The problem isn't part-time hours, which are ideal and actually more in-line with workers' actual labor time. The problem is that companies refuse (and workers refuse to make them) pay high-enough wages.

The problem isn't wages, it's that part time jobs don't come with benefits. Health insurance being tied to employment is maybe the second biggest problem in this country and you almost never see anyone even talk about it. Ever wonder why you see so few disabled start up founders?

Part-time jobs shouldn't come with benefits. Neither should full-time jobs. As you said, "Health insurance being tied to employment is [one of the] biggest problems in this country."

People should be getting paid money for their work, and generally more than they are now.

Screw full time, I have a life and I want to enjoy more than 30% of it.

Sure, but how do you pay for it?

If single with no dependents this is still very achievable on 4 days a week (and more than doubly so if dual income no kids), and it gets progressively more difficult the more dependents one has, so it really depends far too heavily on the individual context to make sweeping judgements about feasibility.

I agree.

I have 10 years of experience. How the heck am I realistically getting a CTO or Staff role? Maybe I could title inflate staff if it was in my domain, but I certainly don't have the resume to realistically get a call back for a CTO position. Especially in this job market.

> single with no dependents

sure, but that's an unfulfilling existence for most, naturally

You can still have kids and not have any dependents. As in, they grow up and move out.

you ever feel like getting this far out on a wacky thread and realized everyone was coming from their own perspective, which means everyone is naturally just talking past each other and so, basically, into the wind?

Ducks are like toasters. Both love bread and seem like fun in the bath but in reality can be messy.

(Yeah I agree, it’s so hard to get people to actually engage instead of just talking past, and it’s one of those things you can’t under one you start noticing it, and it’s everywhere!)

You are absolutely correct, and I did not think of that!

Having worked full time and saving for the past 15+ years

Exactly - it requires the very type of work this shift is starting to eliminate.

Fair, but I find, and I think this thread is evident, that a lot of folks are actually proactively seeking part-time work for one reason or another. If done correctly, you can actually make more money than an equivalent full-time role.

It's more likely to work if you move to Micronesia or Mexico or something like that, easy places for citizens to move to with low cost of living so you can bid on par with the other gig workers in Pakistan/India/Romania etc.

I think trying to do gig work from the states unless it is Defense contracting you're quickly going to find someone buying that might not care what geography they're drawing from which puts USA based workers at a massive disadvantage.

then you are competing with the whole world for those jobs

With the outsourcing I'm seeing, we already are. I feel this is and even bigger factor than AI in the terrible tech market right now, only really behind zirp.

Global software dev, off-shoring, and out-sourcing have been going strong for decades. The tech market was extraordinarily strong for most of that time.

Like I said, second to ZIRP. The offshoring options now are greater than they have been in the past.

The other part that everyone misses is that the rest of the world now has better infra infra and time to catch up. The amount of people online who can program and speak English has vastly increased.

Or, you take a couple contracts and make more than you did full time. This doesn’t add up. If I’m part time 25 hours a week, I can squeeze another 25 hours a week in there. 2x my rate.

You can definitely do it.

Ahh yes, the total of... 1 mobile role. I definitely have a chance here.

If you fell qualified for the 2 ceo's roles, or the staff Role, you're probably not in a situation where you need 2 jobs.

Same could be said why you’re looking at part time when you need a career.

Because careers aren't hiring sadly. Can only take so many ghosts and dropped interviews before you decide "I just need something to stay afloat"

I empathize. The tech market is rough, one of the worst I've seen. No one knows what's going to happen so no one wants to invest, plan, hire, etc.

There's work available if you were determined enough but it may not be in your field or it may be contract work temporarily. The struggle is real and if you're in a position where you're sinking then take anything to keep you afloat.

Indeed. For now my work is a mix of 2 part time jobs, one freelancing, and one not in my field. That should sustain me for 2025, but I am keeping my eye out for ideas while I revamp my portfolio. The disappointment is normalized at this point.

Even if workers were choosing more paprt time hours, it's only because they were able to make enough money in full-time employment (ususally) to build up enough money to only need part time work.

A total of 9 open part time roles, 2 of which are C-level executives, doesn't fill me with much confidence in addressing this issue. It's pretty much for those already at top or even retired to grab some side income at best.

Maybe times are different now (I’m not freelancing anymore) but I was the happiest when I was a freelancer. I made more than I could have as a full time employee, because I could ask more often for more (vs jumping jobs every 2-4 years). I could write off a ton of expenses. I could put away more for retirement. I didn’t have to do stupid whiteboard interviews. I could work whenever and wherever I wanted. And I could ultimately choose when I took time off and for however long.

It’s not ideal for everyone, especially if you need the security of a predictable salary and good benefits

Freelancing enjoyment depends entirely on your clients and ability to find more clients.

I’ve had some freelance clients I’ve loved and some that made me regret ever leaving full-time work.

> Freelancing enjoyment depends entirely on your clients and ability to find more clients.

Yes, though I found the former generally to be dependent on the latter

Why did you stop freelancing?

I wanted to play the start-a-business lottery. After enough success selling your time, you might feel the urge to try your luck selling other things

This sounds kind of crazy for me. How can you get over the extra 8% or so from Social Security and Medicare tax and still make more with while paying for benefits and not getting a 401k match? Maybe you're an outlier? I get that expenses get written off, bit that still means they were an expense from your profits.

1. Part of your negotiation should be explaining that independent contractors have ~30% less overhead than a salaried employee due to the savings on payroll taxes as well as unemployment insurance, recruiting, benefits, vacation time, etc and therefore require a higher rate than salaried employees

2. If your time is in demand because you’re being referred enough, your leverage is higher

3. You can jump ship as often as you want for a higher rate without having to explain it on a resume

4. Building a brand around yourself lowers your perceived risk for businesses and gives you additional leverage

5. Write off as much as possible, and if you make enough, there’s additional things you can do on the tax savings front beyond just writing off expenses (S-corp salary + draw taxed as capital gains)

6. Specialize in something (e.g. specific ecommerce platforms, web performance optimization, accessibility remediation) and you will become more trusted in that something, get more referred to others for it, and gain more leverage

You get over it by making your hourly rate numerically the same as your annual salary divided by 1000. If you can pull it off, quote only a day rate (that figure times 8) rather than hourly.

Companies readily pay more per hour for contractors.

If your market full-time salary is $200k/yr, charge $200/hr. If you’re offering your services a la carte at $100/hr, you’re going to have a terrible time.

I’m probably never going to retire, unless I cannot find part time work in my dotage. We are the only first world country where benefits are as big an issue as you’re making it. That’s an “us problem”.

You may not and I don't really but I'm tired of people telling other people they don't really want what they ask for.

How hard is it to believe that some people like gig work, even if they have to pay for their own insurance.

I see way more full-time engineering jobs than part time

I'd love the opportunity to work 10-15 hours per week for a couple years as a sort of "semi-sabbatical". That could give me enough to pay for enough of my expenses to keep my savings going for long enough to make it worth it.

There are simply no more jobs available for the massive population we have right now. Part time economy increases employment.

The US unemployment rate of 4.2% begs to differ. It seems there are at least some jobs available.

https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-une...

Part time work is a godsend for those of us with kids, it might not fit in with your life situation, but for lots of us it does.

Many with kids need full time for the benfits.

The wages listed there are pretty reasonable. Someone who wants more could work more hours/jobs. Life a little more on your own terms.

> Screw part time. The whole economy is moving towards part time, gig work, etc and it's terrible for most employees who need good wages and benefits.

People want different things. And you normally get either good wages or benefits. This is erring on the side of wages.