What language we should choose? And where we should be searching?

[Marek3000]

Hello!

We are getting together for a new project, to build a 2-way API connectivity tool for programmers experimenting with new forms of e-commerce, and merchants operating across a range of e-commerce platforms. We would be grateful for any programming language choosing tips. We are looking for an experienced Full-stack/API Engineer to join our small team, to help us move fast and build a low latency and highly secure data exchange. Ideally someone that’s experienced in backend engineering and building scalable API products, but to also know Javascript, because of our frontend work which is underway. We are not sure which language would be the best for our backend in this case. Could anyone help suggest where else we could post this requirement to find a knowledgable programmer to join us with this project?

Have a nice day everyone!

[Dani]

I have had really good experiences hiring on Upwork. Another good site for this kind of talent is TopTal.

If you are not a developer yourself, my recommendation would be to first find a developer who wants to join your project, who had experience building eCommerce APIs, and then let them choose based on a combination of their experience and which languages might be the best tool for the job. If you’re lucky, you can significantly cut back on expenses that way by not having to reinvent the wheel as much. For example, they already have eCommerce libraries they have used before, or rolled their own, etc.

In other words, I feel picking the right person for the job is much more important than picking the right tool and then trying to find someone who knows how to use that tool. Find the right person.

[Dani]

I typed the above post up from my phone, but I was thinking about it now that I made it to my computer, and have more to add.

You can think of it in terms of any other contract worker. Suppose you have a woodworking project you would like to get done. It wouldn't make sense to try to guess what the best tools for the job might be (e.g. a screwdriver, a saw, etc.) and then put an ad out for people with experience using screwdrivers and saws. Instead, you should explain, in depth, what you want the final project to be, find someone with experience doing similar projects, and then expect that they will come to work with their tool belt and expertise.

So it's similar with one caveat. Something you should be on the lookout for through the hiring process, especially if you aren't a programmer yourself, is to first and foremost make sure the developer you hire has done similar projects before. A lot of times you'll find programming consultants who are attracted to an interesting project, but it's interesting to them because it's not something they have ever done before so it's fun working on something different. But then you're essentially paying them to learn on your dime, instead of to just do. When working with your new hire to choose which language to use, make sure to ask them why they feel that's the right fit for the job, and if they can show you examples of other projects they've done in that language, and why those were the right fit for the job. I think a lot of times you'll also encounter situations where programmers doing contract work might choose a language just because it's their favorite, even if it's not the right fit for the job, or it's a language they want to gain more experience in, and since your job doesn't have any specific language requirements, they can use it as an opportunity to just play around with something new. When choosing a language, however, make sure that it is something that isn't super obscure, such that if they end up having to leave the project prematurely or unexpectedly, it won't be impossible finding someone to take over.

[Marek3000]

Thank you for your helpful response, Dani. We've been thinking the same about not choosing tools before hiring our engineer, but we probably have to choose any main language before posting any job offer. Just to fit any programming language category and get some views. We will check Upwork and TopTal for sure. I hope we can find some eastern Europe programmer there. We have really good experience with Polish devs and their timezone fits for us very well. Also the salary expectations are a little bit lower there, than in Silicon Valley... Maybe is there any person you personally know that is worth contacting?

[Dani]

Sorry, I can’t provide any specific recommendations because I’ve never hired any e-commerce devs before. I’ve also never hired any backend web devs before.

My use cases are either for writing assignments or small (a couple week long) front-end dev projects.