There are over 70 drafts in this blog's dashboard, but they'll have to wait because there is a pressing issue that threatens to derail me from my most recent commitment to get out of debt.
If you follow the headlines for gig work---especially for Uber, Lyft, and Doordash---you'll find many articles focusing on how gig workers barely make minimum wage. I don't like these articles because, on top of the fact that they potentially deter me from my best option for becoming debt-free, they miss the salient point regarding gig work. The whole point of working for ourselves is to detach ourselves from the employee-employer relationship.
Those of us who drive for gig work apps ought to understand that we are sacrificing higher wages so we can work when we want, where we want, and how we want without having to worry about an employer's requirements. We are in essence running our own little business, and---just like with any other business---our services are determined by what our customers are willing to pay, not an employer's sense of fairness or state-set minimum wages.
When I'm driving around and not getting many requests, or simply not getting paid much for a request, I have to remind myself that this is the work I chose. In order to excel at anything---and especially in any business---you have to enjoy it despite how much money you make doing it. You have to find fulfillment in the product or service you provide. You have to roll with the ups and downs. How much we get paid for our work should only be one factor in the satisfaction we receive for it. Our job is, after all, what we do for a living. If we don't enjoy our job, then can we really enjoy living in general?
So, I had to write these points down, if only to remind myself that no other job can give me the liberty to live the life I want to live while also providing income on a very flexible schedule. I could freelance write more, but to be honest even that work has its disadvantages. There are deadlines, constant hours at a desk that are often wasted when no one accepts what I wrote, word counts and guidelines set by editors, and more. Gig driving work is honest, straightforward, and practical. I am fulfilling my ambition to write more by simply sharing my experiences and the lessons I learn here on my blog.
So, for what it's worth, I don't care much about what my work is worth to someone else. I am free, and freedom comes with its sacrifices. Getting paid less to be free is better than getting paid more by an employer.
Comments