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Comment by dpau | Hacker News Reader

Just for the sake of variety, I started off as a promising young software developer but let idealism and thirst for adventure get in the way :) Besides loving to code, having skills in high demand has allowed me to travel and explore the world for the past 20 years.

1997-1998 - $32k - Programmer for State government

1998-1999 - $86k - Consultant, Phoenix & NYC

2000-2004 - $32k - Software developer for NGO, Amsterdam

2004-2006 - $28k - Developer & Network Admin throughout Asia for NGO

2006-2007 - $14k - Independent remote software consultant while studying Mandarin full-time in Beijing

2007-2008 - $10k - Manager of ceramics studio in Jingdezhen, China

2008-2017 - $14k - Studio Ceramicist in Jingdezhen, part-time remote developer

2018 - $38k - Part-time remote software consulting while pursuing an MFA, Alfred, NY

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As someone who cares more about adventure than $$$ and just founded my own NGO, mad respect.

2014: -$10k - Founded a startup.

2015: $35k - Moved to SV, raised a small seed.

2016: $54k - Running my startup in SV.

2017: $60k - Remote contracting from Scotland.

2018: $25k - Remote contracting. Founded an NGO in Europe, almost all of my contracting money goes to supporting my work with that.

2019: $20k - Remote contracting + full time on my NGO. Living in Serbia to stay close to the action.

Any good link on how NGOs work/how to start on in Europe?

Are there unified E.U. rules about it or does it change from country to country ?

Don't have links on hand, but it changes from country to country. We started ours in Sweden, where my cofounder is from. It was pretty easy compared to the 503(C) process in the US: create a governing document, put together a board, hold your first meeting, apply for organization status, apply for charity status.

Happy to talk more if you want- my email is in my profile.

While I haven't lived in China and Amsterdam, I haven't exactly deprived myself of experiences, and I'll make your 20 years worth of income this year, and last, and next.

Good for you, but I can't imagine risking my options for the later portion of my life like that.

this is the life I want. do you have a more detailed write-up on your life anywhere?

if u want to try it out, there are lots of opportunities in the non-profit sector for IT people: https://www.idealist.org/en/?functions=TECHNOLOGY_IT&type=JO... you can also check the websites of organizations you are interested in working with, for example amnesty has a "technology and human rights team": https://careers.amnesty.org/vacancy/technologist-technology-...

Sounds like a lot of fun stories. Do you have any regrets?

theres a cost for everything we do in life. we all have same rate of passing us by time just the choice how to spend energy in that time.

definitely not! but the trade-off, of course, is that you'll most likely always be poor, never own a house, and never retire (not that i'd want to)

You are living my dream my man

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