Thank you. I would be interested to hear a designer's take on what the downsides to spec work are for me. But everytime I read an anti-spec rant it includes acc

Thank you. I would be interested to hear a designer's take on what the downsides to spec work are for me. But everytime I read an anti-spec rant it includes accusations directed at me that are patently false, like that I ran a spec contest because I don't value or respect the work of designers. No, I ran a spec contest because it was the only thing I could afford. The second, and most obvious criticism of anti-spec arguments, is that the designers on the other end are choosing to engage in them. If the anti-spec crowd can't convince designers who participate in spec contests, why should we pay them any attention? For people who feel so passionately about a topic, I wish they would at least put the time into creating a more compelling argument.