We’re looking for 2 Clarion developers. We’ve been around for 38 years, are profitable, and still growing.
If you’ve never hand coded a large app and managed threads yourself, this opportunity is not a good match for you. We have no appgen code except for a few back-office infrastructure apps – and those are not involved in this role. That said, for the right people, this is a great opportunity.
OUR APPLICATION
Our app is a fill in the blanks app for performing analysis and design for structural and civil engineers. The UI conceals a substantial collection of code related to complex math, physics solvers, and material databases on the back end.
If you don’t have a tool like ours, then the job of designing a building component like a beam or column goes something like this:
- Remember which math to use for this type of building component.
- Remember how to do that math.
- Remember every applicable rule for the calculations you need. You can’t miss even one when lives and property are at stake.
- For example, the beam is 12 feet long. It’s yellow pine, or wood, or steel, or laminated wood, or concrete. It’s a certain shape and a certain size.
- Calculate how much weight it will support on each end and 3’4” from the left end. Does it meet the 2018 building codes adopted by a specific locale? Does it work for the conditions you require?
To analyze and design a single structural engineering component could take 5 to 10 pages of calculations on a yellow pad, or you could thrash around in an Excel spreadsheet trying to do things that spreadsheets weren’t designed to do. Then you’d need to produce an engineering report suitable for presentation to a governmental design review agency - which a spreadsheet won’t easily do.
Our app can do all these things and much more.
OUR USERS
Our users are structural and civil engineers. Structural engineers must have a master’s degree in structural engineering and pass 2 difficult state-controlled exams, then do continuing education to retain their license (called an “engineer’s stamp”). The stamp on a design means “I put my career on this” – because that’s effectively what they’re doing. They are legally liable for failures in their designs. Civil engineers must have a 4-year degree in engineering and pass 1 state exam to get their stamp. It’s one more reason why our software must be accurate and use timely materials data and building code rules.
Many of our users have been using the product for 10 to 20 years – some much longer.
A portion of our users are architects, or governmental planning department staff who are usually engineers or architects. While our users are sometimes under deadline pressure, they behave professionally and take their work very seriously.
THE CODE
Our app is an installed application with about 1.5MM lines of hand code. Our app started off as a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet in the early 80s. The current build is the 9th major version/architecture of the app.
OUR TEAM
Everyone is remote and corp-to-corp. The team consists of 6 people including the founder.
THE ROLE
These 2 devs are being hired specifically to learn our app so they and 1 of the existing devs can relieve the founder of primary development responsibility. This app is a lot to learn and maintain. Having 3 people on it makes more sense, so that we have better coverage, making it easier for people to be out, collaborate, etc.
We have a 3D finite element modeling (FEM) program written in C++ that has historically been cloud-only. We’ve recently incorporated it into our primary app, though it is a separate EXE/DLLs. The primary app calls it so you would probably be involved with that strictly from a “call a proc in this DLL” perspective. One of our devs handles the 3D finite element modeling app and knows a good bit about the primary app as well. You’d be collaborating with him, the other developer we bring on, as well as the founder – who will train both new devs. At some point, the 3 of you will work with another of our structural engineers who focuses on making sure the code reflects reality from an engineering perspective.
We would prefer devs in US time zones, but we we’re open to the right devs from elsewhere. One of our guys is in ZA, so it wouldn’t be a new thing for us.
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS \ EXPECTATIONS
You should be an experienced Clarion hand coder. Managing threads and shared (or threaded) objects in threads cannot be uncomfortable territory for you. You must know how to use basic Github functions. “I’ve watched a few YouTube vids about Github” doesn’t count as “know”. You should have solid diagnosis and debugging skills. SQL experience might be useful from time to time but isn’t a requirement. You should be comfortable with math and lots of it. Since Clarion doesn’t have Calculus functions, we simulate them through other means. A habit of developing efficient, defensive code with a high level of attention to detail is critical.
WHY ARE WE HIRING?
There’s a lot of work to do so we’re doubling the size of our dev team.
WHAT ABOUT CORP-TO-CORP?
None of us are employees. The owner has a corporation. All of us have our own companies. We are connected to the owner’s company via a corp-to-corp (business to business) relationship. Each of us have our own companies and handle benefits, pay structure, etc as we see fit. While this setup does give you some freedom and flexibility, we will expect our work to be done while you are fresh. Given the complexity of the work, your work on our projects shouldn’t be done during the second or third 40 hours you’ve worked that week.
COMMITMENT AND PAY
While we can’t offer a guarantee (who can?), we anticipate this gig will last a minimum of three to five years, perhaps longer if everyone likes how it’s going. Unless you’re used to Silicon Valley pay standards, I expect you’ll be happy.