This is pretty damn cool. In July, 2010, Jeffrey Tucker of the Mises Institute wrote a column advising young people to work for free. The column made a lot of sense and it stuck in my mind.
I am currently working my way through The Autobiography of Mark Twain. It's a great book, in many ways Twain had libertarian instincts. And he, of course, was a great writer and great observer of life. The autobiography was just published in November, four months after Tucker's column came out. It turns out that Twain was giving the same advice, back in the day, and pretty much with the same reasoning as Tucker.
Here's Tucker's column. What Twain writes about working for free starts here on page 447 of the autobiography, but you should read through to at least page 500.
Robert, I agree with you on a lot of stuff, this however I do not. I work for wal-mart, I can never see myself having them use my labor for free. In fact I'm kind of insulted that I should just "be happy" with what I get, and if I don't get paid well, I should just grin and bear it. I like to consider myself a free market anarchist, but every once in a while I have to question myself to whether I would actually benefit from such a system...
ReplyDeleteAs a high school teacher in an urban environment I have made that suggestion to my students. I give the example of F.W Woolworth working for free just so he can learn the business and then going on to open up his own 5 and Dime stores. But then, I tell them it is impossible nowadays because the Government has made it illegal. Which leads to a very passionate lecture on minimum wage laws and its devastating economic effects, especially on the young.
ReplyDelete"but every once in a while I have to question myself to whether I would actually benefit from such a system..."
ReplyDeleteArtificially propping up wages to keep you happy isn't going to work either, and in the current economic climate few people are worth the wages they potentially cost. Lets not forget the context in which the advice is given. Of course, I also think Tucker is too Polyannish on a lot of things.
I live in a wealthy NJC subburb. My kid's private school auctions off "internships" at Goldman and TV networks donated by other parents, so in actuality you have people paying for the opportunity to work for free. Of course, if any of those parents offered to hire ghetto kids to work one cent below minimum wage they would be prosecuted for "exploiting" the kids.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous -- you miss the point of the whole argument. Working for free gives you valuable experience and allows you to network with people in the field. Also, freedom is not a "system." If you don't like what your are getting paid, then get another job. The idea that someone owes you something is the source of all statism.
ReplyDelete@Munch, if you are trying to show your support for working for free you are giving some horrible examples. Of course goldman and the TV networks like people to work for free, they are run by oligarchs, oligarchs hate it when people get paid for their work.
ReplyDelete@Nathan, no one owes me anything. However if they expect me to work for them they can expect me to be paid for work performed! No free handouts here for oligarchs. If me, a mere peasant were to expect someone to work for me for free, I would be called a socialist, and be scolded for expecting free handouts, however when the major corporations ask for free work its called charity, or a way to "advance your career"
Back in the day this was called an "apprenticeship" which is how most trades (and lawyering) were learned. However this came with the obligation to provide room and board to the apprentice.
ReplyDeleteI see nothing wrong with this - provided the customary room and board are provided in exchange for the transmission of a useful skill or trade (which would exclude flipping burgers or ringing up sales at Wally World).