this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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Here's the thing - I want to work. I love it - I create solutions to problems. It's who I am, and when I have nothing else to do I wander around turning scraps into something useful. I became a programmer because I could create without worries about wasting materials.
What I hate is being exploited like a resource - 40 hours a week is a lot. It's enough I use every free moment just getting my energy back. I have no time to work on my own projects or properly socialize - I just get worn down until I burn out and can't wake up in the morning.
I'm also very aware of the impact of my actions, and nearly every possible job involves draining the world of something to make money for someone who has plenty.
I don't care if other people get to coast because of my work, I just want to solve hard problems in a way that adds to the world.
I do care when I'm used as a pawn in the game of capitalism - But meet my basic and I'd spend my time creating
Cause 40hrs a week is a schedule for workers on a production line with machine tools doing monotonous work. It's hard, but it doesn't require you to think much. Thinking, changing contexts is hard.
Ah, also you really are a resource, only your employer is a resource for you too, to get money which you then use for your own purposes. You are mutually resources for each other, that's the point.
Well, also it seems that in the olden days, when we didn't have internet etc, it was a bit more normal to do your own hobbies etc at work, unofficial tea breaks, and in general many things other than work. Though I'm from Russia, and the Soviet joke says "they imitate pay, we imitate work".
Some IT companies also try to make sure you can work on your hobbies in free Time ( in my case it works like this. Here is a room with 3d printers raspberry pi etc. Have fun, Just make sure your work is done and clients dont complain )
Can't speak about other people, but for me such things really improve efficiency. You should be able to relax when doing intellectual work.
Yeah like, in my current WFH implementation support position I'm able to work on school work and paint Warhammer minis if everything else is done. I'm gaining new skills which will benefit the company thanks to going to school, thanks to the hobbying I'm happier so my mental health is better so I'm able to have near perfect attendance, and still all my work scheduled is done every day. I really don't see why this idea that ppl need to be working 100% of the workday every day persists. The situation I'm in is basically a win all around, but some suit with a spreadsheet still sees only the opportunity cost lost by <100% productivity which yields .1% lower profits or something
That suit is incompetent. He compares real metrics with imagined metrics, of course the latter are going to be better.
indeed. I think pretty much everyone agrees the problem is the distribution of those resources. Much is given by us for very little in return.
You give as little as you can give for as much as you can get. I'd rather say distribution of negotiating power. And the way to fix this is making it easier to do business in your sphere as much as possible at all costs. And I don't mean making it more profitable for existing businesses, I mean there being as many businesses as possible and them being easy to start, so that the negotiating power would even out.
Which moves us to the IP, patent, copyright laws, which make it hard starting a business in many areas, and any kind of regulation and certification that makes it seriously hard to start a business really. Which is, BTW, the reason regulatory laws directed at fighting Apple, Meta etc are also killing many other things we don't even see cause it happens in conceptual stage.
I'm an audio technician who works at a news studio and this statement resonates with me strongly. I'm trying to learn game audio so I can spend more time doing something that I personally feel is productive towards society, hopefully I can make a better living doing that then what I currently do for money.