Reverse Engineering

Our jobs are silly duties we’re willing to tolerate in exchange for money we can use on larger goals. Everything else being the same, you’d just as well shovel septic sludge all day, restore order in the mentally traumatized, harvest organs for malevolent overlords, or provide skilled legal advice to extract good people  from the jaws of a brutal justice system.

You are willing to do anything with no scruples or ego, so turn to analyzing what skills companies pay the most for you to represent. Scouring job listings that reveal salary ranges, you survey the subject areas you need to master – most of it isn’t too hard. Job listings without salary are harder to assess, with some clearly serious and their requirements showing helpful boundaries, while others are skipped for looking like bargain hunting in a dumb way reluctant to reveal a real hand.

Then you must master a boss, job reviews, and co-workers so that you seem like a good employee, excel on all things measured, and gain the esteem of co-workers. It’s all just one more system to game. But as much time as you spend playing with the work environment, you’ve got to always keep your eyes peeled looking out for better offers. Your employer won’t usually give you as good a raise as switching employers every few years will attain.

Your true job is to keep your skills sharp to grab the most loot possible for your family.

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