Comment on Anon goes questing
hydrospanner@lemmy.world 1 month agoSo if your job sent you an email tomorrow that said they were going to stop paying you from here on out, indefinitely, you’d quit working for them and do something you wanted to do instead, even if it was broadly similar to what you are currently doing for them?
Thanks, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
If they gave me a lump sum such that I don’t need the money anymore, I’d probably keep working there for a year or two at least, but reduce my hours a bit. I like my company, team, and project, so it’s nice to have something steady to work on.
But longer term, yeah, I’d probably replace that time with FOSS work once I get onto a really interesting project.
hydrospanner@lemmy.world 1 month ago
That’s a very creative and roundabout way of saying you do expect to be paid for your work and would quit your job if they quit paying you.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
No, I’m saying I would stick with my job for 1-2 years if I didn’t need the money and they stopped paying me. I’m not going to work for free while I need money, but I’d be happy to work for free once I no longer need money.
hydrospanner@lemmy.world 1 month ago
You said, and I quote:
That’s payment. For your work.
It doesn’t change that fact whether they are paying you before the work is done or after. It’s still a transaction. You contribute time and effort to them, they contribute compensation to you for that time and effort.
And everyone needs money, it’s just that some have more than others.
If you hit the lottery tomorrow and won 500 million dollars, maybe not immediately, but you would almost definitely not continue to work at your job volunteering your time and labor to help them make money (and if you would, you shouldn’t, because that devalues the labor of your coworkers and everyone else in your field).
Mind you, I’m not at all saying this is a bad thing. If anything, it’s a good thing. I’m not sure why you seem to feel the need to make yourself an exception, but really, the only people I’ve encountered who are an exception to this rule are people who are both working in a field where the labor itself is intrinsically rewarding (teachers, caregivers, medical professionals, artists, chefs, brewers, etc.) and would be financially supported by another when the pay stopped (usually a spouse but sometimes wealthy parents, etc.).
And in those cases, it’s really not even an exception so much as it is splitting the circumstance across two people, because even then, they’re just getting a free ride to do what they want and ignore the need for money that drives the labor market.
I’m also certainly not saying “everyone hates their job”. Lots of people enjoy their work and that’s great! But for the vast majority of people, if they were no longer to receive a paycheck from their employer, they’d do something else. Either because they needed money, or because there are things they’d enjoy even more than their job that they can do with that time. It’s not a criticism, just an observation.