Subj : Re: How much should I charge for fixed-price software contract?
To   : comp.programming,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.lisp
From : Pascal Bourguignon
Date : Tue Aug 16 2005 07:56 pm

rem642b@Yahoo.Com (Robert Maas, see http://tinyurl.com/uh3t) writes:
> Your question is based on a false premise. I **have** been trying to
> get programming jobs in areas where I have expertise (educational
> software, information retrieval/access, etc.), but I've never been able
> to find anyone interested in my skills in those areas. The closest I
> ever came was when my former boss referred me to a company that did
> educational software for children, and took me on a tour of what they
> were doing, but none of it was actually educational where it actually
> makes sure a child learns something, it was all play-explore stuff
> which is fine for spending idle time getting familiar with some stuff
> that looks interesting but is totally insufficient at making sure the
> child ever really learned anything. It's like a computer version of the
> child watching Sesame Street all day. Yeah, the child eventually picks
> up a few things here and there, but there's no competance at anything.
> So anyway I was told they aren't interested in any software that
> actually teaches the child anything, only in making sure the child
> enjoys the experience of playing with the computer games, so none of my
> experience is of any value there.

Isn't that a problem?  Couldn't you solve it?

Forget about getting a job: you're not a "professionnal".
(read Jeff Schmidt's, "Discplined Minds. a critical look at salaried
professionals and the soul battering system that shapes their lives.")
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0742516857/qid=1124211076/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-5385686-2832937?v=glance&s=books

Instead, start up an enterprise to develop and commercialize truly
educationnal software.  Well, start progressively.  You've already got
some code you said.  So make sure that it's better than most of the
reading educational software described in the 7,620,000 hits returned
by google http://www.google.com/search?q=reading+educational+software
and package it into an easily downloadable and installable software,
an make a web page to let parents download it against Paypal payment.

Once you've got a little war treasury from paypal payments, you'll be
able to feed yourself and perhaps an employee to develop a arithmetic
educational software, and then a whole calatlog.

-- 
"Remember, Information is not knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom;
Wisdom is not truth; Truth is not beauty; Beauty is not love;
Love is not music; Music is the best." -- Frank Zappa

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