Ask HN: How to Consult Part-Time as a Community College Instructor

Hello. Back in the fall I made a career change from being an AI researcher working in industry to becoming a tenure-track computer science instructor at a community college. I am based in Silicon Valley; I did not relocate when I changed careers. I have a full teaching load during the fall and spring semesters where I teach introductory programming courses, discrete math, and data structures. However, I also have a one-month winter break and a 2.5-month summer break where I am not required to teach. I love my new career teaching computer science and I have no plans to return to industry.

I am curious about doing part-time consulting during my breaks as a way for me to keep my practical skills up-to-date and also as a way of making extra money. I am wondering how I could get started as a part-time consultant, and what the market for consultants is like, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from AI, I have also done research in storage systems, and I have some software development experience from non-research jobs.