What makes a top tier developer

How and why I make $350,00 a year as a video game and metaverse developer Dragoslav “Drago” Pavlovic 22nd February 2024 I want to share with you why clients rely on me to develop software solutions for them and how I achieve that while earning around $350,000 a year.

First, a bit of about-me info. I have 14 years of experience in 3D computer graphics. I specialize in real-time 3D graphics, which means 3D applications such as video games, metaverse(s) and digital twins. Programs that I use for my work are Unreal Engine, 3ds Max and Rider.

We all win approach

This is an extremely rare attribute that can only be found in some entrepreneurs and managers. I don’t just work for salary and to kill time. I don’t just take money from my clients. I love to get paid, but

I’m constantly improving

I always want more. I love to get paid for my work, but I want to get paid more. You can’t just ask for more money. Yes, there are fools out there who are just going to give it to you because you just asked, but that pool of opportunities gets dry over time. The only sustainable approach that puts you in a position to ask for more money is to keep adding more value. Understanding of this concept forces me to always improve. There are multiple areas that I study new technologies, tools and techniques. I

I understand all people’s perspectives and interests

Extremely wide range of skills and experiences

“Jack of all trades is a master of none” is a very popular quote nowadays.

Speed

Time equals money. We simply have to execute tasks fast. I take speed very seriously and, I am much faster than the majority of developers because I have some unfair advantanges. I use steroids. Not medicinal steroids, but steroids for developers. I mean things like lots of keyboard shortcuts, macros, scripts and other automation tools. The ironic thing is, these are widely available for everyone, but not many people use them. They either don’t use them or struggle to use them. The reasons for that are different. Some find the tools to be difficult, boring, inconvenient… but many of the devs are just ignorant and lazy. The majority would rather do thousands of repetitions of the same manual moves and actions rather than taking some time to optimize their tools and workflow. Why would they, because the time tracker is still working, so they have the incentive to accomplish things slower. If they are working without a time tracker, they will tell you “oh, I need 2 days to accomplish that”, the same task that would take me to accomplish in 2 to 3 hours.

Human Speed Computer Speed Internet Speed

Management

You don’t need to hire another quasi technical project manager to oversee me and my team.

Equipment

Reliability

I can predict costs. Can’t go offline.

Creativity

Reliability

Here I’m specifically talking about technical reliability. It is virtually impossible for me to go offline or be out of reach for my clients.

Responsibility

Me: Responsible Others: Irresponsible