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Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

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Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#61

Post by Mistletoe »

ipsi wrote: post #11

Reminds me of a couple of married friends of mine. The wife played a classical musical instrument (e.g., not an electric guitar) and had her sights set on being a professional. While working towards that she did a lot of teaching/practising/etc, and her students would often say something along the lines of "I'm so envious of all this time you have to practice music! How are you able to do it?!" and her reply was alwa…

One can think of music teachers as a zero interest rate phenomenon then by proxy, so maybe it wasn’t all bad (but most of it was).

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#62

Post by OkayPhysicist »

dragonwriter wrote: post #32
vorpalhex wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My coding wasn't valuable when I started, anymore than the beginner guitarist is Bon Jovi.

There are a lot more jobs for programmers than musicians, at higher median pay (but a lower mean , because the pay for musicians is much more concentrated in a small cadre of very high earners.) Very different markets. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes272042.htm https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151251.htm

I'm pretty surprised that software doesn't run into the mean skew. I guess you stop calling yourself a programmer when you're a CTO/CEO of your tech company you founded.

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#63

Post by aodonnell2536 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #56
eastbound wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UBI is a bane because it kills meritocracy. The reason most people are successful is because they risk a lot if they weren’t. Surprise: Stress is a factor of excellence. You say it yourself: If UBI is introduced, then none of the hard jobs gets done.

> UBI is a bane because it kills meritocracy. UBI enables meritocracy, it doesn’t kill it.

How so? A big motivating factor to be successful for most people is to set themselves apart financially from the masses.

Edit: And of course, what would be the motivating factor for someone to give their best possible work, if the other 12 guys in their position get paid the same for less quality work?

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#64

Post by dataviz1000 »

“In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?” ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Reminds me of that quote. Rilke, a poet, was an apprentice to, Auguste Rodin, a sculptor, who taught Rilke how to be an artist. Although different disciplines, the nature of creativity and its manifestations are the same.

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#65

Post by tomdell »

ericmay wrote: post #25
tomdell wrote: post #5

As someone who tried the music-or-nothing approach for several years after college and two years in ended up with semi-regular panic attacks, persistent existential dread, and crippling anxiety over finances, I can't recommend getting a day job enough. It saddens me to think of all the creative work I could be doing and all the artistic growth I could be seeing instead of developing marketing software, but at least I…

> semi-regular panic attacks, persistent existential dread Ha - I’ve known a number of friends who have had this same problem working a “useless 9-5” job and missing out over what they’re passionate about. It’s all about trade-offs.

I definitely still feel sadness and anxiety over the feeling that I'm wasting my life on something I don't care about, but it feels more manageable for me than the earth-shattering feeling of having nothing but one thing and that one thing isn't working out the way I thought it would.

Trade-offs indeed.

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#66

Post by tayo42 »

saagarjha wrote: post #55
eastbound wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UBI is a bane because it kills meritocracy. The reason most people are successful is because they risk a lot if they weren’t. Surprise: Stress is a factor of excellence. You say it yourself: If UBI is introduced, then none of the hard jobs gets done.

Even within software there are a lot of excellent projects created by financially secure people. Clearly at least some people do enjoy doing hard work without being threatened for their livelihood.

I interpreted hard work to mean dishwashing, landscaping, janitor in an elementary school etc...

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#67

Post by lotsofpulp »

hguant wrote: post #46
JSavageOne wrote: post #39

Great, practical advice. I do think however that by 2030, UBI will be the norm in many wealthy countries, and thus more people will be able to pursue their passions rather than having to sell their soul as dayjobbers to make money for corporations and rich people.

In 7 years? I think the current crop of pilot tests for UBI are set to finish up in 7 years. No way meaningful UBI gets well enough established in 7 years to be considered "a norm." UBI is this generation's fusion - it's going to be 10 years away until the late 2070s, if at all.

I have yet to see a pilot test for UBI even begin. Which country’s people are all (universal) receiving an income? The whole thing makes no sense if everyone is not getting it.

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#68

Post by jiggywiggy »

ipsi wrote: post #11

Reminds me of a couple of married friends of mine. The wife played a classical musical instrument (e.g., not an electric guitar) and had her sights set on being a professional. While working towards that she did a lot of teaching/practising/etc, and her students would often say something along the lines of "I'm so envious of all this time you have to practice music! How are you able to do it?!" and her reply was alwa…

I know a bunch of classical musicians, and while they study and work hard they all have steady gigs for one or more ensembles & orchestra's.

From the outside it feels somewhat more doable to be a pro , then a band or solo-artist, since there are quite a few orchestra's around that hire people on a stable basis. Spots are limited, but it's not super hard.

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#69

Post by lynx23 »

ipsi wrote: post #11

Reminds me of a couple of married friends of mine. The wife played a classical musical instrument (e.g., not an electric guitar) and had her sights set on being a professional. While working towards that she did a lot of teaching/practising/etc, and her students would often say something along the lines of "I'm so envious of all this time you have to practice music! How are you able to do it?!" and her reply was alwa…

There are exceptions to every rule of course, and the situaton has changed significantly with all-software productions, but... If you dig deeper into many electronic music producers bio, you realize they were sort of rich-kids. First and foremost, hardware costs real money. And this is gambling money, since you typically dont know what is going to come out of that project. And secondly, you need sare time on your hand, to be able to playfully explore the space... Both things are typically hard to find with the working class.

Re: Lifers, Dayjobbers, and the Independently Wealthy: A Letter to a Former Student

#70

Post by TigeriusKirk »

aodonnell2536 wrote: post #63
dragonwriter wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> UBI is a bane because it kills meritocracy. UBI enables meritocracy, it doesn’t kill it.

How so? A big motivating factor to be successful for most people is to set themselves apart financially from the masses. Edit: And of course, what would be the motivating factor for someone to give their best possible work, if the other 12 guys in their position get paid the same for less quality work?

Because many of those who excel in terms of merit now are those with the resources to support them while they perfect their craft. Money from something other than their craft is paying the bills while they gain their merit.

UBI gives that to everyone, giving everyone a shot at developing their merit.

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