So I feel like this is basically irrelevant to most people. Maybe having hourly pay and overtime is better but it’s generally not a simple choice between exempt

So I feel like this is basically irrelevant to most people. Maybe having hourly pay and overtime is better but it’s generally not a simple choice between exempt or non-exempt employment because the exempt positions tend to be more highly paid and therefore more desirable. Moreover, if you’re an efficient worker, you may feel there are better incentives for you to be paid for that efficiency if you’re salaried. It also feels irrelevant for me (and most people on HN?) because the sort of work I do (computer programming) tends to be salaried. There are self-employed contractors but I feel like they don’t count as they’re also exempt (I think) and they get to choose their rates. When I saw the title I thought it would be comparing employment to contracting or entrepreneurialism. I feel like the things that will have a big impact for compensation are more long-term, discretionary, or growth related (if you’re going to get an x% pay rise every year then your starting pay makes a big difference to the total over all the years), eg promotions/equity/bonuses/switching employers.