Joshua BarrettoIt occurred to me today that the social value of the open-source work I do in my free time has probably been an order of magnitude more useful to the world than everything I've ever done as a paid employee. Needing to seek a wage almost certainly makes me a less productive member of society than I would otherwise be.
alcinnz@jsbarretto I feel that way sometimes too...
@alcinnz It's kind of soul-destroying. Although I like my current employer, I'm constantly harassed by the hunch that very little of what I've produced in my career has been useful or even used by actual human beings. I just want to grow food, build furniture, and write open-source software.
Jenny Z., This Puzzle PieceAs a retired technical writer, I think of how short-lived the usefulness of my work was. It no longer has any value at all.
The community building work I am doing now without a paycheck, though, can potentially stay useful well beyond my lifetime because of the ripple effect of building supportive relationships.