Then I got a job as a software engineer, and after around two months of that, I started to get relatively constant recruitment emails and messages which continue to this day.
Is there such thing as “negative wage”? Like, I will employ you, and you will pay me for the privilege. Because I think I have a business proposal: I will employ you as a “software engineer”, you will get a computer and do whatever you want. A year later, you will find another job, but now with “software engineer” in your CV, and I will give you a good reference: I will say that you worked for me, and that I was happy about it -- 100% truth!
College sort-of does this. It’s worse than just paying a company to train you but it’s a socially-acceptable way to do something resembling working in that field.
I have very little doubt that this is illegal at least in the US, as it would most likely be considered some sort of employment fraud, but what’s funny about this idea is that I think it would’ve suited me just fine and accelerated my career. Hell, who knows if I would’ve needed to go to college all that much if I had this arrangement!
What would be the nearest legal version? I would pay minimum wage, you… need to do something useful… but can choose an unrelated job title… and to make it slightly less of a fraud, we will pretend that your job is 50% software development and 50% what you actually do.
Or perhaps, I will employ you for two years. The first year, you do some actual work, but I only pay you 50% of what I would otherwise. The second year, you are a software developer… like, you are supposed to produce “something” except I don’t really care, I just need a proof that you actually developed some software… and I pay you the remaining 50% of what you did the last year. (Requires you to be able to make 2× the minimum wage at start.)
Or perhaps a college + fake job. The college is expensive, but I take part of that money aside, and pay it back to you as a minimum wage in the fake job. At the end, you get a college degree + two years of job experience.
Well, if we are already here, I might actually give you a meaningful job… with a safety net… like, if you don’t produce anything useful, I promise to not fire you during those two years, and I will assume the money you paid for the expensive college included the minimum wage I will be paying you. But of course, if you produce something useful, you can get a higher salary. Heck, I would even let you choose the technology and the product you want to make (because if it fails, it’s not a problem for me).
Even more legal—how about just making a software company where everyone chooses their technology and project and develops it… if the company can sell the product, you just earned your salary… otherwise you keep getting minimum wage and get fired after two years, but not sooner… we only hire reliable people, such as those recommended by current employees (those who earn their salaries)… or people from the very expensive college (who paid their minimum wages there). Heck, considering how expensive education can get in USA, this might even be a better deal than what already exists! And if at least some employees produce something useful, they provide the cover for everyone else.
I love it, but since unpaid internships are extremely frowned on and/or explicitly illegal I can only imagine that “you pay me” internships are a non starter.
Is there such thing as “negative wage”? Like, I will employ you, and you will pay me for the privilege. Because I think I have a business proposal: I will employ you as a “software engineer”, you will get a computer and do whatever you want. A year later, you will find another job, but now with “software engineer” in your CV, and I will give you a good reference: I will say that you worked for me, and that I was happy about it -- 100% truth!
College sort-of does this. It’s worse than just paying a company to train you but it’s a socially-acceptable way to do something resembling working in that field.
I have very little doubt that this is illegal at least in the US, as it would most likely be considered some sort of employment fraud, but what’s funny about this idea is that I think it would’ve suited me just fine and accelerated my career. Hell, who knows if I would’ve needed to go to college all that much if I had this arrangement!
I enjoy your idea!
What would be the nearest legal version? I would pay minimum wage, you… need to do something useful… but can choose an unrelated job title… and to make it slightly less of a fraud, we will pretend that your job is 50% software development and 50% what you actually do.
Or perhaps, I will employ you for two years. The first year, you do some actual work, but I only pay you 50% of what I would otherwise. The second year, you are a software developer… like, you are supposed to produce “something” except I don’t really care, I just need a proof that you actually developed some software… and I pay you the remaining 50% of what you did the last year. (Requires you to be able to make 2× the minimum wage at start.)
Or perhaps a college + fake job. The college is expensive, but I take part of that money aside, and pay it back to you as a minimum wage in the fake job. At the end, you get a college degree + two years of job experience.
Well, if we are already here, I might actually give you a meaningful job… with a safety net… like, if you don’t produce anything useful, I promise to not fire you during those two years, and I will assume the money you paid for the expensive college included the minimum wage I will be paying you. But of course, if you produce something useful, you can get a higher salary. Heck, I would even let you choose the technology and the product you want to make (because if it fails, it’s not a problem for me).
Even more legal—how about just making a software company where everyone chooses their technology and project and develops it… if the company can sell the product, you just earned your salary… otherwise you keep getting minimum wage and get fired after two years, but not sooner… we only hire reliable people, such as those recommended by current employees (those who earn their salaries)… or people from the very expensive college (who paid their minimum wages there). Heck, considering how expensive education can get in USA, this might even be a better deal than what already exists! And if at least some employees produce something useful, they provide the cover for everyone else.
I love it, but since unpaid internships are extremely frowned on and/or explicitly illegal I can only imagine that “you pay me” internships are a non starter.