I have once again joined the ranks of the freelance developer community. It wasn't by choice, and I've been looking for full-time gigs, but nothing's panned out as of yet. So in the mean time, I'm trying to make the best of my situation, and I'm hoping this new site I've heard about, Toptal, can help.
Why Toptal? A couple of reasons. First, I need the work, and the more sites I'm on where I can get work, the better. But second, and this remains to be seen, is that I'm hoping Toptal can put me in front of clients who can really challenge me as a developer. Where I can solve exciting new problems.
Since I'm primarily a Perl guy, I'm joining Toptal's Perl Developers Network. I don't mind learning the latest shiny new technology - like single page Javascript, for example - but that's not my end goal. I'm not looking to learn the new technologies just to check off a box, or to add a line to my resume. I'm looking to create solutions. If there's a tool I need to learn in the process of creating a solution, that's great. But it's not an end in itself. So I'm joining their Perl network in the hope of finding clients who are less concerned with the latest HR buzzword and more concerned about getting things done.
