Software Engineer Choices: Permanent Employee vs. Contractor vs Micro-ISV, Part 3: Micro-ISV

For ambitious software engineers who desire to work for themselves.

(2023–08–30), A Book Changed Me
(2023–09–04), An Event Changed Me to Work for Myself: Attending One Former Colleague’s Funeral

Three work choices for a software engineer:

• Permanent Employee
• Contractor
• Micro-ISV (Independent Software Vendor)

3. Micro ISV

For software developers who want to build their own apps, make sure you are at least 10X more productive than your peers first. A simple reason: Developing a thorough app individually is a challenging task that demands significant productivity.

It’s important to bear in mind that ISV work isn’t the same as contract work. A previous business partner of mine, who was a contractor, had a mug with the phrase, “Don’t rush me; I get paid by the hour.” Working for your own business means a totally different mentality. You need to be highly-efficient on many tasks.