3 ms·

Not a bad plan but I’ll share my approach since it contrasts with yours. I worked in big tech for a few years. Hated it. My work is very important to me and I

Not a bad plan but I’ll share my approach since it contrasts with yours. I worked in big tech for a few years. Hated it. My work is very important to me and I do not like working on projects where I have no creative control or autonomy. So I started working fewer hours. I was an hourly contractor and got down to 30 hours a week with nothing more than grumbles for my manager. I’m a generalist in my field (robotics) and “full stack”. I wrote a manifesto [1] and handed out 250 copies at maker faire etc. I wrote about my dream. Someone shared my dream and could pay me for it. To lower cash flow requirements I only work about 20 billable hours a week. I can survive just fine on that. My billable work is part of my dream and the rest of the week I work on hobby stuff which is all also in furtherance of my dream. 100% of what I am working on is open source. My story is certainly unique. I don’t expect you to meet someone who will help fund your dream. But I basically got very good at my craft and then found a part time work arrangement that allows me to spend a lot of time working towards other personal goals I have. And I don’t have to stay stuck in a damn corporate office. So yeah, instead of negotiating ever higher wages, consider negotiating ever more flexible schedules. [1] http://tlalexander.com/static/zine.pdf http://tlalexander.com/static/zine.pdf

wly_cdgr 5y ago
The idea of asking for fewer hours rather than more money makes a great deal of sense to me and is something I've considered. I will probably mix that into my plan once I have the experience, competence, and reputation to be able to negotiate such an arrangement. It would be ideal for multiple reasons, actually, to continue to work something like 10-20 hrs/week. One option that might work for me is teaching/tutoring, as I like it and have experience with it Thank you for sharing your experience and for the advice!
- TaylorAlexander 5y ago
  The cool thing is that (if you enjoy doing it, like I do) you can use the extra time to learn new and interesting skills which perhaps complement your existing skillset. I mean, you may be better served by spending time with family, or with painting or cooking or all manner of things that aren't related to work. But I really enjoy programming and 3D printing and electronics design, and with this schedule I have enough time to work on endless pointless projects which have the side effect of teaching new skills or reinforcing existing ones. This makes me more valuable than if I had stayed working 40hrs a week writing hardware test code day in and day out.

wly_cdgr 5y ago

The idea of asking for fewer hours rather than more money makes a great deal of sense to me and is something I've considered. I will probably mix that into my plan once I have the experience, competence, and reputation to be able to negotiate such an arrangement. It would be ideal for multiple reasons, actually, to continue to work something like 10-20 hrs/week. One option that might work for me is teaching/tutoring, as I like it and have experience with it Thank you for sharing your experience and for the advice!

TaylorAlexander 5y ago
The cool thing is that (if you enjoy doing it, like I do) you can use the extra time to learn new and interesting skills which perhaps complement your existing skillset. I mean, you may be better served by spending time with family, or with painting or cooking or all manner of things that aren't related to work. But I really enjoy programming and 3D printing and electronics design, and with this schedule I have enough time to work on endless pointless projects which have the side effect of teaching new skills or reinforcing existing ones. This makes me more valuable than if I had stayed working 40hrs a week writing hardware test code day in and day out.