Ask HN: What to do if you hate working for someone else and arent an entrepreneur?

I'm perfectly fine with some people ending up with undeserved wealth if it comes along with higher prosperity for everyone. Capitalist-leaning systems have an unbelievable track record in this regard, while socialist utopias all seem to wither and die, usually while impoverishing, starving, and murdering millions in the process.

To be clear, I'm not talking about social democracy, and I'm not talking about more mixed economies, which all developed countries have to some degree. Capitalism isn't perfect. It's horrible in many respects. Call me when you have something better, because socialism isn't it.

I agree, China doesn’t meet the criteria imo. It’s totalitarian, nationalist and it does not provide socialized medicine - it has more in common with the US than with the other examples, I believe. Over the years they’ve been moving to privatize many industries - not all though.

Interestingly the Western leaning Taiwan usually portrayed as the capitalist counterpart does provide socialized medicine, having quite recently de-privatized the system with great results.

>Since the 1980s we have been producing enough food to feed everyone on earth. So to take that example, of that basic necessity, there is no scarcity. From that moment on making sure nobody starved ceased to be a problem of scarcity and became a problem of distribution.

Scarcity is a feature that exists due to physical limitations and processes that have a) shaped human evolution for millennia, socially and biologically; and b) have not ceased since the 1980s. We may produce enough food to feed everyone on earth by some metrics, but that doesn't mean that the principle of scarcity is irrelevant in either the theoretical or practical sense.

>I have a biological impulse to kill people who cross me, to shit on the street, to steal things I want, if given the chance. The proof of that is that for the vast majority of the existence of our species this was how we behaved. Nevertheless I tamed those impulses. No reason why the impulses of hoarding for myself to the ruin of others can't be tamed as well.

Negative default behaviors are mitigated through systems that recognize, acknowledge, and cooperate with the human impulse instead of trying to deny its existence or inevitable operation. If bathrooms are too far apart or the wait is too long, then people don't use them and yes, will alternately relieve themselves on the side of the street.

We need to carry some of that realism into our economic and political discussion.

You are preaching to the choir brother.

I am feeling the exact same sentiment more strongly every day.

In the past, working for a corporation meant some kind of loyalty in return, resulting in pension or still keeping you on payroll even if company was doing not so well.

Now, at the first sign of decrease in revenue, employees are cut. And I'm not even talking about company in danger of going under or having a negative revenue year. Employees are cut because revenue growth goes from say 5% to 2% and the execs have to do something to look like they are trying.

You can be the only one that knows how to do a certain thing in a company to ship that product or come up with a solution that saves the company millions, but all you get in return is 'good job' (and the implicit understanding that you should be thankful you have a job). And the owners/ceos walk away with millions.

So what is the action plan? 1. Do not wallow in bitterness. Do something productive/positive about it instead.

2. Do not think that you aren't an entrepreneur material. No such thing exists.

3. You don't have to run a tech company. Someone posted on HN that an ex-coworker was making far more money with far more freedom running coin laundries.

4. Look into real estate?

5. There are ways to start a company so you can be your own boss.

6. If you are in tech, brush up some new techs and look for cofounder.

7. How do you get the motivation to do all above? Channel your anger/hatred/resentment for having to work for someone else (enriching that person) into doing something for yourself.

8. You may not be successful, but at least you can enjoy working for yourself.

I'm only realizing this a little late in life, but better late than never.

While there is obviously some risk, in my experience it is very well compensated. If anything, I think an irrational level risk aversion means there are basically not enough good freelancers to go around and the demand/pay is high.

The standard formula I recommend to a new freelancer is (what-you-would-make-as-salary / 50 / 5 / 8 * 2) = hourly rate. Anything less is undercharging. So if you would make 100k in salary, you can’t charge less than $100/hour. This is an absolute floor.

If you follow that formula, you’ll be able to cover the healthcare, tax accountant, gaps between work, and other expenses and still make your base salary.

But the ceiling is much higher. For a company, hiring a full time employee is just too much risk. You have a few hours of interviews to determine if they will be a good match, and if you are wrong, it is an extremely expensive mistake. Likewise if things slow down, you’ll have no flexible capacity. Freelancers are a dream come true.

Also, in my experience, companies do not think of freelancer rates in the same way as salaries. Freelancers are not on the organizational chart as it were. Whereas standard HR hires and the attached salaries come with a load of political and ego driven baggage, freelancers are thought about more like buying a new office printer. If there is a need and the budget, the company will hire you and you might be making 3x what the project lead makes.