This is my last rant for 2007: You get what you put up with. Two examples:
EXAMPLE 1. I went to a movie theater with my son and daughter over the holidays. This was the first motion picture I had seen in a long time at the theater (my husband and I usually get Netflix movies). I sat down thinking I was going to see some previews, which doesn’t bother me, since I get to see what’s coming up. Instead I got TEN (and we counted!), yes, TEN COMMERCIALS. I was appalled. I had paid $8 for a matinee and still had to sit through all those commercials. Well, no more movies in theaters for me. I don’t have to put up with it. I can get a dozen movies a month, including good foreign films, indies, and Television shows, for less than the price of one theater movie. And with no commercials.
EXAMPLE 2: One of the things professionals put up with isn’t getting paid as much as we’re worth. I put a profile on Elance and I have taken just a few jobs on there, but I don’t see any that are worth my time, so I only check there occasionally. It seems there are enough people who will take any work they can get at any price, and the people who post proposals accept the cheapest price. As Jennifer Chait says (in Deb Ng’s “Freelance Writing Jobs” blog), “you get what you pay for. ”
One of my goals in 2008 is to work smart, and only take work that will either (a) pay me well, or (b) pay tiny but promote my career. I’ll let you know how it works out.
Meanwhile, I’m back to Netflix, where I can watch what I want, when I want, and at a reasonable price.
Happy New Year!
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