And I admit that occasionally… sometimes… it just feels damn good to see a friend light up about an idea they think is great, and donating some pixels to help them see it

I know it’s a hot take but free work here and there really leads to many great and better paid opportunities.

Why are only designers asked to work for free?

I’ve never gone into a free gig not knowing and stating it’s unpaid. I agree that doing work and then someone asking for it be free is bonkers, unethical and sucks. But that’s why I mentioned the before, during after part.

Not just designers, developers too. There’s a kind of expectation you should be working on open source in your free time — and as a former dev who worked on OSS before.. it does lead to opportunities, but not everyone has the privilege to do that.

I've actually done that as well. It's different when there's a close personal relationship.

I believe it’s not selling yourself short if you know how to navigate the before, during and after. It’s an investment.

Sounds whack that there’s an expectation for that. Sorry to hear. Shouldn’t be that way

Have you never asked a family member that’s in healthcare about some symptoms or advice? Or your neighbors that’s a retired mechanic to take a look at your alternator? I just don’t think that’s very true. Or a great way to view the world imo. But tell me more about your experienc

I have asked a couple of my doctor friends about stuff but usually don't get anything particularly useful in return. 

Asking for advice isn't the same as actually working on something though, so I'm not sure this analogy works. 

I'm fine with giving free design advice.

I am not prescribing you to do anything you aren’t fine with. I believe you shouldn’t feel any pressure to do free work. 

But in my experience, doing free jobs occasionally have paid out for more then what I could have charged in the mid-to-long run. And it feels exponential

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