I am not at all blaming those caught in this terrible situation as it’s a systemic problem and 
demands societal-level solutions, but I’m very mercenary when it comes to employment.
John Scalzi and I share the same mindset: Fuck you, pay me.
Again, it’s not these people’s fault they they are attempting to do something they probably love and are being exploited in the process.
However, it’d only take me about a year doing that before my FYPM gene kicked in and I boogied on out of there.
It’s why I switched from being a proofreader to going into IT. Yeah, I like IT a lot but I loved proofreading and if that field paid as much as I can make in IT or even near it, I’d still be a proofreader or editor today. I wish in a better world I could’ve kept IT just as a hobby.
But check this out. I charge as much for my hourly rate as I made in an entire day as a proofreader.
That’s right. I can work for an hour now and make as much as my otherwise-great proofreading job.
Fuck you, pay me.
In an economy like ours, that’s the only way to do it. Have to be as mercenary up to the limits of your power as you can be.
I read FYPM as a rant against work being systematically devalued to the point of insult. How much difficulty did you have getting people respect your proofreader rate? How much difficulty do you have getting people to ante up for your IT rate and pay on time as a consultant or working for someone else?
I’m not even trying to be an artist or a proofreader or any of that because even though I’m good at it, there’s simply no way I want to keep arguing with dumbasses who think I should do it for free or close to free and then balk and cry when it comes time to pay.
Accounting is boring and dull but nobody ever suggests I do a little light accounting on the side for them because I love it or some nonsense.
I read it the same way, too, but was ranting about my reaction to work being devalued — I tend to go elsewhere. My usual unbalanced rant!
I found it impossible to get a raise as a proofreader, but fairly easy to set my rate in IT. The consulting I’m doing now I have a really good relationship with the company, so no problems getting paid.
Lucky, I know. It’s not true for everyone and might not be true for me in the future.