001 1y ago
[flagged]
- tomhow 1y ago
  > Fuck you very deeply. You can't comment like this on Hacker News, no matter what you're replying to. Criticism is fine, but personal attacks like this are not. Please make an effort to observe the guidelines if you want to participate here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - baxter001 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - tomhow 1y ago
      OK, sure, the comment will remain flagged, killed and collapsed.
      - johnnyanmac 1y ago
        Off-topic: wouldn't not reinstating an edited comment disincdntivize the idea to correct and fix their behavior?
        tomhow 1y ago
        Sure, but that commenter didn’t correct or fix their behavior at all. We happily reverse flags or bans when people change their behavior. That’s always a good outcome.
tamimio 1y ago
I will just reiterate what I posted before about using the term "engineering." https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44855157#44860128 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44855157#44860128 It's about time that there should be a distinguished difference between an engineer who went through engineering school and another who went to a bootcamp/computer science/etc. Not only is it confusing for people like me whenever I see the word engineering - the first thing that comes to my mind are engineering topics, only to find it's just full stack, JavaScript, prompt "engineering" jobs- but it also disturbs the market for both seekers and employers. When an employer posts a "systems engineering" job and gets bombarded with people who had some JS and DevOps work, meanwhile the employer is after systems with hardware and the like, you are making it worse for both sides. And this kind of "relaxed" approach is only in engineering professions for some reason; even as a plumber you need an apprenticeship, let alone being a lawyer, nurse, or doctor.
- 8note 1y ago
  I expect an employer can escape that by asking for a professional engineer whow can sign and stamp for their work, and has some malpractice insurance.
- SolubleSnake 1y ago
  I agree that the term 'Engineer' has lost all meaning in the software/IT world. I studied CS at a UK uni which was a subject in the engineering school. I then worked with engineers on multidisciplinary projects (mechanical, electrical, chemical) and am a qualified CAD engineer. When people start advertising for roles my 'mobile engineer' for someone who makes iphone apps it just makes me feel a bit sad. It genuinely cheapens the term. I imagine 'architects' also get p1ssed off for the same reason tbh. There's probably loads of real architects who see an 'architect' and say 'he's not a bloody architect! I went to architecture school for SEVEN YEARS!!! He's an idiot with a 1 month AWS certificate!' Why is IT so bad at trying to steal others' glory!?
namuol 1y ago
What sort of legal protections and guarantees do you provide talent that apply through your service?
- petesergeant 1y ago
  Does any job board do this?
nl 1y ago
What does W2 mean?
- shawn_w 1y ago
  It's the form USA employers report employee earnings on for calculating income tax. I think OP is using it to mean "regular full time employee".
hcwilk 1y ago
Genuinely curious: do you all think that a fractional position would work for a sales / sales engineering type role? Considering pursuing a PhD but would love to be able to continue to utilize this skillset
- AbstractH24 1y ago
  Fractional sales and GTM is huge right now
  - hcwilk 1y ago
    Where would you recommend looking for roles like this?
    - y-curious 1y ago
      Recommending fractional sales and not elaborating is huge right now! Personally, every salesperson I know works way too much to ever do it part time.
    - AbstractH24 1y ago
      I’ve gotten a lot through my personal network just asking companies if they need help.
      - duckmysick 1y ago
        Can you share more details about it? Like who did you contact in those companies (owner? HR? your past manager?), what did you say, was it in-person or over an email, etc.
rr808 1y ago
The idea of fractional jobs implying you need to work on multiple jobs at a time probably makes sense. I like the idea of part time but feel like just keeping up with technology is already such a lot of work you can't ever be useful working 2 or 3 days per week for the rest of your career.
iainctduncan 1y ago
This is a great idea. I have (deliberately) been working between 50-75% time for most of my 20 years in development. Finding places that are ok with part time is a pain in the ass on normal job boards. While I'm not looking now, I would absolutely have used this.
karakot 1y ago
race to the bottom.
chloeho0513 1y ago
Hi Taylor, we have a pool of talent connections open to work, could possibly help you find the right people. Please reach me at chloe@olofsson.sg

281 points by tbird24 1y ago

Gualdrapo 1y ago

Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42425473 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42425473

philip1209 1y ago

That’s cool- I worked on a similar website a few years ago. Do your jobs tend to be for technical or non-technical customers? What are the characteristics of developers who succeed on your site?

tbird24 1y ago
Thanks! Most of the clients hiring engineers tend to be non-technical, especially those hiring Fractional CTOs of course. But sometimes we'll work with CTOs to hire a contractor for their team too. I think the devs that have the most success have the following qualities: - They can clearly show their work history (Linkedin, Resume, Github, custom site, etc.) - They have some baseline level of knowledge/experience in relationship management, i.e. they can talk the talk. You do have to do a bit of "selling", especially when looking for contract work.

tbird24 1y ago

I realize I should probably comment links to some of the better engineering roles we're currently featuring right now. BTW I should also note we don't take a % commission like Upwork, Toptal, etc. So if you get hired you'd work with the company directly and get paid by them direct. Fractional CTO @ A Consumer Healthtech Marketplace 20 - 40 hrs | $175 - $200 / hr | Remote (USA only) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/chief-technology-officer-at-a-consumer-healthtech-marketplace https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/chief-technology-officer-... Senior AI Engineer @ A European Insurtech Startup 20 - 40 hrs / week | €85 - €100 / hr | Remote (CET +/- 6hrs) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-ai-engineer-at-a-european-insurtech-startup https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-ai-engineer-at-a-e... Senior Full-stack Engineer @ A Consumer Social Startup 20 - 40 hrs / week | $125 - $150 / hr | Remote (EST +/- 5 hrs) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-full-stack-engineer-at-a-consumer-social-startup https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/senior-full-stack-enginee... Staff Frontend Engineer @ An HR-tech Analytics Platform 20 - 40 hrs / week | $120 - $180 / hr | Remote (USA / Canada only) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/staff-frontend-engineer-at-an-hr-tech-analytics-platform https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/staff-frontend-engineer-a... AI Engineer @ A Creator-focused AI Startup 10 - 15 hrs / week | $100 - $125 / hr | Remote (USA / Canada / Europe only) https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/ai-engineer-at-a-creator-focused-ai-startup https://www.fractionaljobs.io/jobs/ai-engineer-at-a-creator-...

raggi 1y ago
These prices seem very low.
- jameslk 1y ago
  As someone who's done freelancing previously for years and also has run an agency previously for years, it really depends. I've certainly seen freelancers at double or triple these rates. If you already have clients, are well known, or you're good at selling the value of your time, you can ask for much higher. If you're just getting started or you're going through an agency, these rates seem pretty competitive. Also macro economic factors will change the equation and what you can ask for. For those just getting started, my piece of advice is to be OK taking a lower rate initially, and just keep pushing it higher until you find resistance. If you're good at what you do, you will quickly find that you will get referrals (make sure to ask!) and can charge a ton more. It's a lot easier as a freelancer/contractor than a salaried employee since the market is much more liquid (you spend less time at one gig) and therefore you can test the waters with a higher rate much more often. Regardless, what these companies list as what they will pay hourly isn't necessarily what you have to ask for. If you think about it from a negotiation perspective (and you have the ability to sell yourself), these are simply just the lower bound of what you can ask for.
  - jameshush 1y ago
    Great advice. Sometimes you need to take a step back to take three steps forward. Referrals are the key.
- emseetech 1y ago
  My rule of thumb as a contractor is to take the hourly rate x2100 to get an equivalent full-time salary plus benefits, 401k, vacation, etc. Fractional CTO | $368k - $420k Senior AI Engineer | €179k - €210k Senior Full-stack Engineer | $263k - $315k Staff Frontend Engineer | $252k - $378k AI Engineer | $210k - $263k Given that the rates are decent. Not the best out there but decent. I'd consider this before Upwork where contract rates are criminally low.

jcims 1y ago

May want to look into finding fractional security roles as well. Lots of smaller companies don’t need full time security staff but *do* need help.

tbird24 1y ago
Totally agree! We've featured a number of Fractional CISO roles.
- hn_throwaway_99 1y ago
  I'm curious if anyone has any experience either as a "fractional CISO" or at a company who had one. CISO is famously a "sacrificial lamb" sort of job, and it's certainly never one I would take on on a fractional basis (all of the risk but a lot less of the reward). I could understand having a fractional "security advisor" or "security lead", so maybe I'm just arguing about semantics, but again I'm primarily just interested in hearing about real world experiences with this sort of arrangement.
  - jcims 1y ago
    I know someone who actually enjoyed the fractional CISO role. Unless your goal is to move to a less expendable CxO role I actually see it as less of the risk and more of the reward.

TexanFeller 1y ago

There’s definitely a need for this! I’ve been thinking hard recently about how I could go part time without leaving the industry. Almost all of the good SWE work situations I’ve heard of require full time. Even the contractors I’ve worked with in my career have been full time.

chilldsgn 1y ago
Same. I hate the 9-5. It's soul-crushing for me. This is right up my alley!

rubyfan 1y ago

I use an ad-blocker which seems to break the “Function(s)” multi-select drop-down on the sign up form.

tbird24 1y ago
Which ad blocker? I will test this.
- rubyfan 1y ago
  BlockBear, Firefox Focus, Hush and Wipr on Safari mobile. And it’s still not enough, though from time to time I run into issues like this where it seems like I’m asking for it not to work. Thanks for looking in to it, I like the site.

eikenberry 1y ago

Any thoughts on a reputation system for talent/clients? A way to streamline hiring for talent and clients who have received good feedback from past work through your service?

tbird24 1y ago
Here's the thing, and I'm open to thoughts here. But I've found that candidate A can be a great fit for company B, but a terrible fit for company C. I think a match is way more subjective than folks tend to give it credit for, and a rating system (like Uber) makes it seem more objective than it actually is. It works for things like Uber, where you can have hundreds of ratings very quickly, and so it converges on a natural truth. But with fractional clients, I think the N is so small that there's might just be too much noise. Thoughts?
- protocolture 1y ago
  Hot take: I find that a lot of the businesses that are a good fit for terrible staff, have terrible business practices. It would probably be beneficial for a lot of absolutely garbage clients to consider hiring better people to fix their processes and corporate culture, rather than just picking the person they like.
  - volkk 1y ago
    > a good fit for terrible staff, have terrible business practices I think generally the people that end up choosing terrible staff that perpetuate terrible business practices are probably pretty terrible executives/founders themselves. Talent generally attracts talent in some way. There's really almost no situations where someone really fantastic would even _want_ to work for a bad company barring huge pay, or a rare moment of desperation due to life circumstances
    - protocolture 1y ago
      Agreed but thats why a good rating system goes both ways.

giantg2 1y ago

Screw part time. The whole economy is moving towards part time, gig work, etc and it's terrible for most employees who need good wages and benefits.

thot_experiment 1y ago
Screw full time, I have a life and I want to enjoy more than 30% of it.
- giantg2 1y ago
  Sure, but how do you pay for it?
  - bigDinosaur 1y ago
    If single with no dependents this is still very achievable on 4 days a week (and more than doubly so if dual income no kids), and it gets progressively more difficult the more dependents one has, so it really depends far too heavily on the individual context to make sweeping judgements about feasibility.
    - stronglikedan 1y ago
      > single with no dependents sure, but that's an unfulfilling existence for most, naturally
      - bigDinosaur 1y ago
        You can still have kids and not have any dependents. As in, they grow up and move out.
        throwmeaway222 1y ago
        you ever feel like getting this far out on a wacky thread and realized everyone was coming from their own perspective, which means everyone is naturally just talking past each other and so, basically, into the wind?

icelancer 1y ago

This is great. I currently work a fractional role on top of being a founder. Wish it was more commonly available.

shooker435 1y ago

How does this compare to https://www.hirefraction.com/about https://www.hirefraction.com/about ? I've noticed they market 'overemployment' as a benefit, is this platform similar?

tbird24 1y ago
I'm personally not a huge fan of the over-employment trend, although I do see some arguments for it. A lot of the companies that are looking to hire on fractional jobs are quite explicit that they don't want folks that have full-time jobs (aka are over-employed) because of the negative connotations and consequences. I'm familiar with Higher Fraction. I believe that the core difference is just that they're an agency that takes a percent markup on your hourly rate, so typically it's 20%. I think the best software engineers don't need to do this, though, and they can find clients directly through their network or even through places like Fractional Jobs where we connect you directly with clients, and it's your relationship to own.
the-alchemist 1y ago
They don't pay much. $5k-$6k/mo for half time.

freecodyx 1y ago

[flagged]

philip1209 1y ago
view-source says Webflow
tbird24 1y ago
Are you trying to insult my design skills or my Webflow skills?
- fn-mote 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - jimbokun 1y ago
    A self deprecating sense of humor demonstrates a lot of confidence.
dang 1y ago
"Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

VirusNewbie 1y ago

I think there's an interesting market here. I know a couple moms who were exceptional FAANG level engineers who were willing to take huge pay cuts to go part time. They wanted to keep working but have enough time for their family. I'm also aware of someone who made a lot of money in tech and doesn't really need to work but wants to stay in the game. They have told me they'd take a lot less money than they were making for a low salary and some equity if there weren't crazy high expectations for hours worked. I don't think you could build a team of only part timers, but it really could be a solid way to round out a less experienced team without breaking the bank.

tbird24 1y ago
Yup, I see these examples all the time. You're spot on.
kgilpin 1y ago
Yes. For someone who’s already financially comfortable, it’s nice to be able to stay in the game, keep working with great people, and make some money without having to deal with burnout. Lots of people in tech like their jobs; they just like other things too. Personally I don’t know why I would want to stop working completely. It sounds boring. I love to build. Why ever stop?
- chilldsgn 1y ago
  I'm not yet financially comfortable, but once I am, this is definitely how I see my life going. I love my work, but I don't love the job, I've gotten burned out too many times. For people who want some more freedom with their time, part time is ideal. I want to have more time to experiment and learn. Currently there is just no time for it.

hinkley 1y ago

One of the things I always found a bit dumb about contracting houses is that the sales contact and the manager might work multiple projects but nobody else did. Why shouldn’t I as a client get 10 hours a week from an architect and 5 hours a week from a security expert instead of paying for a whole one? We should be comparing notes with our consulting house colleagues on design problems and interpersonal dynamics, but we never have. Only when they project is going badly does anything like this happen, and then it’s done begrudgingly.

hinkley 1y ago

You could use a better string interpolation tool that replaces, “0 days ago” with “today”.

jaggederest 1y ago
ActiveSupport still has a wonderfully readable implementation: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/b0c813bc7b61c71dd21ee3a6c6210f6d14030f71/actionview/lib/action_view/helpers/date_helper.rb#L95-L158 https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/b0c813bc7b61c71dd21ee3a6... Though I don't really use Rails that often any more, I still miss some of the niceties.
ralferoo 1y ago
If something was less than 24 hours ago, there's a good chance that it was actually be "yesterday" rather than "today". The peer post linking to someone else's solution that uses size appropriate scales seems better.

alberth 1y ago

I’ve only skimmed the FAQ articles but haven’t seen anything about how exactly you get paid (1099, does that platform facilitate fractional pay, etc).

neuroelectron 1y ago

So like, gig economy but for people who should know better than to accept gig economy jobs. Sounds exactly like the next YC project.

em-bee 1y ago
huh? that's what freelancing always has been. what's wrong with that?
- neuroelectron 1y ago
  Freelancing already exists, good point. There is no need for this product.
  - em-bee 1y ago
    finding projects for freelancers is hard. if only because many freelancers struggle at the networking side of it. anything helps. also most freelancers are not interested in long term commitments. this service therefore solves the problem for a subset of freelancers for both sides. i am in the market for exactly what it offers: part time long term engagements.

baxter001 1y ago

[flagged]

tomhow 1y ago
> Fuck you very deeply. You can't comment like this on Hacker News, no matter what you're replying to. Criticism is fine, but personal attacks like this are not. Please make an effort to observe the guidelines if you want to participate here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- baxter001 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - tomhow 1y ago
    OK, sure, the comment will remain flagged, killed and collapsed.
    - johnnyanmac 1y ago
      Off-topic: wouldn't not reinstating an edited comment disincdntivize the idea to correct and fix their behavior?
      - tomhow 1y ago
        Sure, but that commenter didn’t correct or fix their behavior at all. We happily reverse flags or bans when people change their behavior. That’s always a good outcome.

tamimio 1y ago

I will just reiterate what I posted before about using the term "engineering." https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44855157#44860128 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44855157#44860128 It's about time that there should be a distinguished difference between an engineer who went through engineering school and another who went to a bootcamp/computer science/etc. Not only is it confusing for people like me whenever I see the word engineering - the first thing that comes to my mind are engineering topics, only to find it's just full stack, JavaScript, prompt "engineering" jobs- but it also disturbs the market for both seekers and employers. When an employer posts a "systems engineering" job and gets bombarded with people who had some JS and DevOps work, meanwhile the employer is after systems with hardware and the like, you are making it worse for both sides. And this kind of "relaxed" approach is only in engineering professions for some reason; even as a plumber you need an apprenticeship, let alone being a lawyer, nurse, or doctor.

8note 1y ago
I expect an employer can escape that by asking for a professional engineer whow can sign and stamp for their work, and has some malpractice insurance.
SolubleSnake 1y ago
I agree that the term 'Engineer' has lost all meaning in the software/IT world. I studied CS at a UK uni which was a subject in the engineering school. I then worked with engineers on multidisciplinary projects (mechanical, electrical, chemical) and am a qualified CAD engineer. When people start advertising for roles my 'mobile engineer' for someone who makes iphone apps it just makes me feel a bit sad. It genuinely cheapens the term. I imagine 'architects' also get p1ssed off for the same reason tbh. There's probably loads of real architects who see an 'architect' and say 'he's not a bloody architect! I went to architecture school for SEVEN YEARS!!! He's an idiot with a 1 month AWS certificate!' Why is IT so bad at trying to steal others' glory!?

namuol 1y ago

What sort of legal protections and guarantees do you provide talent that apply through your service?

petesergeant 1y ago
Does any job board do this?

nl 1y ago

What does W2 mean?

shawn_w 1y ago
It's the form USA employers report employee earnings on for calculating income tax. I think OP is using it to mean "regular full time employee".

hcwilk 1y ago

Genuinely curious: do you all think that a fractional position would work for a sales / sales engineering type role? Considering pursuing a PhD but would love to be able to continue to utilize this skillset

AbstractH24 1y ago
Fractional sales and GTM is huge right now
- hcwilk 1y ago
  Where would you recommend looking for roles like this?
  - y-curious 1y ago
    Recommending fractional sales and not elaborating is huge right now! Personally, every salesperson I know works way too much to ever do it part time.
  - AbstractH24 1y ago
    I’ve gotten a lot through my personal network just asking companies if they need help.
    - duckmysick 1y ago
      Can you share more details about it? Like who did you contact in those companies (owner? HR? your past manager?), what did you say, was it in-person or over an email, etc.

rr808 1y ago

The idea of fractional jobs implying you need to work on multiple jobs at a time probably makes sense. I like the idea of part time but feel like just keeping up with technology is already such a lot of work you can't ever be useful working 2 or 3 days per week for the rest of your career.

iainctduncan 1y ago

This is a great idea. I have (deliberately) been working between 50-75% time for most of my 20 years in development. Finding places that are ok with part time is a pain in the ass on normal job boards. While I'm not looking now, I would absolutely have used this.

karakot 1y ago

race to the bottom.

chloeho0513 1y ago

Hi Taylor, we have a pool of talent connections open to work, could possibly help you find the right people. Please reach me at chloe@olofsson.sg