Programmer offers himself for sale on eBay

Pittsburgh (PA) - Pittsburgh resident Andrew Warshaver has found a more modern and possibly very lucrative way of looking for a summer job. Warshaver, who is also a Carnegie Mellon computer science student, is auctioning off his programming skills on eBay. While this may sound like a joke, so far there have been four serious offers hitting $5500.

In Warshaver’s eBay ad, which can be viewed here, he states, "You are bidding on 12 weeks worth of my employment, working at least 8 hours a day for 5 days a week, with the option to continue employment at the consent of both parties." He even plastered his mugshot and attached a resume to the ad.

Of course there are some ground rules for potential employers. In a telephone interview, Warshaver told us that he wants to work in a major US city and could go "basically anywhere". He also wants his salary to be paid bi-weekly which shouldn’t be a problem for most companies. One thing Warshaver isn’t too picky about is the type of company he would work at. "I’d work for pretty much any company. Of course some computer job would be nice because I’m a computer science major," said Warshaver.

Warshaver came up with the idea after interviewing with several companies for a summer job. "They all seemed to want me and I was bouncing the offers to get more money," said Warshaver. Of course knowing computer languages like C++ and Java helps. That combined with his excellent GPA and Warshaver figured that an online ad could garner even more money and added, "I made the ad and it started like a joke, but maybe I could eventually get more money."

Warshaver is still trying to find a job trough traditional means which brings up an interesting point. What happens if he gets a real-life offer along with a successful eBay bid ? Alluding to the current bid of $5500 and his last summer’s employment with Google, Warshaver told us that he would honor the online commitment. "Last year I made almost this much per month, but if the eBay offer is lower, I guess I have to honor it," said Warshaver.

When asked how high the bidding could go, Warshaver said that it was hard to say and added, "I didn’t think anyone would even bid on me."