One of the best handyman in my area charges very little. He does a lot of volunteer work in disaster areas (after a flood or hurricane, he will travel and help rebuild communities). He told me he didn't care that much about the money. He wanted to make a modest living and he performed his trade with excellence. He wasn't a pauper, but he also wasn't running a multi-million dollar construction company.

He has a lot of friends and is well loved in his community.

What a chump.

This description matched one of my neighbor so closely I wondered if you were talking about him. My neighbor literally chooses to work mostly with elderly folks who are at the point of not being able to manage on their own, completely out of principle. There is enough work that he turns down 3 out of 4 requests and yet he still does these low paying odd jobs for disadvantaged people. He gleefully showed me checks that people wrote him because he thinks it is funny that people still use them instead of online payments. He told me just a couple of days ago that someone gave him a $200 tip after the work he did at their place, because he charges them under what other people quote and shows up on time and gets it done. Same thing with the volunteer work - I helped him dig trenches around an old ladies house after a flood. He does work at her place, stopped by after the flood just to check on her and then called up a bunch of people to help her out, all for free.

He's a very humble guy, almost to a fault. He could easily make a killing if he hired some guys and took on traditional clients but he refuses. It's nice to know there are many people like him out there.

As a principle I never give charity to businesses only to actual people.

Maybe as a handyman I could see the good I am doing in people’s lives and that would make me happy. But as a developer I mostly do tasks to make companies more money and thus I feel some of that money is the only relevant compensation.

This blanket statement makes me sad, hopefully it’s not what you intended. Businesses are made of people, and many are improving the world by their operation. One of my friends is helping a business that provides insurance to newly-released-prisoners (apparently it’s very hard for them to get insurance). The business makes money, but also improves the world — if you’re in a financial position to help these kinds of businesses, I think it’s great.

When the business is not owned by the worker, the owner who receives the charity isn't the one doing the operating

I’m not trying to help the owner of the business, I’m trying to help the customers the business serves — in this case, people released from prisons. In other cases, potentially could be single parents, medical students, homeless people, somebody who wants to be healthier, etc.

When the business is owned by the worker, it's the same thing

> most recognized expert in the world

I am certainly not the most recognized expert in the world.

> If your tools and data are at all business critical to a real company you are vastly undercharging

I make around 90% of my revenue from flat rate prices. The hourly rates are an additional service. The majority of my clients pay quarterly flat rates. For the typical client, I only have to set up a generation script once, which takes around 30 minutes. I usually never touch that script again for years.

> [...] hardly a business achievement [...] That is a third less than a random handyman will charge where I live.

Sorry, but I really couldn't care less. I never actively planned to do this side gig. I got into it because people cold-contacted me and asked me for it. I very much enjoy doing it, I like the industry contacts it generates, it's only a few hours work each month, and it pays off my mortgage. It's mostly a paid fun hobby project.

Some people get caught up in "maximization". Everything must be efficient, and use every moment of your time, and be commensurately compensated so as to profit maximally.

Your approach flies in the face of that, but you don't care! I happen to love that stance and applaud your ability to recognize the enjoyment/comfort in it. You enjoy what you do, but don't seek to attempt to make it more than it currently is.

I'd take that income for side gigs in a heartbeat. Pluse OP said hourly work is not their go-to anyway. Not sure why this deserves such harsh criticism.

The body shops that spam me for data software contract work quote well below that.

Probably 1/5 of a random attorney's hourly rate (even when the advice is generic, something you could research yourself easily, or perhaps even wrong) and 1/3 of an accountant's.

seriously. even for EU that's pretty low. would need to see how much of that lower 5 digits is from the flat rate services, and how much effort and time that takes.

A 5-figure income from side gigs is pretty substantial anywhere.

not without knowing how much you worked, it's not. in america it's pretty trivial to work 20 hours a week and make 5 figures. heck, if you work at costco you can work for just several months and make 5 figures, part time.