Having spent most of my working life in the restaurant industry, I try not to be a complainer. For those of you not familiar with restaurant work, it basically requires a lot of QA and dealing with customer (eeek, never, ever say customer, it is guest) complaints. So, I know what it feels like to have to listen to people fuss about some of the most ludicrous things. It has taught me to pick my battles in life, and let the little stuff go. Today, I'm in a complaining mood.

I have spent the last several hours going through all my job boards, looking for gigs. Something I am beginning to notice more and more is employers wishing to hire people for less than one cent per word. One job even offered unframed prints of urban art as compensation. Yeah, my kids really dig a good faux Picasso slathered in ketchup every Friday night when they watch their movies. My favorites are the ones that tout how much credibility you will build by working for them for free.

Ok, to be fair, my very first gig one that called for one post per week for three different blogs, all at five dollars a post. I have mentioned this one before. I actually still do this one when the employer sends me the work, just out of professional loyalty, I guess you might say. It was my first gig, and I appreciated it so much, and frankly, I am loathe to turn away sure work. As I've stated before, as soon as I got my feet wet, and other work starting coming in, and I realized how much my time was worth, I started charging accordingly.

That is why is galls me to see these so-called professionals who think people should just be glad to be allowed to jab at some keys on the keyboard. I have worked hard to build my skills and credentials, and it has taken time to build my professional reputation. I'm no Darren Rowse or Jennifer Mattern, but neither am I a high-school dropout looking for something better than that car-detailing job I didn't feel like getting dressed up for anymore. (If you lived in the deep South and understood our weather, you would get that particular snideness regarding working outside.)

Regardless of who I am or where I came from, my skills speak for themselves. I have to have that kind of confidence, or I may as well get up from this desk, put my apron back on, and go back to slinging food. I guess "real" writers who actually try to produce quality work look at those people who will work for next to nothing kind of like strikers view those who will cross a picket line. No, no, I am not getting into that particular incendiary topic, I'm just trying to make a point. Some of us are trying to find honest work, that requires skill and knowledge, so that we can earn money to feed our families and pay the bills, not so that we can call ourselves working and sit home in our pajamas every day. Yeah, I'm wearing my pajamas. But, I'm also about to go pay the light bill and then come back home and get to work on stuff I will produce that will be worth more than just "credibility".

I sort of hate the way all I just wrote sounds, because I don't like those people who leave comments on blogs ranting about how "some people don't even have the right to be writing". I fussed about that a few months ago. I think anyone who wants to should write. It's called the First Amendment to the Constitution. Achh, I don't even know why I'm ranting about this. It's a null point. I'm just ill because it's annoying to click on link after link only to see the compensation listed as "credibility" and, well, whatever other junk they try to offer. Still though, unframed prints of New York's urban art? Snort. I'm about to go tell my girls that's what we're having for dinner tonight. Then I'm gonna call the grocery store Wal-Mart and ask them do they accept "art" as a payment form. As an old friend of my used to say, "Bet that'll go over like doo-doo in a punch bowl."

So, what do you think of low-paying gigs, and the writers who allow it to continue? Do you take low-paying gigs? Leave a comment or email me...