It is very hard becoming the next Microsoft or Oracle – companies that redefine the paradigm as we know it. But it is a lot easier to come up with an application that serves a particular niche or need in an industry.

The problem most programmers have is the requisite specialized knowledge to understand the problem or see the market opportunity. For the requisite knowledge, it will be easier to team up with someone that works/worked in the industry and the person will be the “specialist” with intimate knowledge of the industry and you will be the programmer implementing the solution.

A perfect example of a specialized application is what @sconsults did (see above).

Good thread!i will really love to know the average amount programmers make cos am a prosprective programmer

Good thread!i will really love to know the average amount programmers make cos am a prosprective programmer

@Poster,
I will suggest you endeavour  to be the best in what you do first, differentiate yourself positively and quality-wise and the financial gains will come

I feel your pain bro. My best days as a programmer was back in sku when i made money from my fellow students by making project to spice up thier project work, but now, to even get a hearing voice from companies na war oooooooooooo. Am still serchin for my breakthru

I object to the big bowl of garri, some of us like to program with garri+groundnut na - and also killing mosquitoes with one hand writing codes with the other hand.

I will like to program a Range Rover Sport Supercharged.

In addition, a Rolls Royce Phanton, a G & R class Mercedes benz, Camry 2012 model, Senior Sequioa, Landcruiser and Prado.

Its a matter of time. Loading,

continue to beg them to buy your software, Nigerians are still mugu to buy it. in the actual sense that your software might cost $0. a lot of free software will do the task, keep on!

1

Wallie:

I feel compelled to say a few words.
[list]
[li] Range Rover Sport or almost any other car is nothing compared to what you can truly earn “programming.”[/li]
[li] The only way to surpass your mediocre performance is to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack. If you’re just an average pickup game footballer, you can’t expect to earn European-footballer’s salary. People pay for perceived value. [/li]
[li] I do understand that people are somewhat limited by their exposure but about the only way you can make any meaningful difference is to expand your horizons. You have to understand what people’s current needs are and how the market is deficient in meeting that current need. For example, developing a SaaS application for a particular industry can easily get you into the million dollar club even in Nigeria. [/li]
[li] Lastly, put on your thinking cap and think big. Forget the RR for now and focus on your trade. If you become very good at what you do, you will be successful even if you don’t drive a RR. Mark Zuckerberg, the guy that created and owns about 30% of Facebook currently worth ~16 Billion dollars, drives an Acura TSX.[/li]

[/list]

bulls eye!!

::Andrew:::

It all depends where you find yourself. Dont be a programmer that depends on individual satisfaction. Range rover sport is such an infinitesimal.
I own a brand new BM X6, a chrysler s300 and a chevrolet lumina. Though am a reverse engineer no much difference. Focus on career first.

am I mistaken to think you live in the EU? so you have them 3 cars pay thier MOTs,Road tax and Insurance as well? nah wah.

clueless question.if you could sell a software at 450k and you dont know how to make money in millions by writting more codes,you need the services of a motivational speaker and then prayers for guidance.was your software made for just the person or company you designed the stuff for? if you sale 10 of those to 10 different ppl in 2012 and come up with probably two more that will be better that this one,wouldnt you drive a hse in 2012? if programming is not your career, change course now,you will be glad you did now before you regret later.i sense two things,either you found it very difficult to come up with the software or you lack ideas to make it generic.if the first is your problem,go back to your algorithms and software engineering and designs and if it is the later,you have to sit down and think of how to make money.lines of codes dont bring money,it is the ideas they present that makes you rich.

Seems like programming is a honey pot! Wetin I dey wait for? It's time to start up grading my programming skills! Thanks for the thread jare. I don pick wetin I want,

Sure he can, when ordinary garage touts drives it. Like every field, you need a breakthrough, so many eggheads in silicon valley but so very few have made it.

If Bill Gates had started with the aim of making millions - I am sure he would have lost focus and there would have been no Microsoft today. OP. What is your focus? Correct it for it seems to me to be wrong.

why not? new or used range?

Hahaha i laugh in spanish , Range rover are not for people who who dont do serious Runz, omo you go wait till you grow white hair you o dey fear to take 12 milla buy one motor na motor be your problem, kai, had it been you dais buy a house.i would respect your plight, Nigerians and cars, na wa oo, Fear o dey catch you, Range, !!!!!!!!haba

Revolva:

Hahaha i laugh in spanish , Range rover are not for people who who dont do serious Runz, omo you go wait till you grow white hair you o dey fear to take 12 milla buy one motor na motor be your problem, kai, had it been you dais buy a house.i would respect your plight, Nigerians and cars, na wa oo, Fear o dey catch you, Range, !!!!!!!!haba

Very funny thread.am enjoying your comments guys.

Revolva:

Hahaha i laugh in spanish , Range rover are not for people who who dont do serious Runz, omo you go wait till you grow white hair you o dey fear to take 12 milla buy one motor na motor be your problem, kai, had it been you dais buy a house.i would respect your plight, Nigerians and cars, na wa oo, Fear o dey catch you, Range, !!!!!!!!haba

santa maria! He laughs en mi favorite language! But yes, you are very muy corecto about that. I think the question should be: Can a Naija Programmer Keep the Roof Over His Head With Pure Programming??

The people that turns out to be the best programmers Dont think of money as the main reason for programming . They chase more of Fame and Solving a big problem or creating something unique.

Programmers needs business sense, that's all. It's unfortunate that many lacks it. Programmers can afford more than a Range Rover.

Real programmers think about creativity and not money. In Nigeria, many people run to programming for quick cash and it does not work that way at all.
Then, there be greeedy programmers like me, that all my algorithms end in money. In fact my own formular says:
money X plenty = Too Much Money. That is the end point of all my algorithms.

You have to be more than a programmer, you need to be an entrepreneur!

examples:
My app on www.smsportalcreator.com has sold over 1000 licenses in 4 continents within the last 12 months (Innitial price was N60,000 but present price is N5,000).
I developed and own 50% of www.estoresms.com and so far, my dividends for 2011 is in good 7 digits.
I developed and own 50% of the immensely profitable www.longcode247.com amongst a few others.

As a programmer, i recognised that people like zuckerberg, gates, larry page, sergey brin, David Filo, Jerry Yang e.t.c would not have made so much money and fame if they did not have their own products/portals.

Now, i prefer a long term N1 per second per project than your N450k per project.

I already have people begging me with millions to buy part of my company www.afrisoft.net . This is a big deal if you consider that i only resigned as a government worker in 2009.

12M is no big deal if you have the business skills. 2012 is gonna be a very profitable year, don't miss out.
See you at the top!

^^^I have been waiting for you to come online.

I have a friend (A programmer) that works with shell, his salary is 1.5 million naira monthly. They actually begged him to work wit them.

@Ajax1211 really?? because I know for a fact that Shell staff rarely code. They outsource when localized apps are needed and rely mostly on their global tech center for actual coding. When did he join by the way? staff/contract. 1.5m seems to me an awful lot to pay.

kodewrita:

@Ajax1211 really?? because I know for a fact that Shell staff rarely code. They outsource when localized apps are needed and rely mostly on their global tech center for actual coding. When did he join by the way? staff/contract. 1.5m seems to me an awful lot to pay.

It is average considering the fact that they have put another of Nigeria's Software Architects to work as a code tester and backroom support (again)

@dhtml,
I have been busy coding seriously for my 2012 projects. Will wait for your buzz today.

^^^My 2011 coding went very fine. I have been working on the 2012 stuffs as well, professional programmers no dey jollificate with "gbogbo-ara"

@dhtml*:
I coded a single domain SSO and now, i need it to work cross-domain. I want to know if urs is open-source LGPL or any commercial friendly license so that i can just adopt it and save myself some coding time.
I've been trying to track u online in the last 48 hrs. U no get skype or whatsapp or viber?

^^^In fact my sso has not license at all. . . .maybe you can help me license it. You can send me an email, i respond very fast since i am on BB. If you want me to come on yim, you can send me a request and i will come online ASAP.