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I took a $50k job in my late 20s just for full remote with no calls/meetings, just Github issues and a chat app for synchronization. I felt pathetic accepting

I took a $50k job in my late 20s just for full remote with no calls/meetings, just Github issues and a chat app for synchronization. I felt pathetic accepting the offer especially after my counteroffer was rejected (imagine your bluff failing here, lmao), but I remembered sitting in meetings for a higher paying job fantasizing about how I'd give half my salary away just to have no meetings and living on a beach surfing in the mornings. And that's what I did.

__s 3y ago
How long ago was this? & where? My first job in 2012 was 30k/year, after that 25k/year in 2015. & these are CAD, not USD. I didn't feel pathetic, I felt lucky getting to stay inside during the winter instead of working 12/hr flooring Guess it's harder when you've had the higher salary already. For me I'd skipped college, so was building a resume
- hombre_fatal 3y ago
  My first job out of uni in 2011 was 50k USD as a Ruby on Rails software dev in Austin. What feels pathetic is when, 10 years later, you are making the same salary again. But at least I was surfing on a beach in Mexico this time around. I was really happy. Maybe that's priceless.
potatoman22 3y ago
Was it worth it? How'd they keep their commitment to no calls/meetings? I'd be worried about the employer reneging on that.
- paulcole 3y ago
  When I negotiate with someone on something like this, I make it (relatively) painful for the company to break the rule. Full day pay bonus if we text/call someone on a non-scheduled work day, no matter how trivial the issue and no matter if they pick up or reply. So we don’t get a guarantee that the issue is resolved and they’re not obligated to help (if they do, they also get paid for working that day, obviously).
- hombre_fatal 3y ago
  It wasn't an agreement. It was just how they operated. It was worth it at the time. But I'm back in the States looking for work after years abroad and can feel the pressure of having a less impressive resume, no big names on my resume, and no US network. Sometimes I look around at people my age who own property and make six figures and I feel so underachieved. But then I consider how miserable I was working in Austin before I went abroad and I can't think of a better way to have spent my 20s (for me).

__s 3y ago

How long ago was this? & where? My first job in 2012 was 30k/year, after that 25k/year in 2015. & these are CAD, not USD. I didn't feel pathetic, I felt lucky getting to stay inside during the winter instead of working 12/hr flooring Guess it's harder when you've had the higher salary already. For me I'd skipped college, so was building a resume

hombre_fatal 3y ago
My first job out of uni in 2011 was 50k USD as a Ruby on Rails software dev in Austin. What feels pathetic is when, 10 years later, you are making the same salary again. But at least I was surfing on a beach in Mexico this time around. I was really happy. Maybe that's priceless.

potatoman22 3y ago

Was it worth it? How'd they keep their commitment to no calls/meetings? I'd be worried about the employer reneging on that.

paulcole 3y ago
When I negotiate with someone on something like this, I make it (relatively) painful for the company to break the rule. Full day pay bonus if we text/call someone on a non-scheduled work day, no matter how trivial the issue and no matter if they pick up or reply. So we don’t get a guarantee that the issue is resolved and they’re not obligated to help (if they do, they also get paid for working that day, obviously).
hombre_fatal 3y ago
It wasn't an agreement. It was just how they operated. It was worth it at the time. But I'm back in the States looking for work after years abroad and can feel the pressure of having a less impressive resume, no big names on my resume, and no US network. Sometimes I look around at people my age who own property and make six figures and I feel so underachieved. But then I consider how miserable I was working in Austin before I went abroad and I can't think of a better way to have spent my 20s (for me).