Tim wrote:
>Likewise, I know of even some Cypherpunks who have left their
>employers for ideological reasons. And if some have _left_ jobs, the
>effects are likely greater on the _recruiting_ side (where the costs
>of a decision are much less).
Absolutely. More than that, I try to never take a job unless I'd be willing
to do it for free. All free-market principles aside, if you're just in it
for the paycheck, what's the point? I'd rather do something I love that's
meaningful to me than just make a pile. Even better not to have to choose
at all. (Not there yet, so #1 it is...)
This won't be too interesting to all the venerable greybeards out there,
but you'd be surprised what kind of work you can end up with by taking an
unpaid volunteer internship first. If there aren't any available, find
someone to talk to, create a work plan and propose one yourself. If you can
scrape by, trading your free labor for experience isn't always a bad
bargain...it's worked for me more than once, and I sometimes I eventually
ended up on the payroll. And I know I never would have got where I am
without building up my resume that way. Also, even if you find yourself
unemployed or stuck in a 9 to 5 rut, sitting in on college classes to gain
skills (programming, networking, higher math etc.) gets you experience
that'll move you toward doing more of what you want. Most professors aren't
too uptight about letting you sit in for free, it's probably a refreshing
change to teach somebody who's there because they want to be. That's my two
cents, anyway...
Has anyone ever been in the position of turning down work because you
didn't want to apply for clearance? I seem to remember some people here
saying they already have it, was it a hard decision for you? I don't really
have a problem with the idea of facing a background check (though I don't
imagine anyone looks forward to it), it's the pre-publication review board
requirement that bothers me.
~Faustine.
