He also has small kids at home so helps with them during the day and does Uber at nights.
Gig work is very flexible that way, unlike almost any other side job accessible to most people.
I was thrilled to have the ability to earn anything and I have long voiced criticisms of this assumption that earning less than minimum wage is inherently some kind of employer abuse that must be aggressively stamped out.
It's not like people are throwing money at me out of pity for my incurable condition and sad sack life story. Denying me the opportunity to choose to work part-time for sometimes less than minimum wage winds up being just a means to cut my income, not improve my life any.
Wouldn't it be better if, for people whose health/disabilities/etc make it so that nobody would hire them for minimum wage but would hire them for x% of minimum wage, that the government has a program to subsidise the cost to the employer so you still get minimum wage without becoming unemployable due to your conditions? Why do you deserve less because of health problems?
As a freelance writer, I charge by the page and say something like "I typically get it back to you within a week." In reality, I usually get it back a lot quicker than that but saying that gives me latitude for being too sick to work unexpectedly sometimes for a few days.
Charging by the page means it's my problem, not yours, if I can't focus and have to read it three times and it takes me longer than usual. Sometimes, I can do it efficiently and sometimes I can't.
I have zero desire to have any kind of "job" ever again. My life works vastly better as a freelancer who can do the work whenever the hell I manage to get my act together for the day without punching a clock.
This is literally worth millions of dollars in medical care not being required that normally would be for someone like me.
I'm dirt poor. I hate it so fucking much and wish it weren't true.
It's also the version of my reality where unicorns fart rainbows compared to what I'm supposed to be enduring.
Edited because auto-corrupt strikes again.
But, I've read your comments over the years, and have a lot of respect for you. I'm also sick, and also struggle with employment sometimes (unemployed currently) and it's a really tough lot. Your consistent positivity is something I've noticed and really appreciate. Your realistic takes are a wonderful balance to the ivory tower bs coming from "academics".