Pixels Don’t Care (2013)

One particular gig was about scrapping data from a car sales website which I completed for $30 (should have cost at least 10x). The client discussed about the possibility of converting the phone numbers, which were obfuscated as plain images, to plain text. Without ado, I fired up my editor to explore the problem. It proved to atrociously difficult as I didn't have any background in anything similar but with the help from my brother, I was able to make a scrappy algorithm that worked.

I reported back my progress and asked for additional $25 for it but the client refused, saying that he hadn't given his final say. I was dejected but felt foolish more than anything else. Looking back, I can't help think how anyone would pain in giving something as meagre as $25 (at least, for someone in United States) for a someone's hard work.

If there is one thing I can glean from my story and author's is that businesses, at least most of them, are ruthless. It doesn't matter who runs them, it's just an unspoken rule that you don't give what you don't owe. You don't shower sympathy or, do things that aren't in business' best interest (long term / short term). The only thing you can—and should—do is be ruthless yourself. Negotiate for more confidently. Move on if you're undervalued. Never think of owing anything to any entity.

[1] https://mobile.twitter.com/kneath

Having a few really good pieces of work to show off is no guarantee that you'll consistently pump out good work, or that you haven't left clients high and dry before. Since a third party has no real way of gauging that except by your track record, they're taking more of a chance on someone with less of a track record. More risk means they need more reward, which means you get paid less.

Most of us COULD run a Fortune 500 company as well as the average CEO but we won't get the chance, nor compensation, until we have the experience.

I've been a part of a lot of different communities. Hell, when I was a kid in a MW2 clan on the internet, no one there cared about anything but skill in the game. In programming and hacking communities, no one cared about anything but skill either.

It's a brilliant place you know. On the internet, you can be whoever you want to be and it doesn't matter.

Those are good arguments for privacy.

Sometimes you got something to hide. Not a crime but because you don't want to be discriminated.

Sad that it has to be this way.

Talent can produce a better result than experience, but experience is almost always more consistent. There's added value in consistency for companies. That's not discrimination (ugh), it's a business reality.

He seems a little more bitter about it than I was. Trust is part of the game, and people just naturally, and subconsciously look for signals that you're the real deal.

Like anonymous works can't exist in the physical space?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Anonymous_artists

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anonymously_published_...

I started freelancing about halfway through college and quickly learned to hide the fact that I was a student, and my age in general. I recall one of my early clients that had a very distinct negative change in how he treated me after he learned that I was still in college.

I can't complain too much, though, most clients treated me well and I charged enough that I was able to graduate debt free.

They need to mitigate business risk so they look for vendors that will: 1. Exist as long as their solution is being used 2. Provide adequate support 3. Are legally accountable for their products and services 4. Have the proper processes in place for things like billing and invoices

Having raw talent is just part of the business puzzle. There are a lot of start-ups or freelancers that can "fake it until they make it" but it's because they really understand how a small business or corporation makes buying decisions.

Them I remember taking them as interns is part of the discrimination; and they'll be better promoted in physical companies where they can invoke anti-discrimination laws, rather than being only promoted by their skills.

Then remains those who are really discriminated against: Those who are neither protected by being good-looking nor by the laws, like the (short) author.

Pixels don't care, but next time you read statistics about how white people are paid more than average, remember which side this guy falls on, now that he succeeded. The strange world of statistics.

In fact the whole "we are an institution and you are a peon" mentality needs to be disrupted.

More companies should hire on a project basis and share the revenues. More companies should try holacracy and abolish a top down chain of command for everything.

Then people can really will be compensated on their merit, ie their contributions.

In our own company, I laid out how we do it https://qbix.com/blog ... would welcome your thoughts.

Can a mod change the title to read (2013) since this article is fairly old, though?

While privacy is important, and a meritocracy is, well, meritocratic, these systems weren't formed overnight, and aren't even necessarily accepted as 'right' in many parts of the world. Historically, social barriers (e.g. discrimination against short people) are changed through exposure, discussion and sometimes fighting. Writing a post like this is only part of the answer. Taking the opportunity to understand the bias and discussing it with those who hold opposing viewpoints is another part of the answer.

Privacy is a right, don't use it as a crutch.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet%2C_nobody_know...

I guess semantically they aren't necessary since there is no missing information but for some reason I found it distracting anyway.