9 ms·

Get while the gettin' is good, people! You now have power over that caviling, micromanaging boss of yours. Or the job that doesn't pay you enough. Or the gig t

Get while the gettin' is good, people! You now have power over that caviling, micromanaging boss of yours. Or the job that doesn't pay you enough. Or the gig that makes you come in the office when you can work perfectly fine from home. Remember that productivity in America has doubled in the last 40 years, but wages have only risen by half. So sit on your ass a bit, get paid, then get a gig that respects your worth.

astrea 5y ago
I feel as though the average HN user (CS cluster or adjacent) already had this luxury.
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  Eh, even bootcamp grads are getting multiple offers these days. I wish I had graduated in this market.
  - nickysielicki 5y ago
    If you have less than 5 YoE the market is not nearly as hot as it is for seniors, not many teams want to onboard a junior remotely.
- orzig 5y ago
  Sure, but few comments are useful to a full 50% of readers. Bottom Decile: This is your moment!
jzig 5y ago
> You now have power over that caviling, micromanaging boss of yours. Or the job that doesn't pay you enough. Or the gig that makes you come in the office when you can work perfectly fine from home. What about when I have all those things and still hate my job?
- willcipriano 5y ago
  Negotiate less job for the same pay.
  - sokoloff 5y ago
    Or even less job for less pay (as the declining utility of money [and maybe reduction of tax rates] will leave you better off than the linear reduction in income might suggest).
    - toomuchtodo 5y ago
      Only as a last resort. Anchor high/shoot the moon, and only take less money for less work if you have to. In this job market, employers are likely to agree to demands versus churn a role (at least the forward thinking ones).
- mooreds 5y ago
  Switch professions?
- ojl 5y ago
  Yeah, I basically had those things but was very bored by my job, especially after starting working from home. Luckily I managed to find a job where I still have those things but within a domain which is more interesting to me. So the answer could be: Switch industry/company.
- hungryforcodes 5y ago
  Life? Who likes their job? I mean if I don't have to work, I'd prefer to be at the beach with a long island ice tea and a bikini model.
groundhogday3 5y ago
Just because productivity has doubled in 40 years doesn't mean that people have been twice as productive. Also salaries and wages aren't dependent on how hard you work. It is how much value you bring to a company (and how easily you can be replaced). About 15 years ago .NET programmers were getting much higher rates than they are today in the UK (at least in London). The last time I looked node, go, AWS and other things were much more highly paid.
- rpowers 5y ago
  You could bring a TON of value to a company and get paid peanuts. Let's not assume a just world here.
- dannyw 5y ago
  And in a labour shortage, the value that someone brings to the company increases :) Demand a doubling of pay to match productivity increases. The power is in our collective hands.
  - groundhogday3 5y ago
    > And in a labour shortage, the value that someone brings to the company increases :) Sure. However that won't last forever. It will drive companies to innovate away your job. I go for a McDonalds breakfast after my bike ride on a Saturday and the checkout staff are basically non-existent now. They instead have self service touch screens. > Demand a doubling of pay to match productivity increases. The power is in our collective hands. Why? The productivity increases might be for other reasons. Automation (many jobs have effectively been automated away), outsourcing to other countries. Also I am not a socialist so don't include me in that nonsense thankyou.
    - micromacrofoot 5y ago
      If jobs being automated or outsourced away explained it then you'd expect to see a similarly dramatic reduction in workers... but instead people are employed at a similar rate, are more productive, and are being paid less... so who's benefiting from automating and outsourcing exactly?

astrea 5y ago

I feel as though the average HN user (CS cluster or adjacent) already had this luxury.

MattGaiser 5y ago
Eh, even bootcamp grads are getting multiple offers these days. I wish I had graduated in this market.
- nickysielicki 5y ago
  If you have less than 5 YoE the market is not nearly as hot as it is for seniors, not many teams want to onboard a junior remotely.
orzig 5y ago
Sure, but few comments are useful to a full 50% of readers. Bottom Decile: This is your moment!

jzig 5y ago

> You now have power over that caviling, micromanaging boss of yours. Or the job that doesn't pay you enough. Or the gig that makes you come in the office when you can work perfectly fine from home. What about when I have all those things and still hate my job?

willcipriano 5y ago
Negotiate less job for the same pay.
- sokoloff 5y ago
  Or even less job for less pay (as the declining utility of money [and maybe reduction of tax rates] will leave you better off than the linear reduction in income might suggest).
  - toomuchtodo 5y ago
    Only as a last resort. Anchor high/shoot the moon, and only take less money for less work if you have to. In this job market, employers are likely to agree to demands versus churn a role (at least the forward thinking ones).
mooreds 5y ago
Switch professions?
ojl 5y ago
Yeah, I basically had those things but was very bored by my job, especially after starting working from home. Luckily I managed to find a job where I still have those things but within a domain which is more interesting to me. So the answer could be: Switch industry/company.
hungryforcodes 5y ago
Life? Who likes their job? I mean if I don't have to work, I'd prefer to be at the beach with a long island ice tea and a bikini model.

groundhogday3 5y ago

Just because productivity has doubled in 40 years doesn't mean that people have been twice as productive. Also salaries and wages aren't dependent on how hard you work. It is how much value you bring to a company (and how easily you can be replaced). About 15 years ago .NET programmers were getting much higher rates than they are today in the UK (at least in London). The last time I looked node, go, AWS and other things were much more highly paid.

rpowers 5y ago
You could bring a TON of value to a company and get paid peanuts. Let's not assume a just world here.
dannyw 5y ago
And in a labour shortage, the value that someone brings to the company increases :) Demand a doubling of pay to match productivity increases. The power is in our collective hands.
- groundhogday3 5y ago
  > And in a labour shortage, the value that someone brings to the company increases :) Sure. However that won't last forever. It will drive companies to innovate away your job. I go for a McDonalds breakfast after my bike ride on a Saturday and the checkout staff are basically non-existent now. They instead have self service touch screens. > Demand a doubling of pay to match productivity increases. The power is in our collective hands. Why? The productivity increases might be for other reasons. Automation (many jobs have effectively been automated away), outsourcing to other countries. Also I am not a socialist so don't include me in that nonsense thankyou.
  - micromacrofoot 5y ago
    If jobs being automated or outsourced away explained it then you'd expect to see a similarly dramatic reduction in workers... but instead people are employed at a similar rate, are more productive, and are being paid less... so who's benefiting from automating and outsourcing exactly?