-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Would you ever work for free?
- Thread starter Normal
- Start date
No. Unless we count charitable volunteering that is done in complement to paid labor.
I do not want to set precedent in this fucked up US capitalist society that I'm willing to be a slave, because employers WILL normalize and force that on others eventually. Don't give them an inch of exploitation in that direction, I feel like they're already fucking workers over enough as is.
I do not want to set precedent in this fucked up US capitalist society that I'm willing to be a slave, because employers WILL normalize and force that on others eventually. Don't give them an inch of exploitation in that direction, I feel like they're already fucking workers over enough as is.
I mean aside from literally volunteering, which I have done in the past, I see no reason to ever be willfully exploited
I'll do volunteer work for a good cause, obviously, but if it's for an employer - no. Pay me. If you want overtime hours, pay me more. If you want more responsibility / tasks out of me, pay me.
When in doubt, pay me.
When in doubt, pay me.
That's illegal in my country, unless you specifically negotiated for unpaid overtime in favor of other benefits.
I certainly would never work for free, and asked for overtime pay to be specifically written in to my contract even though my employer doesn't have a collective bargaining agreement.
"You will be paid in exposure and having this on your experience will be a valuable addition to your resume!"
Man, I just got flashbacks of my first days as a college graduate, fuck the pieces of shit who do this kind of shit. I'm not talking about voluntary work or whatever, I'm talking you doing a regular work for free. That's just shitty.
Man, I just got flashbacks of my first days as a college graduate, fuck the pieces of shit who do this kind of shit. I'm not talking about voluntary work or whatever, I'm talking you doing a regular work for free. That's just shitty.
At this point to break into a decent software position I would, yea. I'm already not getting anything.
I'm doing some pro-bono work for a few local business just to beef up my portfolio. Problem is it's not the kind of work I need for full stack. So my skills are just kind of rusting away on the technical end.
I'm doing some pro-bono work for a few local business just to beef up my portfolio. Problem is it's not the kind of work I need for full stack. So my skills are just kind of rusting away on the technical end.
I've done plenty of work for free for experience and references including volunteer for non-profits. Sometimes I was happy, other times I was unhappy and expressed my discontent. Additionally, I've called people out when they were out of line. Thankfully, none of it has ever been slave labor doing 40+ hours. Over time, I've come to know my worth of free work I will and will not take.
For instance, I worked pro-bono for a few startups that never took off. But in the process, I learned how to work with deadlines, write headlines, update databases, and some other skills I never learned in undergrad. I used that as a springboard to other gigs volunteer or otherwise. Plus, I've met a bunch of circle of friends through the process.
If it's a personal art/writing project for my family, close friends, or some kind of gift (i.e. ResetEra Secret Santa), I'm more than happy to do it to put my talents to good use. Currently, I'm not doing much with my talents since I'm between jobs. If it builds my body of work, then fuck it. As long as I'm not pulling overnighters and feel happy doing it.
For instance, I worked pro-bono for a few startups that never took off. But in the process, I learned how to work with deadlines, write headlines, update databases, and some other skills I never learned in undergrad. I used that as a springboard to other gigs volunteer or otherwise. Plus, I've met a bunch of circle of friends through the process.
If it's a personal art/writing project for my family, close friends, or some kind of gift (i.e. ResetEra Secret Santa), I'm more than happy to do it to put my talents to good use. Currently, I'm not doing much with my talents since I'm between jobs. If it builds my body of work, then fuck it. As long as I'm not pulling overnighters and feel happy doing it.
Would I ever work for free? YES, but only if I was making the world a better place.
Would I work for free for a corporation?
Would I work for free for a corporation?
No. I helped some classmates with classwork. But they helped me in other classes. That's the closest I'd ever get to unpaid work. Forget working for free on or with anything.
Yes but only if I would learn something and it overall improves my job prospects.
My first job I might as well have been working for free considering how much I was paid, but it was worth it for me.
My first job I might as well have been working for free considering how much I was paid, but it was worth it for me.
I ended up doing this accidentally a few years back after moving from the floor to the office staff. Offered to run a machine on a Saturday. Asked why my check was the same on the next paycheck and got told "we don't get overtime here in the office".
Jake Peralta cool.gif. Why didn't anybody tell me? Been a few years since then and only needed to work overtime once after that, but I got paid for it.
Jake Peralta cool.gif. Why didn't anybody tell me? Been a few years since then and only needed to work overtime once after that, but I got paid for it.
My salaried hours are 9-5:30 Monday to Friday. I clock in at 8:59 and I clock out at 5:30. I'm not working outside of that time unless you pay me what I'm due. I aint working for free, I've got a life to live and I only work in order to be able to feed and house myself.
Given the examples you provided are more closely tied to a person's career my answer would be no. I believe people should be paid for that kind of work.
I have worked for free in the past, but that was volunteer work for nonprofits and NGO's, so I was essentially donating my time and labor for a brief period.
I have worked for free in the past, but that was volunteer work for nonprofits and NGO's, so I was essentially donating my time and labor for a brief period.
Last edited:
If it's something I enjoy - sure, because then it's really not "work"
I used to build custom PCs for folks free, since I love it. Started charging for it (actually posted a thread here about it) - and it's been insanely awesome. Getting paid to have fun, imagine that :)
I used to build custom PCs for folks free, since I love it. Started charging for it (actually posted a thread here about it) - and it's been insanely awesome. Getting paid to have fun, imagine that :)
Those are the arguments companies will use to justify not paying interns. The value of experience and all that. I'm glad you got something out of it, but I think the majority of unpaid interns think differently.
For sure. I've done unpaid internships where one boss went ghost on me and another one where I ghosted my boss after 3 months. The latter had this whole power complex where she mistook my excitement/passion as "undermining her authority." She was harsher on me than the other interns who I barely met. Suffice to say, I never worked with her again. Especially since she had me use a burner email for the social media campaign. So while I have the internship on my resume, I would never use her as a reference. It's not all sunshine and roses. So it's YMMV on good bosses versus bad ones when it comes to work like that.
I will do a lot of overtime if I think its necessary and productive.
But I will get paid for every minute i work.
But I will get paid for every minute i work.
I did volunteer work for a smaller local government office, digitizing maps and generating some very basic GIS layers for different purposes. I was a geography major at the time and it was very closely related to a lot of my coursework. My 'boss' was so impressed with my abilities that he recommended me to his friend at a nearby utility company, been in a very well paying position with them ever since.
Worked out well for me, but I'd say in general most people are taken advantage of when working unpaid.
Worked out well for me, but I'd say in general most people are taken advantage of when working unpaid.
Not working for free is how I learned that having dreams was a waste of time.
Not that life as a cog in a machine is any better.
Not that life as a cog in a machine is any better.
I've done it before.
Both worked overtime with no appreciable benefit and done photography for "exposure"
The first because my parents had drilled into my head that people who volunteer for more hours get promotions. Spoilers, nope.
The second because I was just starting out and didn't know better.
Protip. Always get that cash money.
Both worked overtime with no appreciable benefit and done photography for "exposure"
The first because my parents had drilled into my head that people who volunteer for more hours get promotions. Spoilers, nope.
The second because I was just starting out and didn't know better.
Protip. Always get that cash money.
Did a total of 16 months unpaid internships. And of course my bosses would bill customers as if I were a paid employee. Never again.
Hell no
Can't really define what this means since I'm salaried though, but I typically only work like 30 hour weeks anyway
Can't really define what this means since I'm salaried though, but I typically only work like 30 hour weeks anyway
Unpaid work never turns into paid work.
If you want to do something, either to compete with your coworkers or if it's for a charity you support, then that's fine but employers will exploit you if they see you'll take less money for more/equal work to your peers.
If you want to do something, either to compete with your coworkers or if it's for a charity you support, then that's fine but employers will exploit you if they see you'll take less money for more/equal work to your peers.
Generally no, in most working situations. I try to make that a principal. Early in the Covid crisis, they cut off our overtime during a hectic period. At least one of my fellow employees still kept putting in overtime trying to make a difficult deadline. They thanked her by putting her on unpaid leave shortly afterwards.
Now, if I was an excentric millionaire working at a nonprofit to make the world a better place. Sure.
Now, if I was an excentric millionaire working at a nonprofit to make the world a better place. Sure.
I have worked for free for non profit associations. But that's more like volunteering I guess. I wouldn't do it for a profit company though.
