In Professional Employees and Works for Hire, tilly brings up a very disturbing point. I suggest that every single professional programmer on this site reads it, if they haven't already.

While I already replied to it, I felt that a point I didn't bring up needed its own Meditation. And that is this:

How exactly do you view yourself? I know that I have always viewed my activities as either

I knew that, as a salaried employee, I could be asked to work for "The Man"(tm) (24)x(7)x(365.24). What I did not realize was that they could demand ownership of anything I did outside work directly for them.

Personally, I'm either "on the clock" or I'm not. If I'm not, you don't own me. If I am, then you do. Simple as that.

(As an aside, and being somewhat perverse, if I'm always "on the clock" and you don't have work for me this week, I don't have to come in. You have my cell#. *sighs* But, it doesn't work that way.)

What do others feel about this? In your gut, how do you really feel about your relationship with your employer(s)? More importantly, how do you feel now?

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We are the carpenters and bricklayers of the Information Age.

Don't go borrowing trouble. For programmers, this means Worry only about what you need to implement.

In reply to How do you view your employment? by dragonchild

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