Re: Free Software Job Advice

[Sergei Steshenko <sergstesh yahoo com>]

--- On Sat, 5/4/13, אנטולי קרסנר <tombackton gmail com> wrote:

> From: אנטולי קרסנר <tombackton gmail com>
> Subject: Free Software Job Advice
> To: gtk-list gnome org
> Date: Saturday, May 4, 2013, 10:44 AM
> Hello everybody,
>
> I'm looking for advice on making a living from working on
> Free Software.
>
> I already read articles, send my CV to various companies,
> but I found
> nothing. So I decided to ask here, hoping this question
> isn't too
> inappropriate for this list.
>
> I'm a software engineering student in first year (out of 4),
> from
> Israel.
> I've been coding in C++ using GNU and Gnome technologies,
> and I'm
> familiar with the GTK/gtkmm, libxml++, etc. I do need to
> refresh my
> knowledge of GObject, but certainly I can write code and
> contribute to
> existing projects (or work on my own project, which I've
> been doing for
> the past 9 months).
>
> The problem is that I need to make a living somehow. Not
> just as a
> student, but also later, as an engineer. I don't need much,
> just make a
> living and do what I believe in: work on free software and
> promote
> software freedom.
>
> In Israel nobody cares about free software (they call it
> open source,
> and it's just a way to save money), so after failing to find
> such a job
> here, I sent CV to companies in Europe. I realize I'm a
> student, I have
> no formal coding education, I have no proven experience
> (none of my code
> has reached the stage an initial version can compile, yet)
> but source
> files themselves... but I do want to contribute. The only
> reason I don't
> work on Gnome projects is that my free time is spent working
> on my own
> project, which will hopefully be a useful desktop app when
> it's ready
> (probably until the end of the summer).
>
> I realize all that, but I don't want to give up and accept
> the fact I
> can't do anything for free software. I do have skills, I do
> have
> knowledge. My current project has 7000 lines of code (not
> much for a
> serious project, I know, but it's a lot for me as a student
> working
> alone) written by myself from scratch, using GNU Build
> System, gtkmm,
> libxml++, libsigc++.
>
> Isn't there a way I can make a living with the skills I do
> have? I do
> want to help, and I don't need much in return, I just want
> to make a
> living. To pay my rent, to pay for my food... I'm sure my
> skills can be
> useful to someone. With a free software project.
>
> If you can help me or give advice, I'll be thankful.
>
> - AAnatoly Krasner
>
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The short suggestion - contact (if you haven't already) http://www.lingnu.com/ . And send my regards to 
Shahar Shemesh.

The long answer would require explaining (politically incorrectly) how in reality "free" SW world works, but 
it would be a really long answer.

Regards,
  Sergei.