Forging Python - First Chapter is Up

Finally, first chapter of my upcoming book "Forging Python" is up. I'm doing it leanpub style so comments ans suggestions are more than welcomed.

I plan to finish the book this year, hopefully during the summer. However more than one person said I'm way too optimistic - time will tell :)

353Solutions - 2015 in Review

Happy new year!

First full calendar year that 353solutions is operating. Let's start with the numbers and then some insights and future goals.

Numbers

• 170 days of work in total
• Work day is a day where I billed someone for some part of it
• Can be and hour can be 24 hours (when teaching abroad)
• There were total of 251 work days in 2015
• There were some work days that are not billable (drafting syllabuses, answering emails ...) but not that many
• 111 of days consulting to 4 clients
• 1st Go project!!!
• 58 days teaching 14 courses
• Python at all levels and scientific Python (including new async workshop)
• In UK, Poland and Israel

Insights

• Social network provided almost all the work
• Keep investing in good friends (not just for work :)
• Workshops pay way more than consulting
• However can't work from home in workshops
• Consulting keeps you updated with latest tech
• Had to let go of a client due to draconian contract
• No regrets here, it was the right decision
• Super nice team. Sadly lawyers had final say the company
• Python and data science are big and in high demand
• Delegating overhead to the right person helps a lot
• Accounting, contracts ...

Future Goals

• Keep positioning in Python and Scientific Python area
• Drive more Go projects and workshops
• Works less days, have same revenue at end of year
• Start some "public classes" where we rent a class and people show up
• Some companies don't have big enough data science team
• Need to invest in advertising
• Publish my book (more on that later)