What’d be good is config.middleware.prepend

Like most others, web development started out as a hobby that eventually evolved into a career. I took a lot of time to analyze the industry before I decided to pursue it. What I found was an extremely over-saturated market, where quality of work spans the gamut of horrible to mind-blowing, from dirt cheap to astronomically expensive. One of the huge questions that all peers ask, whether freelance or full-time, is “how do I value myself”?

For most people, I found that they try to find what others charge for similar skill sets and try to price themselves accordingly. Regardless of how often they make that amount, that is their “value”. Maybe I was raised differently, but I established my “value” based on how consistently I can pull in any amount. Harvey Reese, author of How To License Your Million Dollar Idea says something to the effect of “don’t try to make a million dollars once, rather make one dollar a million times”. What that meant to me is that I needed to keep extending my skill set; an ideology that I’ve never stopped abiding by.

When you ask “What can you do to change this and improve your situation?,” I think it is very important to note that genuine work ethic is an extension of character and not just a front you put on for a paycheck. People like myself are constantly striving to better themselves, and therefore their knowledge, their work, and ultimately the facility they work for. Additionally, those type of people are also looking to see what they can do to improve a situation even when things are good. I am a programmer because I love to problem solve, and I refactor because I love to improve; regardless of the surrounding situation, my work is who I am.

I don’t fear outsourcing, or underbidding; to me – it is not a sign of impending doom, but rather the constant motivation to stay agile in a competitive industry. I’ve been working long enough in the web world to conclude a well-tested theory: genuine hard work and intelligence will always win the war even if it looses some battles to low-cost / low-quality gimmicks. Outsourcing may be winning some battles, but they’ve also established a pretty negative connotation in the process – so I simply stay aware of outsourcing as a competitor, but not fearful of it as a possible victor.

Surely, you will see an employee’s true colors when times get rough, and the same goes for the employers. I completely agree with Harold; people suspect their employers because we hear the echoes of horror stories from other companies, and, unfortunately sometimes, from companies we were formerly employed at– it’s human nature to stay fearful and on the defensive. No worker ever wants to have to blame the employer, but they also don’t want to be naïve to the situation when an employer isn’t looking out for us. To conclude, I agree with you – no one should be blaming their employer, if they feel that they have done everything they can to keep themselves valuable, and the employer has done everything they can to keep the company valuable.

With that said, I do not believe consumers are always looking for the “cheapest” product or service. It is because, at least in my opinion, most fail to make themselves any different than their competition that it seems consumers are searching for the most price conscious alternative. If a company, sales person or product do not differenciate themselves as solving a need, want or desire, than the consumer uses common sense and gravitates towards the best price, but if someone truly stands out from the rest as a solution to a need, than they will inevitably create a more successful business and gain a great deal of sales, clients and contracts. After all, buying is largely emotional. In short, I am trying to say that I do not think consumers are “cheap,” I think there is a lack of presenting a solution rather than just a product.