You Should Not Rely on a Single Source of Income!

Most (probably all) of us want to write the best code possible.

We are eager to learn about new technologies, new frameworks, new patterns, new programming languages etc.

Whenever we want to make sure our code works as expected, we test it.

How do we test the code?

There are different options and automated tests like unit tests, module tests, feature tests, integration tests, or end-to-end tests.

They all have something in common: They’re automated.

What boggles my mind is that we developers are generally risk-aware. We detect it, we assess it, and we mitigate it.
But why don’t we do that with our careers/our lives?!

What I mean by that is that most of us work a regular developer or management role and get paid a salary.

Okay, nothing wrong so far.

But why do we limit ourselves to a single source of income? What if it fails?

What if we get laid off (as more than 240,000 developers were in 2023/2024, according to TechCrunch)?

What if we don’t want to work for the company anymore and the economy isn’t in a great place?

We instantly get set back from a decent to great income to 0. A big black 0.

But our expenses stay the same.

We need to pay rent (or a mortgage), put food on the table, pay for gas, and pay for other daily needs.

So, what can we do instead?

Well, it’s one of the things I experienced since I quit my full-time developer role last year.

Don’t get me wrong - neither do I want you to quit your job, nor do I want to talk you into content creation, but please hear me out.

Since I went full-time with content creation and my software company, I realized that I no longer depend on a single source of income.

Although I’m currently not able to sustain it long-term with the current numbers (I want to be humble and honest here), I now have multiple independent income streams:

That’s great and all, but what should you take from all of that?

I believe the more experienced you get in your career; you should consider how to add a second or third source of income.

I don’t think it has to take much of your time, and I don’t think you should neglect your day job. But maybe start something on the side?

Besides my income streams listed above, you could also write a book, mentor developers for money online, or creatively think about other opportunities.

The goal is simple: Add one or more income streams that persist even when you lose your main income.

It doesn’t have to be the same amount as your day job pays. It doesn’t even have to be half of it, to be honest.

But how much more secure would you feel if you knew you couldn’t get set back to 0% but maybe 20% of your current income?

You could still pay your most important expenses.

Think about it.
And let me know what you think of it.

Claudio Bernasconi
Claudio Bernasconi
I'm an enthusiastic Software Engineer with a passion for teaching .NET development on YouTube. I write articles about my journey on my blog, and author the Blazor Basics series for Progress Telerik.