This.
If what you say about Moore’s law is true, I’d think that would mean more work for programmers, as desire for more functionality will continue to increase, yet chips won’t continue to double in power = better, cleaner code for all new applications.
Economist, in the private sector. The biggest corporations have entire departments with economists and information systems experts
I think what I’m trying to get at is the Keynesian capital destruction of the past years has destroyed a lot of the demand for programming (and pretty much all other work). My prediction is that in the next few months and years this will become more obvious as people simply do not have the capital to pay programmers to do work; resulting in high unemployment among programmers. I think you are underestimating the grimness of the current global economic situation, though I do admire your optimism. So in the short to middle term computer science will be a weak growth field. In the long term though, I do expect that innovation will somehow find a way to overcome the Keynesian totalitarian system and revive demand for work like computer programming, though in my estimation that is many years away.
You could possibly work as a private security guard-the privatized answer for protection, just as a suggestion.
I religious paster would be a libertarian job - no taxes
Freelancers.
You have your customers and you. (and of course politics around). But the latter are there in any job…
This may come as a surprise, but the main factor fueling the advances in PC hardware is entertainment, namely computer games. During a depression people need their computer games just like they need their other drugs. What I can see is drop in sales of original games due to increased piratisation, but that should actually increase the demand for powerful hardware since a PC is obviously more valuable if it enables you to play games for free than it is if it enables you to play games after you shell out 50 bucks a piece for them.
You correctly point out software sales will decrease but for some reason you fail to notice that hardware sales will also decrease. And in fact it has already decreased. Computer manufacturers, chip makers, and electronics retailers have lately all posted poor earnings results, which will only get worse in the upcoming quarters and years. Remember, the exponential increase in hardware capability is only possible by research funded by exponentially more capital and resources. This capital had declined sharply and will continue to decline, especially due to the fact hardware sales are declining. There is simply not be enough capital to maintain Moore’s Law for the near future, because of the enormous capital destruction caused by the current Keynesian boom-bust cycle. Therefore research into chip technology will slow down drastically.
Remember, demand for a product does not increase just because people desire that product. Products like hardware, are not free of cost to the buyers. The demand will only increase if people have the money to pay, but with double digit unemployment there will not be a high demand for ever more powerful PC hardware. So in this depression demand for powerful hardware will decrease, not increase as you claim.
That is interesting info, one that does put a dent in my thesis. However we both know there is alot of waste when it comes to computers, a lot of schools, state bureaus and even buisinesses buying more computers than they actually need. It is about time they tightened their belts. But these computers are not high end. They run Excell, Word, Mathlab applications which, were it not for wasteful programming, could have comfortably run on a ten year old rig. (As in fact contemporary versions did.) So the really relevant stat would be the sales of non integrated graphics cards. A component which is high end by definition and present only in gaming oriented rigs.
You fail to note a decrease in sales of computer entertainment does not need to mean less computer entertainment. You are forgeting we are talking about a good which can not be scarce. When people feel the need to tighten their belts they first look to tighten them where tightening is the easiest. Now what is easier than ceasing to pay for something which they can get for free? What is easier than downloading games from the internet rather than buying boxed versions?
Now a person that stops paying for games must discover his hardware has risen in value to him and will become more willing to shell out for it rather than less. Hardware is only of any use in conjunction with software, the same as a car is only of any use in conjunction with gasoline. Now imagine that gasoline became free overnigh. Obviously people would be willing to pay more for a car, not less because their car would be more valuable to them as it meant they could take advantage of the free gasoline and get around really, really cheap.
The shift into piratisation makes computer gaming cheaper and increases the demand for high end hardware.
Ah well an those progammers will live from progamming alone? Very funny. Or who will pay for it?
Regards
Friedrich
Somehow my reply got lost. I’d argue freelance work. It you and your customers. Well of course you will have to get in touch with
burec rats too. But you can not escape them. Even if you decide not to participate in the normal “economic” life. The tax authorities will come after you.
Oh the oppression.
Tell me about it. I once had a job where I had to show up on time, wear a uniform and got yelled at every time my boss caught me sleeping.
Bourgeois pig he was, he couldn’t just let me be me and pay me dearly for that. He actually wanted me to do the job according to his expectations. I wished we could get a union, so I could show that bourgeois pig who was the real boss.
For entertainment purposes only, I am vehemently anti-union.
Firms that used open source of course.
Nobody likes a wisepants.
I recently interviewed for a web developer job that would seem attractive to libertarians/anarchists. It was for an adult escort service website. You know that some of the escorts are providing “extra services” (wink wink). It’s an interesting example of arbitraging the State ban on prostitution.
However, that job still wouldn’t satisfy my full agorist sensibilities. My income is still automatically reported to the State and I pay tax on my labor.
There is no advanced counter-economy (yet). Any job that pays a decent salary will also be a wage slave job where my income is automatically reported to the State.
Someone mentioned restaurant above. That’s a good example, if you don’t report all your income. Any small business where you handle a lot of cash can potentially be an opportunity for agorist activity. It’s hard, because the IRS enforcers are specificially trained to go after small business owners. Ideally, you want a completely off-the-books business.
Well that is what I mentioned you can not escape them and even with a lot of cash, they usually have very good idea on how much they expect you to earn. They take every sheet of paper and do their calculations, they are not dumb. But in the end the fact still is you have not choice. So in fact taxes are to a wide extend theft…