Who are our part-time developers?

Me! I've been in the military for 17 years (only 4 years till retirement!). I have a very busy job and a wife and 2 kids. I love to code and have been working on a game for awhile plus this match 3 source (which is being completed now). That said, I definitely qualify as a part-time indie developer.

I'd just like to say don't get down on yourself (I sure don't) if you have a regular full-time job and/or a family and are having trouble getting that big game completed. As long as you're planning for the future and taking care of your family then don't sweat it. You can get a game done, it just takes longer. :)

EDIT: Is anyone else planning for their retirement? (IRA, Roth IRA, 401k, TSP etc etc)

Hey Chroma.

I am certainly part time in terms of developing because I work a regular 9-5:30 job 5 days a week and love to spend time with my wife, so programming sort of takes a third place. I sometimes find time on the weekend mainly for a few, or several, hours, but then in the week I don't usually accomplish much on the computer. Instead I try to get what I've been working on at the weekend to a point where I need to stop and think about what to do next, so that then in the week I can spend time `in amongst` other things, planning designing and thinking out how I am going to do it, and maybe doodle/write some designs for the next parts to be implemented. If I can't get screen time I try to give myself moments of `mental time` at least, or at least to spend some minutes on my lunch breaks thinking and planning about what to do. Then when it comes to actually being on the computer it's more for purely adding new code and developing stuff, rather than trying to figure things out. It's a form of efficiency that I've sort of settled with.

I hope to be able to develop and sell software in future to the point of being able to do it either part time with some other part time job or for full-time income.

Programming `on the side` definitely needs some careful planning and time management, as well as patience. You get there in the end and like you said, it's just a slower pace. But I think the slow pace can give you time, inbetween, to thoroughly improve the quality and to make sure what you're going to do is really the right thing. So I think maybe you can potentially end up with a higher quality product.

Also I just got a new computer so now, at least when my wife is on what used to be our only computer, I can get on there as well and add that extra time to my development time. Probably not a lot overall, but it is something. :-)

Don't think I'll be joining the IRA. ;)

Me! The day-job is programming, too, so I often can't be bothered working on my game. I'm actually close to completing my first one, but I've hit a 'bored' spot so I may not be doing much on it for a while. I have realised that I'll never write my 'dream' game without going full-time... and I'm not sure the earnings would justify the effort.

here too. i have a wife and a kid and a normal job. my game is mainly developed during evening/night and weekends. thankfully my wife gives me the time for coding...

I think everything goes part time when you have kids, I know it has for me

..I'm hardvare MCU coder, and my free time belong to B3D (coding related..hehehe)..right now (past 6 months) I'm working with 3 friends of mine on our 3D platformer,so it will take some time more since all of us doing it part time, but its okay..no harm...

@Chroma, I've been in the military for 19 years, only 4 years to retirement also (:-). My job is also very busy, I've a wife and two children. Part of my retirement plans have involved squeezing in a HNC in Business Info Tech, thats kind of encroached on my game development.

Still got plans to creep my project forwards, the devils in the implementation.

I have a full time job (asp.net, sql and stuff) spend a lot of time avoiding my wife, doing up my house, etc etc...

Blitz is a part time hobby, as well as music and a whole host of other things so Blitz doesn't get a massive look in, especially during the hot summer days / evening when I'd rather be down the pub.

I think most people here are in a similar position, Chroma.
It would be a shorter list if you asked 'Who is a professional coder?'

Or rather "Who is a professional BlitzMax coder?" ;-)

CCBS developer, DBA, Tech support, Tea Lady, dog's body... although I much prefer BlitzMax.

But I just tinker in the evenings and weekends... albeit rather unproductively.

In my full time job I'm a sysadmin with the UN, and there are plenty of other things in the rest of the time that I --should-- pay some attention to. Flash, ActionScript, Python, Final Cut Studio, Photoshop, Aperture and my DSLR among them. Especially for a job life after the UN that set of tools could be more useful than having BlitzMax on my CV.

On the other hand, I still want to have an own business instead of hunting down the next crappy IT job. Well, my current contract is good for another 18 months, so I still have some time left for planning and maybe even saving a few bucks to get started. We'll see. ;-)

I'm a nano-time programmer...

I'm a senior technical analyst for the Feds. I spend my days generating database reports and programming in SQL. When I have time, I program games. :) If I got paid as well, i'd do BlitzMax programming full time.

Well, probably nearly everyone must know by now, I'm a plasterer by trade and run my own business, which means, lonnnnnng hours, like today, I went to work at 8am, and have just got in (20:58) and in laymans terms, I'm shattered!

Still, I sometimes get asked to build certian stuff for people for their pc, and have made the odd pence from it.. Nothing major! :) Enough to get myself a decent drink on a weekend!

I still would class myself as a hobbist rather than a part-timer, as my definition of a part time job is that you constantly earn a wage, though working at reduced hours.

Dabz

Yep me as well, more of a hobbyist, im a tiler and after dragging my aching carcass around a building site and the rest of this god damned earth all day,
the creative tick seems to wane

but I still play about when I can, and still buy all the new products