airsaylongcome:
@Lindner and other more experienced remote workers, can we create a community to provide advice to potential Nairalanders looking for advice on how to navigate the murky waters of IT Remote employment? I'm thinking of a Slack (or Mattermost) group where only invited folks can join. Using Slack/Mattermost (as opposed to having a thread here or creating a WhatsApp or Telegram group) will provide a way of restricting those who can join while allowing prospective remote workers get accustomed with Slack which is a major Collaboration/Communication software for remote work. The community can serve as a means of "giving back" while empowering prospects with info of where to source for remote work, how to go about applying and all other contributions we can give. This is an honest no-ulterior-motives suggestion

There is a slack community opened by qtguru though it has not really been active. Why not make leverage/build it up from there. Some peeps here are part of the slack. He opened it with this same goal of remote stuff but Oga don busy now dey juggle two job.

islamics:


There is a slack community opened by qtguru though it has not really been active. Why not make leverage/build it up from there. Some peeps here are part of the slack. He opened it with this same goal of remote stuff but Oga don busy now dey juggle two job.

But I like the fact you guys are keeping it alive, I will update there from time to time

airsaylongcome:
@Lindner and other more experienced remote workers, can we create a community to provide advice to potential Nairalanders looking for advice on how to navigate the murky waters of IT Remote employment? I'm thinking of a Slack (or Mattermost) group where only invited folks can join. Using Slack/Mattermost (as opposed to having a thread here or creating a WhatsApp or Telegram group) will provide a way of restricting those who can join while allowing prospective remote workers get accustomed with Slack which is a major Collaboration/Communication software for remote work. The community can serve as a means of "giving back" while empowering prospects with info of where to source for remote work, how to go about applying and all other contributions we can give. This is an honest no-ulterior-motives suggestion

Count me in!!!! If others could create it and manage it, I'll definately join. And if something like that already exist, I'm happy to join and contribute.

islamics:


There is a slack community opened by qtguru though it has not really been active. Why not make leverage/build it up from there. Some peeps here are part of the slack. He opened it with this same goal of remote stuff but Oga don busy now dey juggle two job.

Such a community exists? This has to be one of the best threads in a while.

The lesson here is that, never negotiate on empty stomach and never be scared to say what you worth, company wey go stay go stay

jonddon:
The lesson here is that, never negotiate on empty stomach and never be scared to say what you worth, company wey go stay go stay

Lol @never negotiate on empty stomach.

airsaylongcome:
@Lindner and other more experienced remote workers, can we create a community to provide advice to potential Nairalanders looking for advice on how to navigate the murky waters of IT Remote employment? I'm thinking of a Slack (or Mattermost) group where only invited folks can join. Using Slack/Mattermost (as opposed to having a thread here or creating a WhatsApp or Telegram group) will provide a way of restricting those who can join while allowing prospective remote workers get accustomed with Slack which is a major Collaboration/Communication software for remote work. The community can serve as a means of "giving back" while empowering prospects with info of where to source for remote work, how to go about applying and all other contributions we can give. This is an honest no-ulterior-motives suggestion

I'm heavily interested in this. I've been learning web development for quite sometime now. Taken part in some internships(hng internship being the most profound) but haven't really pushed anything to production to be used by others. By 2022 I should be in Canada and I seriously want to position myself for the tech job opportunities over there. I'm very much open to suggestions.

So let me correct one impression. IT goes beyond Development. Me I'm not a developer. I can "hack" together pieces of code if I absolutely have to. But I steer away from development. I steer away because of the nature of my personality. I find coding to be a dark deep never ending rabbit hole that you can never really get to the bottom of or retreat once you start. So I distract myself by staying superficial with a vast array of IT solutions. And I stay away from mainstream. I chose niche solutions that allow me to learn without the distraction of who is better than who in using the latest nifty data structure or the search algorithm with the smallest Big O metric. I'm currently into voice telephony and have home automation on the side to distract me

airsaylongcome:
So let me correct one impression. IT goes beyond Development. Me I'm not a developer. I can "hack" together pieces of code if I absolutely have to. But I steer away from development. I steer away because of the nature of my personality. I find coding to be a dark deep never ending rabbit hole that you can never really get to the bottom of or retreat once you start. So I distract myself by staying superficial with a vast array of IT solutions. And I stay away from mainstream. I chose niche solutions that allow me to learn without the distraction of who is better than who in using the latest nifty data structure or the search algorithm with the smallest Big O metric. I'm currently into voice telephony and have home automation on the side to distract me

Yeah. The IT ecosystem is wide and deep. The best way to stay sane is to choose a niche based on passion and stick to it. I've done frontend, backend and full stack roles but it bores me to death. My newly found love is blockchain engineering especially decentralized finance. Perhaps because of my background in banking. Writing solidity codes that could potentially handle several hundreds of millions of dollars would send your heart racing knowing a single vulnerability could wreck the lives of thousands of people. It's like writing codes on drugs.

I really wish more people would consider blockchain development. That ecosystem is exploding and employers are desperate for talents. Unfortunately, it's when it becomes saturated, that's when you start seeing posts like "Help, I want to learn blockchain development". In 2020, the demand for blockchain developers grew by 512%. No other skill in any field had such growth and they're the highest paid also from statistics. With what I've seen in 2021, that growth is most likely going to be doubled.

ClixMaster:
Forget English, na person wey get hope or money dey get strength to bargain salary.

I guess the rich will keep getting richer and the poor poorer then

Lindner:


I would say a beginner can accept anything as their first gig just to get their foot in the door. But can you imagine a developer with 2 to 3 years experience who has shipped code to production many times asking for $500/month at interviews?

Even Nigerian companies pay better than this nowadays. Why would I suffer for Oyinbo knowing my teammate, with same responsibility as me, is getting paid x 10 of my money. Soon they'll snap out of it. Will go low on motivation and may find it hard to continue or even burnt out.

In my experience, how much a companies pays is relative to how much it respects you. Don't bite yourself in the tail guys. This is your chance at breaking yourself, your parents, siblings and coming generation out of poverty. Might be a sin to lose it.

Lindner:


Yeah. The IT ecosystem is wide and deep. The best way to stay sane is to choose a niche based on passion and stick to it. I've done frontend, backend and full stack roles but it bores me to death. My newly found love is blockchain engineering especially decentralized finance. Perhaps because of my background in banking. Writing solidity codes that could potentially handle several hundreds of millions of dollars would send your heart racing knowing a single vulnerability could wreck the lives of thousands of people. It's like writing codes on drugs.

I really wish more people would consider blockchain development. That ecosystem is exploding and employers are desperate for talents. Unfortunately, it's when it becomes saturated, that's when you start seeing posts like "Help, I want to learn blockchain development". In 2020, the demand for blockchain developers grew by 512%. No other skill in any field had such growth and they're the highest paid also from statistics. With what I've seen in 2021, that growth is most likely going to be doubled.

I may be wrong but for one who is new into tech and is basically looking to land his/her first job in tech don't you think diving into solidity is a little bit too steep? Also I think it requires understanding of javascript before one can go into solidity. Also most employers wand experienced guys and not a newbie working on contracts. Please correct me if I got it all wrong

ClixMaster:
Company that wants to call will call. I have not even finish learning let alone applying but I won't blame people collecting $500 per month as salary. If you have gone a day without food, you will understand that condition can make one do anything.

In 2019, I was without job for around 6 months. I use all of that time to learn web development intensively. Had just rented an apartment in Lagos (before losing my last job) and was running out of funds. I got a new job about six months after the last one and paid me 150k. Please note, it was my first web dev job and 150k at that time was just around $500.

I know not everyone is like me, and wouldn't rule out Allaah's Mercy, yet hunger should be what opens your eyes to the reality you have to move fast. It shouldn't kill your brain cells so much you blow your greatest chances at having a home of your home, a car and, overall, a stable life. Understandable if that's what they're offering and you're pressed, but even beating down their offer?

Eggovic:

I may be wrong but for one who is new into tech and is basically looking to land his/her first job in tech don't you think diving into solidity is a little bit too steep? Also I think it requires understanding of javascript before one can go into solidity. Also most employers wand experienced guys and not a newbie working on contracts. Please correct me if I got it all wrong

You're correct. Diving straight into Solidity may not be a good idea for a beginner. Nothwithstanding, I've seen people without any prior programming knowledge trying to learn it but they suffered ALOT. They still end up writing smart contracts and deploying it to the blockchain but they still lack that basic foundation. Because it's an emerging technology, most employers too are not particularly keen about blockchain experience, they however require strong programming experience and knowledge of fundamentals.

Lindner:


You're correct. Diving straight into Solidity may not be a good idea for a beginner. Nothwithstanding, I've seen people without any prior programming knowledge trying to learn it but they suffered ALOT. They still end up writing smart contracts and deploying it to the blockchain but they still lack that basic foundation. Because it's an emerging technology, most employers too are not particularly keen about blockchain experience, they however require strong programming experience and knowledge of fundamentals.

Thanks for stating this. It's my end goal. Just want to be good enough with advanced js and react,get a job with it and then Jump into it.
There's no crowd in that space at the moment

BRATISLAVA:


Such a community exists? This has to be one of the best threads in a while.

Yes it does.
Na make Oga qtguru con make the link available and make he coordinate with the other Boss to move it forward.

So I will try my best to keep this thread active by raising points of discussion so that prospective remote IT workers can gain some insights. I must state (even though I agree it is biased) that I am not so into encouraging people from other careers to jam pack the remote IT market in Nigeria. A lot of people are now beginning to rush into this space as there is the perception that it is very lucrative. There are several other career paths other than IT that also recruit remote staff. Accounting/Bookkeeping is one of such. Same with finance. And even Pharmacy (for drug trials). If anyone feels offended by this discrimination from me, I apologise in advance. But that's just me

So, often; most remote jobs advertised (at least for the US markets) are for full time employees even though you may have to work remote. Recruiters will indicate if the openings are Remote-US only or open to international applicants. Full-time remote jobs outside the US are very difficult to get (based on my experience) because your employer will have to pay tax to the Nigerian government and most US businesses aren't interested in that because it adds extra level of work for them.

The other alternative is to be hired as an Independent Contractor which is where we as Nigerians have good chances of getting hired (if you are good o!)

@Lindner and @qtguru what has been your experiences regarding this? Do you guys currently work FTE (Full time Employee) or Independent Contractor?

airsaylongcome:
So I will try my best to keep this thread active by raising points of discussion so that prospective remote IT workers can gain some insights. I must state (even though I agree it is biased) that I am not so into encouraging people from other careers to jam pack the remote IT market in Nigeria. A lot of people are now beginning to rush into this space as there is the perception that it is very lucrative. There are several other career paths other than IT that also recruit remote staff. Accounting/Bookkeeping is one of such. Same with finance. And even Pharmacy (for drug trials). If anyone feels offended by this discrimination from me, I apologise in advance. But that's just me

So, often; most remote jobs advertised (at least for the US markets) are for full time employees even though you may have to work remote. Recruiters will indicate if the openings are Remote-US only or open to international applicants. Full-time remote jobs outside the US are very difficult to get (based on my experience) because your employer will have to pay tax to the Nigerian government and most US businesses aren't interested in that because it adds extra level of work for them.

The other alternative is to be hired as an Independent Contractor which is where we as Nigerians have good chances of getting hired (if you are good o!)

@Lindner and @qtguru what has been your experiences regarding this? Do you guys currently work FTE (Full time Employee) or Independent Contractor?

I've worked for three different US companies plus the one I currently work with (there's another one I currently do part time with) , it's true that it's easier for them to make you an independent contarctor. Health insurance, benefits e.t.c are typically waved. Some do full time employment though. All these is just to make it easier to recruit remotely because the process of hiring full time can be unwieldy.

Whether full time or contracting, just make sure you're well paid.

I don't know much about remote job possibilities for other careers but software developments, there are thousands of open positions. The question is whether you're a great fit for those positions or not.

Being a new entrant into this field, I must say that this thread is indeed very insightful and motivating. I'm pleading that the bosses help keep the thread alive with even more insights and tips for new entrants.

Just started learning JavaScript btw.

Qzeems:


In 2019, I was without job for around 6 months. I use all of that time to learn web development intensively. Had just rented an apartment in Lagos (before losing my last job) and was running out of funds. I got a new job about six months after the last one and paid me 150k. Please note, it was my first web dev job and 150k at that time was just around $500.

I know not everyone is like me, and wouldn't rule out Allaah's Mercy, yet hunger should be what opens your eyes to the reality you have to move fast. It shouldn't kill your brain cells so much you blow your greatest chances at having a home of your home, a car and, overall, a stable life. Understandable if that's what they're offering and you're pressed, but even beating down their offer?

Are you against the $500 I said or what? What is your point? You collected $500 for your first job, which I am not against. Like I said, I won't blame a first timer collecting $500.

Lindner:


I've worked for three different US companies plus the one I currently work with (there's another one I currently do part time with) , it's true that it's easier for them to make you an independent contarctor. Health insurance, benefits e.t.c are typically waved. Some do full time employment though. All these is just to make it easier to recruit remotely because the process of hiring full time can be unwieldy.

Whether full time or contracting, just make sure you're well paid.

I don't know much about remote job possibilities for other careers but software developments, there are thousands of open positions. The question is whether you're a great fit for those positions or not.

What do you mean by full time employment? If you mean working full time cool, but if you mean working as an employee nah. Legally speaking you cannot be an employee of a US company as a non resident working outside of the US. You can be a consultant or an Independent Contractor.

Studymore123:


What do you mean by full time employment? If you mean working full time cool, but if you mean working as an employee nah. Legally speaking you cannot be an employee of a US company as a non resident working outside of the US. You can be a consultant or an Independent Contractor.

Emphasis on legally. Legally speaking, Americans aren't allowed to work remote from outside the US. But they do. Working as digital nomads. Legally speaking, they aren't allowed to work from say, Estonia, or even Nigeria, on a tourist Visa. But they do.

Abeg I need recommendations for workspace for late hours. Or reliable fibre Optic Internet provider. The idiots I'm using have let me down for 4 days in a row

airsaylongcome:


Emphasis on legally. Legally speaking, Americans aren't allowed to work remote from outside the US. But they do. Working as digital nomads. Legally speaking, they aren't allowed to work from say, Estonia, or even Nigeria, on a tourist Visa. But they do.

Maybe you misunderstood me. I will make it easier for you. A U.S. company employing you remotely would become an employer in the jurisdiction where you are performing work. They likely would not want that liability and regulatory compliance cost. You therefore become a Consultant or independent contractor. To claim an employee means the company or a 3rd party company is registered in your jurisdiction and in this case Nigeria.

airsaylongcome:
Abeg I need recommendations for workspace for late hours. Or reliable fibre Optic Internet provider. The idiots I'm using have let me down for 4 days in a row

This is will be based on where you live. If you're in PH. I can provide you with a contact info.

Studymore123:

Maybe you misunderstood me. I will make it easier for you. A U.S. company employing you remotely would become an employer in the jurisdiction where you are performing work. They likely would not want that liability and regulatory compliance cost. You therefore become a Consultant or independent contractor. To claim an employee means the company or a 3rd party company is registered in your jurisdiction and in this case Nigeria.

I agree with this. So its not illegal, it's cumbersome for the US companies and they just stay away from it. There are a few though (very tiny few) that hire direct

Studymore123:

This is will be based on where you live. If you're in PH. I can provide you with a contact info.

I'm in Lagos.

Talking about PH remote work community, what's it like? Do you guys aggregate around workspaces?

Thank you for this eye-opening thread.

airsaylongcome:


I agree with this. So its not illegal, it's cumbersome for the US companies and they just stay away from it. There are a few though (very tiny few) that hire direct

I never said it's illegal. I did remote work and many companies hire remote workers. I was only pointing out why companies would use the term Independent Contractoror Consultants. You're at liberty to say you're an employee.

airsaylongcome:


I'm in Lagos.

Talking about PH remote work community, what's it like? Do you guys aggregate around workspaces?

I have workspace but don't really use it for work purposes. I use it for personal purposes. I've not really had issues with internet connection because of where I worked. The office was close to interconnect which served as an exchange and hub for mobile operators and ISPs.

I will respond to this when less busy. I believe I am qualified to give you the right answer to this post, I work with a tech giant and started my career in Boston Massachusetts(USA) before moving to Nigeria when we established here, I've been on a several recruitment boards both online and physical. OP your assumption is closer to false than reality.

One thing I would like to add especially for newbies. America isn't the only country with remote jobs. A lot of people just set their sights on the USA. See try everywhere. There are countries that absolutely do not send where you are from at all at all and their governments have made laws for indigenous companies to hire programmers. Europe, developed Asian countries like Japan and South Korea and even developing Asian countries like Vietnam have Millons of jobs and they don't mind hiring foreigners at all.

Also places in Latin America like Mexico, Brazil, Chile and co. The list is endless. A lot of people just have their sights set on working remotely with American companies. Just expand your options.

Springboot:
I will respond to this when less busy. I believe I am qualified to give you the right answer to this post, I work with a tech giant and started my career in Boston Massachusetts(USA) before moving to Nigeria when we established here, I've been on a several recruitment boards both online and physical. OP your assumption is closer to false than reality.

No assumptions here whatsoever. I wrote what a recruiter told me. Those are her figures and it's heart breaking. If you've recruited engineers, share your experience with Nigerians and let's see. Note that we're not talking about local recruitment here.

tensazangetsu20:
One thing I would like to add especially for newbies. America isn't the only country with remote jobs. A lot of people just set their sights on the USA. See try everywhere.
Also places in Latin America like Mexico, Brazil, Chile and co. The list is endless. A lot of people just have their sights set on working remotely with American companies. Just expand your options.

Very true, I stumbled on a website where some tech firms in Europe would even provide services for one's relocation.. I just can't wait wait to finish JavaScript, then move on to REACT, build a solid portfolio and start applying to jobs.

Baba Chi @tensazangetsu, your boy hails thee oo

MirthOsas:


Very true, I stumbled on a website where some tech firms in Europe would even provide services for one's relocation.. I just can't wait wait to finish JavaScript, then move on to REACT, build a solid portfolio and start applying to jobs.

Baba Chi @tensazangetsu, your boy hails thee oo

True especially with Portugal. Every firm there offers relocation. I was testing this theory and every job I applied for there was ready to move me to Europe but I love my current workplace so I didn't bother at least not yet.