This meme got me thinking about some of my past experiences with fiat mines which I thought I would share. It’s not easy for a lot of people to exit the fiat mines completely but getting away from this fiat mindset about work is a good start.

Many years ago now, I worked for a couple of small companies both of which ended up collapsing. In both cases I had dedicated large amounts of my time working for these companies, going above and beyond, believing I was helping to build something worthwhile. Seeing everything evaporate when the company was placed into administration, and particularly seeing the impact this had on other employees who lost their jobs was very difficult. My way of thinking about work shifted after these experiences. Here are some of the things I personally learned from these experiences and have worked for me since.

- Don’t get attached to a company, they could be gone the next day so be prepared that this could happen.

- Employment should be mutually beneficial for you and the employer. Your skills, experience and knowledge are valuable. You are providing these in exchange for a wage so it isn’t up to the employer to dictate all the conditions. If you aren’t happy with the conditions then be prepared to take your skills elsewhere.

- Try to build a skill set that is general enough to give you options but unique enough to differentiate yourself when looking for work. Experience is also much more useful than formal qualifications.

- Build a financial buffer so if you do find yourself out of work then you have time to find something else without pressure to accept the first thing that comes along. (Build some savings in #bitcoin)

- Making good connections when working can help a lot when looking for another job. In my case, my last two jobs were from talking to connections I had previously made. No applying for jobs, no resume. nostr:note15au9ef37v4ltw9tszpr43yn7ln9j965tq9fcrdkjz8cpf7p4fvjq7gd7md