Earlier this week, the Diane Rehm Show featured a discussion on the rise of freelancing in the US. They touched on a number of great points, from misclassification of employees as freelancers to the unique financial challenges freelancers face. I rolled my eyes, however, when a caller chimed in to complain about competition from international freelancers who can afford to work for pennies on the dollar. How can a designer/writer/programmer compete with them?
Being excited that today is today
Lois, our giant white and black dog, wakes up every morning so excited that today is today. She loves today. Today, Lois feels, is the best day ever, every day. And why not? She doesn’t know about gridlock in Washington or women’s reproductive rights being under assault all over the nation, or how many extra bills popped up this month, or ongoing racial inequality or gender inequality or the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Also, she’s a dog.
Just doing what you do. Also: copyediting is the woooooooorst
I used to work in government. For reals. When you work in a bureaucracy (God help you), you frequently hear about the concept of the “Peter Principle.” I’d hate to be the poor guy after which it was named, but the basic idea is that if you work somewhere that rewards good work with promotions, eventually you’ll be promoted beyond your own abilities. You sure won’t get promoted again, but you’ll definitely stay right there, doing a poor job until you sheepishly retreat into retirement.