Between conscience and necessity....

[ryokimball]

Good afternoon! I've been thinking a lot about the future, mine personally and in general in relation to technology and software, and I am curious as to how others feel. My personal dilemma is that I cannot ever see myself getting paid to do many of the sort of things I want to do. For instance, debugging and troubleshooting all sorts of electronic and computer systems, the sort of things that I very often hear being rated at $50 an hour jobs, I could never ask to be paid for. In fact, the only time I have ever gotten paid has been when i had a summer job or worked with my father at his job (I was a contracted assistant); and the only time I think I could ever ask to be paid would be if I worked for a company, such as a game or software studio or something. However, if I had a friend that worked at the studio who asked me to help him do something that he is totally incapable of on behalf of the business, I most likely could not ask or even accept money if it were offered. Is there a trick to being paid to do what you love to do for free? For those in the professions of the forum, especially the entrepreneurs, how did you get started doing whatever it is that you do?

[fingal]

I'm a 'professional' (more about that later), but not an entrepreneur. My views on work are rather complex, but aside from that I'm curious to know why you think you can't accept money to do something you like doing for free? I suspect that you associate getting paid with drudgery, and that you don't want your hobby (if that's not too trivial a word) to seem like routine work.

It's a good question! In fact, it's one that I suspect some people never manage to resolve. I think that the closer work is to the things you enjoy doing, the better. Paid or unpaid, you should like doing it. Work is not a virtue in itself, and when people talk about 'honest work' I pull a face and think, 'It's dishonest if you hate it.'

I qualified as a librarian, and if you want my so-called career path it's something like this:

0. student (slacker)
1. full-time slacker (I did a lot of fishing)
2. part time voluntary work
3. bicycle mechanic
4. quality controller
5. student - (a proper one this time)
6. information worker ('librarian' is only loosely correct)

Actually I had to work very hard to become a slacker. Being a librarian wasn't too bad... Joking aside, you have to identify your skills: the building blocks of what you're good at. What is the essence of what you enjoy doing? Problem solving is a skill... if you do it well.

Then you need to link those skills to something you know you'll enjoy. You can experiment and make mistakes... But if I were you I would try to avoid being a 'professional'. My definition of that is, 'Someone who gets paid quite a lot of money for doing something they secretly dislike'. I consider information work to be a 'vocation'. In other words, I can't help doing it; it's in my nature to provide information.

I've been brief, but I always recommend people who want to pin down their vocation to buy 'What Color is Your Parachute'. I still say that the book is the best one out there for people who want to identify satisfying work, and it leaves plenty of freedom for you to choose whatever you want. And you can indeed do just that.

[Dapper Dan]

Hi ryokimball. I have experienced your dilemma.

I've been in radio for almost thirty years. In the early days, "friends" and associates were always asking me to do voice over work for them and almost invariably expected it for free. What happens is, you soon get annoyed with people who expect you to provide professional services without renumeration.

Eventually you put your foot down.

When I did that, I made some folks angry with me. But I found out they really weren't my friends anyway. A true friend will insist on paying you and will be perfectly happy to do so. But that is not to say you cannot still do favours for close friends and family if you so choose. In time, your name gets around and customers will begin calling you. Tell them the cost. If they don't want to pay then tell them you don't work for free.

Remember this: As much as anyone, you have the right to feed, clothe and house yourself and your family. Never apologize to anyone for wanting to make a living.

Just my personal take.

[kakariko81280]

I'd think of it as "Sure, I'll code something for you, but I only have a couple of hours then I have to go to work so I can earn money to pay my bills. Oh, you'll give me enough money to pay my bills so I don't have to work and have more time to code for you."

I consider my job is to do as I am asked to the limit of my ability and with a relentless can-do attitude. Going further to come up with an elegant solution to difficult problem is profoundly satisfying.

Helping colleagues do what they can't by themselves is some of the best of it. It's always something interesting because if it was routine they wouldn't be asking for help. It's a large part of why I post here.

I expect my career thus far has been pretty standard. University, graduate, apply for jobs and get hired. I started with a small company which meant I had to learn to do everything rather than work a niche, I think it gave me a better basis for what I'm doing now. On the other hand I have no basis for comparison because I only got to make that choice once.

Chris...

[techieMoe]

I write software for a living, so I'm one of the lucky ones that gets paid a living wage to do something I enjoy. However I also do computer repair tasks for random people on the side. Depending on who it is, I generally charge them a set amount per hour plus the cost of any new parts (they're welcome to purchase the parts themselves as well).

When I first started doing the PC repair stuff, I had trouble asking for money. One very nice couple I was introduced to by my brother asked me to help them with something that I considered relatively simple. They needed a printer set up. I did it, and it took probably an hour at most. They asked what I'd like for my time. At that moment I said nothing, even though they insisted.

A few days later my father handed me $40 that he said the couple had absolutely insisted I take. (My father is a teacher who worked with the wife of the couple.) They've called me at odd times here and there for about 2 years now and I've established a regular hourly rate with them. That doesn't necessarily mean they always pay it, though. Sometimes they end up giving me double!

To make a long story short, don't feel bad accepting money. Just because you consider something fun and easy to do doesn't mean you're ripping the person off. They recognize the fact that you get into this stuff and are willing to pay for your time and expertise. That's an honest transaction as far as I'm concerned.

[fingal]

...similarly, not everyone is good at sourcing information, and I do that on the side for friends. I wouldn't ask for money though; I get paid for doing it full time.

I've even done a bit of computer training from time to time. A friend of mine (who had never used a computer or the Internet) was quite shocked to find that computers aren't as bright as he thought.

[techieMoe]

I've even done a bit of computer training from time to time. A friend of mine (who had never used a computer or the Internet) was quite shocked to find that computers aren't as bright as he thought.

Not to get *too* off-topic, but I had an interesting conversation with someone about that very thing. They remarked as I was doing some tech support work on their desktop how smart computers were. I made an off-hand comment to the effect of, "Truthfully, computers are actually quite dim-witted. They only do exactly what we tell them to do." The person seemed taken aback by that, so I ended up having to explain it to them.

[wowbag1]

I found that if I do something for money then it is not as satisfying as working because you want to. For example I have setup computers and written stuff for money and I think OK that was that, but I have also done some work for a hospital for free, and it made me feel good, which I prefer.
But it will not get the bills paid.
So the end of it is for me, that I do the things in life I enjoy for free unless someone insists on paying me and work at something which I only tolerate to pay the bills.

[questio verum]

I found that if I do something for money then it is not as satisfying as working because you want to. For example I have setup computers and written stuff for money and I think OK that was that, but I have also done some work for a hospital for free, and it made me feel good, which I prefer.
But it will not get the bills paid.
So the end of it is for me, that I do the things in life I enjoy for free unless someone insists on paying me and work at something which I only tolerate to pay the bills.

This parallels my POV closely. I've heard it said that 90% of the work force hate what they do, yet they do it out of necessity. My own limited experience would seem to confirm that.

I agree that one shouldn't feel bad about charging for what they do well. The fact that you enjoy it is a bonus. I've worked for a major OEM and for a number of small start-ups, as well as free-lancing; and I've loved and hated, by turns, the work I was involved with. Having the opportunity and freedom to make a living doing what I loved was nirvana. Being co-opted into dronehood for the service of humorless corporate types was pure hell.

My experience in the tech sector has been a study in contrasts. Jobs are both wonderful and terrible. Pay is both fantastic and at times an insult. Customers/managers are a blessing and a curse. One thing's for sure... if you aren't happy where you are, move on.

I enjoyed very much what you had to say, Fingal. I wish I'd had a mentor to offer advice like that to me when I was a kid in high school. I also believe "What Color is Your Parachute" to be an excellent text for anyone entering the workforce or considering changes in their professional career. Having said that, I must add that I take issue with a couple of your points. I believe there is value intrinsic in work. And though I might not refer to work as 'virtuous', I do believe work is a vehicle for realizing virtue. We all have tasks or work events that give us a sense of accomplishment. If we were to wake up tomorrow and suddenly find these tasks illegal and banished under the full force of the law, we would eventually find ourselves in a state of decline. Sure, you could play for a while, but play will eventually become unsatisfying if it's not balanced with a sense of accomplishment and contribution. Unless one is a sociopath, of course.

Our lack of consensus on the other point may be due to cultural differences. You and I are on opposite sides of the big pond. On this side, resources and cultures can vary widely from one state to the next. Those not born with silver spoon in mouth, or fortunate enough to find themselves residents of one of our more , er... generous states, will find economic forces driving them into one of those "professional" positions so that they might be paid a lot (or even a moderate sum) of money for doing what they secretly dislike. Opting for slackerhood is a pipedream for these grads.

Still... I liked much of what you had to say. In a sane world, I think all college grads would be offered the opportunity to find their niche in a manner such as you describe.


qv