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Hustle
2025
Georgia in the summer. What can you say about it? It's hot. The whole day through. Even at ni
Enjoying the blossoming of your personal narrative to be a larger part of the monthly dialogues.
As a general rule x, the start of my career was defined by being talented with computers. I freelanced most of my life with a handful of prestigious jobs in between gainful freelancing gigs. Recently that all collapsed and I’ve found my self “day trading “ for a living. Luckily I’m good at it.
What alarms me the most is just how fragile this all is. It’s a house of cards. If employment and opportunity retreats, and the GOP austerity for the poors goes on, as people find themselves desparate, the ultimate side hustle could become crime. Dealing drugs, prostitution, robbery and fraud. It’s not hard to see coming. The removal of abortion right, and rights in general could see a wave of increasing crime as we had during the 70s and 80s. (“Freakonomics”, Levin) The relief from Roe v Wade started to show in a drop in crime in the 90s as professional grifters like Guiliani took credit for, only to champion the causes demise.
We are heading for a lot more social volatility as well of compression of opportunity as we head into direct and cruel austerity. Great piece.
“General rule” was iPad for Generation X…
Did the AI do a good job of recreating her likeness?
After I got my terminal degree 55 years ago my wife decided to quit her state job as a statistician for the labor department. We moved a time or two and I soon found a job I liked and my wife got an MBA and a bit of doctoral credit and started teaching. We were soon working together, writing, teaching and raising our genius kid. We stayed there for 33 years. While my wife was finishing her MBA I got my first offer of a serious consulting gig with a Fortune 500 company. I got five weeks a year of work for five years plus a published book and a promotion to Full Professor out of that job. That gig paid for a college education, two houses and about everything else extra we needed for the rest of our lives. I soon got an even better gig that lasted nearly 20 years which paid me 150% of my wife’s full time contract salary over what she earned and accounted for two more books. It also cause a complete pivot to my life. There was much other similar work, though not as lucrative. I stopped all my paying gigs when I had to retire for medical reasons. I still do stuff, but only pro bono and only for friends. It seems I can’t send bills to friends any longer. Gig work was always my best work because it offered me much more freedom and created better quality outcomes. Sadly, the very best work I ever did was proprietary and never allowed to see the light of day. Besides I lost my partner some time ago to her terminal disease.
Fascinating reading on both items. This one reads a bit like two different items intermixed, though, but since they’re both great it doesn’t matter. Overall the monthlies are golden.
Writing from the Eurozone, where two jobs and mounting credit card debt are much less likely, it makes one grateful for social democracy. Funny how socialism the Marxist ideology is so misguided, but parties claiming it can lead to good outcomes. On the other hand I’m also partial to Thiel’s stagnation line of thinking. Complex world.
I wonder how sensitive side gigs are to economic wellbeing. When does a recession eliminate the pin money one might use for a tooth gem and how fast might that snowball.
H-Man- you Sir are a true connoisseur! Even with the clues to your fine taste in designer clothes I wouldn’t have guessed you either an observer or fan of “Money Making Mitch” or Paid in Full, a real example of what hustle culture is/ was by those who birthed the term and its intended use…
I can now envision you on your island back at that time with your then love interest hitting The Dougie! 🙂 IYKYK
Keep bringing the real. We are all better off for your insights!
H-Man, your formative writing years were on the island. Never sure why you ended up there but will never forget your fascination with some bizzaro beetle bug that had invaded your porch. Still not sure why you vacated the island for where ever but would not be surprised to see you return to that old Southern low country charm. If nothing else a home away from home. And as you may surmise, I know and like the low country.
Another publication of your incredible serial….once again, published out of sequence (gotta keep us on our toes). One of my favorite contemporary writers is Mark Helprin. I really appreciate the manner in which he uses words to create sentences, paragraphs and tell stories that make for the most interesting novels. I am left with the impression that he loves using the English language just as much as he enjoys telling an amazing story. You are right up there.
I, too, am sad about some of the things that I loved about where I live in the mountains, that no longer exist – because they have either been paved or access has been restricted. I guess that is just the way it is. However, it makes me want to live even more remotely in the sanctuary of the Rocky Mountains (my happy place).
I definitely empathize with young people today- for whom the American dream is no longer readily achievable for an average person with a reasonable amount of effort applied to one job, or without a donation from Mom and Dad. I could help my kids; but I don’t want to. I do not want to rob them of the chance to be the owner of their own achievements in life; whatever they may be.
Thanks again for an awesome post- mostly, it made me remember how much I love shrimp and grits and that no one around here makes them worthy of eating! 🙂
Been more “there” than I care to admit.
Congratulations. You’re a few light years away from where you were; takes genuine courage to change. Tough to find and act on a new way of applying street smarts and intelligence. Inspiring. Enlivening. Thanks.
As for the rest, great works as always. Maybe philosophy should be required in year 1 of college and trade school. Even a small dose of ethics.