August 9, 2022
... ok that's a bit much - but I do seek to normalize the idea, as it's a concept that has served me well both as a developer and later when hiring developers.
My time as a fractional developer began in 2007 - I had moved from NYC to Atlanta, and in the process lost access to the lucrative Wall Street-focused technology jobs there. In that market I was able earn a premium as someone with both technology and investment finance knowledge - but my finance knowledge had far less value in Atlanta. Looking for positions in Atlanta at that time, it became clear that I'd have to rely on my technology skillset.
I found a position with Oracle (initially BEA Systems) on a technology "swat" team that was sent in to close critical enterprise deals by doing on-site development work. I'd often find myself at tech "bake-offs" where a competing team was right next door; it was exciting, but the job overall consisted of one intense week per month, with the rest of my time largely unoccupied (and working from home). I did well in the position and received above average bonuses, but I quickly saw there was no real promotion path beyond my role. I like to think of myself as a 10x developer, but no employer, Oracle included, would pay me 2x for my work even if they won every deal I touched. So what was I to do, as a senior developer making substantially less than at my last NYC job, and yet with ~30 hours per week on my hands? If lots of hard-working people juggle 2-3 physical jobs just to make ends meet - surely I could pull this off in front of a computer?
In January 2007 I decided to apply for contract development positions. This was in the era before universal remote work, so when I started a contract at Air2Web (an ATL-based sms startup), I timed my start date so that I'd have three weeks at the office. I impressed them with my work and got code into production in the opening weeks. When I next had to fly on behalf of Oracle, I told them “I have other responsibilities, and I need to be gone about one week a month. I can work evenings on those days, and make it work. Does that work for you?” Air2Web said yes, as they didn't want to lose a now-proven consultant! And so it began - I juggled those two roles, and a similar split between Oracle and ATT thereafter. I spent three years doing this before the startup bug bit me, and I started working on HiddenLevers.
Looking back, how did it work out for both sides?
A few years later when I began to get traction with HiddenLevers, I needed development help - and I turned back to the idea of fractional developers. But that's a story for next time.