I think we should keep in mind that what they might be doing at work is exploiting others.

Most of the jobs I've had, I left because once I got to know the inner workings of the company I realized that it wasn't about solving real problems, but instead about justifying the ability to profit from a privileged position.

I don't have a lot of data here, but I'd estimate the percentage of people employed in the full time exploitation of others at about 50%.

There are a lot of people that don't enjoy their jobs, but do the work because they're getting paid to do it. You seem to assume that anyone doing their job _only_ because they're being paid to do it will _not_ do their job if they can get away with it (even though they're still being paid to do so). Not everyone is a horrible person. Plenty of people will continue to do their job even if they could lie and not do it; because they agreed "if you pay me, I will do my job".

I've had times where I wasn't enjoying my job, but I still did the work... because that's the agreement I had with the company I worked for. And, like a lot of people, I wouldn't see it as acceptable to scam the company I work for.

I mean that's a good attitude, but really some industrues and some fompanies are exploitative.

And I am not talking Cobalt mines or McDonalds. Look at the game industry- really good developers, much more skilled than average web dev, and they get shit pay and long hours. Why does anyone work there? People exploit their passion.

So they are orthogobal concepts - maybe you are passionate, and someone takes advantage of that

The opposite is true for me. I’ve suckered my employer into paying me to do something I do for free on my own time. What fools.

That, to me, is a lot different than taking advantage. There are plenty of reasons you would take advantage of your job too... it’s not a negative thing, it’s making the best of it.

It’s a much better title.

Some people believe the employer-employee relationship is intrinsically exploitative, so that's not saying much.

I don't think you're being exploited although you are probably being mismanaged. I'd just take the job for what it is. You gain experience, you work your 18 hours a week until the deadline, and if you aren't done in that time, it's not your problem.

What I think is funny about this is that the actual expoiting slave driver bosses will accept sometimes that you do what you get paid for and then go home. They won't tell you so, but if you are able to read faces you can see them smile a little with respect if you refuse to get exploited. But some of the engineering colleagues will never accept that. 24/7 is the requirement. Even if nobody, not even them, gets anything out of it.

I happen to enjoy my job very much. I'd feel useless and bored without it.

You are a mercenary. That's the idea of a job. You do something, they pay you.

Whilst I applaud the sentiment, it's worth remembering that's pretty much the only reason you have a job and can make money. You have a job because you provide the employer with more value than you take - if that equation shifts against you, then you're bang out of luck.

If you have easily transferable skills, then maybe you can get away with not caring and jump from place to place, but I'd at least be a little bit mindful of how your role fits into the organisation requirements, unless you want a nasty shock one day.

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

Agreed. If you look even more pessimistically at this, it's also how workers get exploited by owners. You've attached your identity to something, making it a giant lever. I can push on that pain point to motivate you or to neg you into accepting less money for the work.

Saving this wisdom. I have worked for a few of them.

For all but a select few this is an unrealistic fairy tail. Most of us just want to make money to better enjoy our lives. We were given or acquired certain skills to make money, out of juvenile interests or opportunities we used. That doesn't mean we enjoy using those skills. It would be very hard to find any other job without taking a massive pay cut, investing huge amounts of money, time and effort only to have a high chance you won't like your new job as well.

I see no job or career I am interested in: I hate everything the moment it becomes work. And I am no unique snow flake. I am part of the majority with that.

https://www.wellable.co/blog/employee-engagement-statistics-....

How could they? And what was their motivation for doing this?

An employee doing something in their free time is a rare and valuable asset.

There are places in this industry that are not so bad. Of course it has drawbacks and require effort, but you can get paid for doing things that align (as best as possible) with your values.

I get satisfaction from other people benefiting from my work. Why would I want to perform work that benefits no one or only myself? Seems selfish.

I assume you meant to imply that I'm being taken advantage of in some way by my employer but that is not the case. I enjoy managing computers and programming. I don't enjoy running a business, selling things to people, dealing with insurance companies directly, or many of the other things that I don't have to do because my employer does them.

Often times there are other people that enjoy those activities doing them. It's a symbiotic relationship, or at least it should be in an ideal world. It's possible for everyone to benefit even if some people benefit more financially than others.

This desire is a coping mechanism. Because the latter view, that the job is just to pay for your life, makes you discover that it also robs you out of all of it. Even the 9-5 job is way more than 50% of your wake time, after accounting for commute and energy drain.

That is by definition the relationship of an employee and and employer. If they didn't make money off of you they wouldn't hire you (exceptions exist as always).

Edit: making sure i didn't missinterpret this sentence - if by people you meant customers then it's also what companies do.

> People who have really great jobs(not talking about money ofc), how did you find them

Try to abstract away the company. Raise your own bar, strive to be a great professional for your own sake, because you love your field of work. Progress your knowledge and skills for your own joy, not for your employers. Now, if you get into that mindset, even the worst company is a training ground to help you become better. It's a new level in a game. See how well you can manage in the worst possible conditions, making sure it is not taxing your mental health though.