As far as family, you can’t have it all. If you decide to prioritize family over your career (which you should), why do you expect to be compensated as well as someone who is willing to put their job first?

While I’m fairly compensated for my location and for what I do, should I complain that consultants make $60K+ a year more than I do because they are willing to do “100% travel” during the week and I’m not until my younger son graduates?

I’ve said twice in this post, I know I have a disadvantage over other developers - I have a disability that only allows me to type with one hand. There are legal protections sure, but those are easy for a company to get around. I am use to having to be more competitive.

But there is a difference between being competitive getting a job - if I fill a position that means someone else didn’t get that position. But, I refuse to waste time playing politics and getting ahead at a job at the expense of someone else.

It saddens me that so many of us are willing slaves to a dehumanizing system of oppression.

Some other people find happiness from starting a business where there is a lot of uncertainty, risk and they have to put in long hours.

Some other people find happiness of making more money and accepting the trade off of traveling during the week.

So what part of me going into an office every day getting paid doing the same thing I did as a hobby 30 years ago in my bedroom on my Apple //e and coming home to my family in my house in the burbs is dehumanizing?

If you are a software developer in almost any major city in the US, on average your income is more than 80% of the population.

Perhaps what I want is a guild? Maybe a licensing board? Professional association seems like the best terminology, but I want a professional association with some teeth.