4 ms·

I have the same mentality as you. But over the years, I came to realize that the majority of the workforce just wants to live the easy life, where everything i

I have the same mentality as you. But over the years, I came to realize that the majority of the workforce just wants to live the easy life, where everything is done for them. They want to be taken care of.

usrnm 5y ago
> They want to be taken care of That sounds overly simplistic and a bit rude. I want to do the work I like, which happens to be writing code, and I don't really care about the business, management or accounting. And the best way to do only the things I like is working at a big company, where everything else is done by other people. Why exactly is this wrong?
- tonyedgecombe 5y ago
  >I want to do the work I like, which happens to be writing code Funnily enough that's why I started working for myself.
- koonsolo 5y ago
  Sorry if I came off as rude, because that was not the intention. I'm a freelancer, and my best friend is an employee (both developers). He knows I earn a lot more money, but he explicitly chooses to stay as employee. Why? Because all of the things that you mention. Plus, when he goes home, he spends time with his family and hobbies. For me, my company is always there. Still need to do administration, see which things I can write off, etc. I used to think everyone would be like me, once they know how companies really work. But that is not the case. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what they can expect from the company, after a few years in the workforce. So I definitely don't consider your choice as wrong. It's really about which things you prefer in life.
  - barrkel 5y ago
    It's almost certainly not that simple; you are good at and enjoy (or at least don't dislike) doing some things that your friend does not. Maybe you have a larger risk appetite. And so on.
  - Notanothertoo 5y ago
    Does freelancing really beat faang employment and salary potential? I don't think so.
math_denial 5y ago
>I came to realize that the majority of the workforce just wants to live the easy life, where everything is done for them Why is this wrong? Maybe I am abnormal but for me a job is just a method to receive money. It is the case that my passions are unpractical and not economically profitable, so I work on the part that I can tolerate and leave the business part to people more inclined to do well in that part. It seems like the struggle of entrepreneurship is interpreted morally, while it really doesn't have a moral dimension at all.
- urthor 5y ago
  It's about proactivity and your ability to manage what happens to you at work. The passively employed, especially outside technology often have worringly insecure career trajectories. We are an insulated caste against the problems of the world, partially because we keep up with tech skills. The stories are crazy from my former roommate who works in "change management," aka babysitting employees who've done the same task with the same software every day for 15 years through an unheaval. They become like adult babies when you tell them to do something different than what they've done before. If you take away the requirement for continuing education of the technology work, some extremely nasty things happen to the more passive members of the workforce.
Ekaros 5y ago
I don't specially like soliciting work. I could earn lot more by being contractor. But currently I get paid if I have work to do or not really. Not really my problem. And living in country where firing is complicated, the job security isn't bad.
barrkel 5y ago
Also known as specialising. You probably don't rear your own farm animals for food - you want an easy life and let someone else do it for you. Likewise for your fish - you probably don't want to head out to sea and cast your own net, you want the easy onshore life. You probably haven't gone to medical school - you want to be taken care of by professionals, rather than do it yourself. And so on. (I'm reacting to your judgemental tone in large part because it's just naive. Nobody is good at everything and it's not a matter of wanting an "easy life". Without specialising, we'd be living off the land or in the wilderness with no more technology than we can assemble from raw materials. Anything more, and you're in "easy life" territory.)
- koonsolo 5y ago
  Sorry about the judgemental tone, that was not my intention. I just wanted to explain that not everybody wants to be self-employed. I'm also a specialist (software-architect), so I don't have my own farm animals ;). But I don't think I explained myself properly, so I will try again. As an employee, a lot of things are decided for you: which company phone you have, company car, your career trajectory, bonuses, holidays, etc. You also know how much money will be on your bank account at the end of the month. And when you're sick, you know you're getting paid (EU here :)). This is what I consider the "easy life", because a lot of stuff is decided for you because of company policies. The good thing is that you don't have to overthink all this stuff. But I don't want that. I want to have a car that I choose, want to negotiate my rate all the time, want to take holidays on my own terms, etc. The price that I pay? A lot of administration. And when I'm sick, I'm not getting paid. I used to think that everybody wants this freedom that I desire, but that is not the case. And there is definitely nothing wrong with that. Just like everything, it has benefits and drawbacks, and everybody makes their own choice. And I think still more people prefer to be an employee than self-employed.
emptyfile 5y ago
Of course I want an easy life lol. What kind of nonsense is this post? And posters being offended by the "judging tone". LOL Judge me all you want. HN jet setters and growth hackers don't even cross my mind while I'm living my "easy life".

usrnm 5y ago

> They want to be taken care of That sounds overly simplistic and a bit rude. I want to do the work I like, which happens to be writing code, and I don't really care about the business, management or accounting. And the best way to do only the things I like is working at a big company, where everything else is done by other people. Why exactly is this wrong?

tonyedgecombe 5y ago
>I want to do the work I like, which happens to be writing code Funnily enough that's why I started working for myself.
koonsolo 5y ago
Sorry if I came off as rude, because that was not the intention. I'm a freelancer, and my best friend is an employee (both developers). He knows I earn a lot more money, but he explicitly chooses to stay as employee. Why? Because all of the things that you mention. Plus, when he goes home, he spends time with his family and hobbies. For me, my company is always there. Still need to do administration, see which things I can write off, etc. I used to think everyone would be like me, once they know how companies really work. But that is not the case. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what they can expect from the company, after a few years in the workforce. So I definitely don't consider your choice as wrong. It's really about which things you prefer in life.
- barrkel 5y ago
  It's almost certainly not that simple; you are good at and enjoy (or at least don't dislike) doing some things that your friend does not. Maybe you have a larger risk appetite. And so on.
- Notanothertoo 5y ago
  Does freelancing really beat faang employment and salary potential? I don't think so.

math_denial 5y ago

>I came to realize that the majority of the workforce just wants to live the easy life, where everything is done for them Why is this wrong? Maybe I am abnormal but for me a job is just a method to receive money. It is the case that my passions are unpractical and not economically profitable, so I work on the part that I can tolerate and leave the business part to people more inclined to do well in that part. It seems like the struggle of entrepreneurship is interpreted morally, while it really doesn't have a moral dimension at all.

urthor 5y ago
It's about proactivity and your ability to manage what happens to you at work. The passively employed, especially outside technology often have worringly insecure career trajectories. We are an insulated caste against the problems of the world, partially because we keep up with tech skills. The stories are crazy from my former roommate who works in "change management," aka babysitting employees who've done the same task with the same software every day for 15 years through an unheaval. They become like adult babies when you tell them to do something different than what they've done before. If you take away the requirement for continuing education of the technology work, some extremely nasty things happen to the more passive members of the workforce.

Ekaros 5y ago

I don't specially like soliciting work. I could earn lot more by being contractor. But currently I get paid if I have work to do or not really. Not really my problem. And living in country where firing is complicated, the job security isn't bad.

barrkel 5y ago

Also known as specialising. You probably don't rear your own farm animals for food - you want an easy life and let someone else do it for you. Likewise for your fish - you probably don't want to head out to sea and cast your own net, you want the easy onshore life. You probably haven't gone to medical school - you want to be taken care of by professionals, rather than do it yourself. And so on. (I'm reacting to your judgemental tone in large part because it's just naive. Nobody is good at everything and it's not a matter of wanting an "easy life". Without specialising, we'd be living off the land or in the wilderness with no more technology than we can assemble from raw materials. Anything more, and you're in "easy life" territory.)

koonsolo 5y ago
Sorry about the judgemental tone, that was not my intention. I just wanted to explain that not everybody wants to be self-employed. I'm also a specialist (software-architect), so I don't have my own farm animals ;). But I don't think I explained myself properly, so I will try again. As an employee, a lot of things are decided for you: which company phone you have, company car, your career trajectory, bonuses, holidays, etc. You also know how much money will be on your bank account at the end of the month. And when you're sick, you know you're getting paid (EU here :)). This is what I consider the "easy life", because a lot of stuff is decided for you because of company policies. The good thing is that you don't have to overthink all this stuff. But I don't want that. I want to have a car that I choose, want to negotiate my rate all the time, want to take holidays on my own terms, etc. The price that I pay? A lot of administration. And when I'm sick, I'm not getting paid. I used to think that everybody wants this freedom that I desire, but that is not the case. And there is definitely nothing wrong with that. Just like everything, it has benefits and drawbacks, and everybody makes their own choice. And I think still more people prefer to be an employee than self-employed.

emptyfile 5y ago

Of course I want an easy life lol. What kind of nonsense is this post? And posters being offended by the "judging tone". LOL Judge me all you want. HN jet setters and growth hackers don't even cross my mind while I'm living my "easy life".