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By leveraging an oversaturated labor market. This will upset people, but I love programming enough that I would do 996 at 40k-50k usd, with half going to rent

By leveraging an oversaturated labor market. This will upset people, but I love programming enough that I would do 996 at 40k-50k usd, with half going to rent and potentially even paying out of pocket for medical insurance.

Philpax 1y ago
If you're willing to take a loss like that, you should spend your time programming for yourself, not willingly making yourself a victim of exploitation.
winrid 1y ago
Why? At that salary just be a bus driver or something and code for fun.
- gruez 1y ago
  Same reason why "starving artists" (eg. actors, musicians, and game developers) don't become bus drivers and do their art over the weekend. They like the job so much they'd rather take the pay cut and poor working conditions just to work in the job. It's a well-known concept in economics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compensating_differential https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compensating_differential
karmakurtisaani 1y ago
But would you be OK with the fact that your boss is making millions off your passion? As an ex-academic, I know where you're coming from. In academia it's easier to justify working all thr time, since at least no one is making money. It's just for the love of pursuing knowledge. I cannot imagine breaking my back smiling just to make someone else rich.
- gruez 1y ago
  I think OP's point isn't that he'd accept taking a job at [insert tech company here] and have them pay him $50k, when the going rate is $300k or whatever, it's that in a hypothetical scenario where programming isn't prestigious and the pay was only $50k, he'd still take that job (as opposed to finding another line of work like finance or whatever).
jennyholzer 1y ago
Why wouldn't you do freelance or speculative work if you're putting that many hours in?
horns4lyfe 1y ago
That’s so dumb, you don’t have to do that to spend all your time programming. Honestly

Philpax 1y ago

If you're willing to take a loss like that, you should spend your time programming for yourself, not willingly making yourself a victim of exploitation.

winrid 1y ago

Why? At that salary just be a bus driver or something and code for fun.

gruez 1y ago
Same reason why "starving artists" (eg. actors, musicians, and game developers) don't become bus drivers and do their art over the weekend. They like the job so much they'd rather take the pay cut and poor working conditions just to work in the job. It's a well-known concept in economics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compensating_differential https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compensating_differential

karmakurtisaani 1y ago

But would you be OK with the fact that your boss is making millions off your passion? As an ex-academic, I know where you're coming from. In academia it's easier to justify working all thr time, since at least no one is making money. It's just for the love of pursuing knowledge. I cannot imagine breaking my back smiling just to make someone else rich.

gruez 1y ago
I think OP's point isn't that he'd accept taking a job at [insert tech company here] and have them pay him $50k, when the going rate is $300k or whatever, it's that in a hypothetical scenario where programming isn't prestigious and the pay was only $50k, he'd still take that job (as opposed to finding another line of work like finance or whatever).

jennyholzer 1y ago

Why wouldn't you do freelance or speculative work if you're putting that many hours in?

horns4lyfe 1y ago

That’s so dumb, you don’t have to do that to spend all your time programming. Honestly