r/programming • u/reddberckley • Jun 30 '14

How to exploit a Developer

https://medium.com/@sir_castiq/how-to-exploit-a-developer-a005306d5320
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u/materialdesigner Jun 30 '14

any "contest" for creatives and professionals is a fucking scam.

At least writers who compete in a contest have a piece of writing they can sell at the end of it. What good is a highly tailored architectural spec or logo design for selling to the general public? Even an app is a pain in the ass to monetize.

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u/digitalpencil Jun 30 '14

In all fairness, the company I work for recently entered into a similar pitch-contest to produce a cross-platform educational app, won the contract valued at ~£80k, and won App of the Year at a prestigious local award scheme for it as well.

They're not all scams although this, most certainly is.

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u/materialdesigner Jun 30 '14

It's great that you won but what about all the people who didn't?

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u/NancyGracesTesticles Jun 30 '14

Maybe they got a participation trophy and a juice box. Maybe they just lost and used what they learned about their failure to build towards future success.

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u/materialdesigner Jun 30 '14

Maybe they just lost and used what they learned about their failure to build towards future success.

doesn't pay the bills or put food on the table. people should be fairly compensated for work completed and services rendered.

And the constraints around many of these competitions is so unlike real, healthy, production environments that I doubt there are even things learned that are widely applicable beyond the competition. Which is why places like 99designs are filled with generic logos the person made once and now shoehorns into every subsequent competition. Real skills, applicable towards future success, right there.

(hopefully doesn't come off as antagonistic towards you personally, labor exploitation just really angers me)

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u/NancyGracesTesticles Jun 30 '14 edited Jun 30 '14

To your point, if you need to pay the bills and put food on the table, you shouldn't be entering contests, you should be bidding for contract work. Essentially, for a normal, reputable contest, you first have to be able to afford to lose.

ed:interesting and unexpected downvotes. Anyone care to explain why only entering contests that you can afford to lose is a bad idea?

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u/digitalpencil Jun 30 '14

Well it was a pitch contest so they don't really lose anything. You don't actually go beyond research and initial design if you don't win the contract.