Would you trade hours of your life away for money?

[SalTheThief]

I saw this question on another forum and I thought it was pretty interesting.

Not like a job but at a certain point in the day you will black out. The hours of your life will be subtracted from the total number that you would have previously lived. At the end of the week you will be compensated for the hours that you have traded. Trading away 40 hours per week for a year will get you $50,000 (or the equivalent of such in your country's currency).

Would this be worth it to you? I was talking about it with some friends and we agreed that even though working a bad job sucks it's part of the experience of life. I feel like the trade is something I'd be willing to make if I was close to rock bottom, but I'd try to get off it as soon as possible.

 

[Eggbert]

It would be better if you could take the years from when you are an oldie. Other than that, it would not be worth it. You'd miss alot, even if you skipped some lame parts of life, and be crippled as a person in the long run. Even in the boring parts of life you learn important things, so it would definitely not be worth it.

 

[vonFiedler]

For $50,000? Yes. That's a damn good salary. I'd do it for a year and save up for my home business.

 

[Outlaw]

Sooo.. You're saying that you get to sleep from 9-5 and get 50 grand at the end of the week?

Where's the downside?

 

[jumpluff]

Right now I am a hikikomori and a university student. I don't think I could really get a great job because I don't have any qualifications or experience to my name and I'm pretty sick with chronic pain and epilepsy. I'm hoping to get better and also get a job when I am out of university that will accomodate my health. But presently, that isn't an option, so I'm not making money. I'm staying at home, so... hell, yes. I'd be trading some of the time I spend at home lying around to have savings for the future. In short, it'd be an investment of time I have now to spend my time in the future better, to have money towards a house and be able to travel and not have to work so hard, to not have to worry so much about health complications in the future etc. It would be worth it to me. The only downside I see to this is that it is not better than it is, basically. If you can do better -- a job that you like more than being blacked out, that pays more, makes you like being awake more, whatever -- then why would you? Otherwise, why WOULDN'T you? This is the ultimate flexible job, and it doesn't matter if you're not feeling well or motivated or like leaving the house or like dealing with people. I'd like a job that makes me happy and gives me more financial security than that, but if I can't get one, then I'd sure as hell take this.

If I were a different person? Don't know, it's hard to say, since I'm not a different person. I think it'd be a little silly to choose a job that pays slightly less over this if it's tolerably bad, because other jobs bring potential advantages with them that make those hours spent awake a good thing: the possibility of learning things, experience that can be used on a résumé, meeting people, life experience, memories, etc. Not to mention spending all your time sleeping would not be fun, unless you are a depressed person. But again that has to be factored into part of your job as well, and so then again it all just comes down to this question... can you do better than this? And those thresholds are highly individual. Some people can tolerate abject poverty better than others, too -- and for others it is simply impossible, due to health problems or whatever. For me I guess it's hard to do better than that right now.

Above posts make me think that this might be a valid retirement plan. Sleep a whole lot and spend the rest of the time vacationing / getting by.

 

[faint]

I think a better question would be receive an x amount of money in exchange for y years of your life, because this seems like a no brainer. Of course I would do it. 1 week of not doing anything in exchange for the amount of money some people make in a year? Sign me up.

edit: poppy chulo explained it. ignore this.

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

faint, you misunderstand. this is the amount you receive for a year on this weekly program.

basically it's weighing up do you enjoy nothingness more than a job that could gain you 50,00 a year.

the emptiness of the prospect is very disconcerting so i'm not sure if i'd go through unless, as sal said, i'd hit rock bottom with no other alternative. at the moment i prefer reality so i probably wouldn't.

 

[jumpluff]

I think a better question would be receive an x amount of money in exchange for y years of your life, because this seems like a no brainer. Of course I would do it. 1 week of not doing anything in exchange for the amount of money some people make in a year? Sign me up.

You have to do it for 40 hours per week for a year to make $50k per year~

One thing that's nice about this is that you don't have to do it 9-5, if I'm understanding the premise correctly -- you can do it for like an hour a day, which owns if you are desperate (or just want a fucking nap, or have insomnia). My family is poor because we are all unemployed disabled people (except for my brother, who is presently looking for a job) and we legit do not have enough to eat sometimes. I know that every single person in my house would choose to not be hungry for a couple of hours in order to get money so they can not be hungry for the rest of the day. It's not like we're starving all the time, but we go hungry every now and then and everything makes the difference, lol.

Poppy: I think the thing would freak me out the most about it is that you are barely awake most of the time. Your days would feel so short and you would feel like you have no time to do anything you want. On one hand you'd be less tired with your free time than with a job. On the other hand... you'd feel really unproductive and maybe a little like your days are meaningless (unless you have lots of interesting ways to meet people and explore the world outside of work, in which case hell yes do this) eventually? Just saying this as someone who has lived like a NEET for a very long time. The days blur into one another if you don't make a point of differentiating them, especially if you keep weird sleep habits like I do / sleep long periods of time. You also end up with a very distorted perception of time, which confuses your memory a little sometimes... and that's sleeping only ten hours a day, just at random hours for a few years of not leaving the house. I know I feel very very disoriented when I sleep longer, like the times I've slept ~17 hours before.

I think it might make it harder to relate to others, too.

I am happy with my life, but I think work is something that is very enriching for others, so that's something that has to be factored in when making your decision.

 

[Ace Emerald]

Trading away 40 hours per week for a year will get you $50,000 (or the equivalent of such in your country's currency).

It doesn't seem to be quick cash, just easy cash. While I'd like to find a career I actually enjoy, getting money like this seems infinitely better than a dead end terrible job that some people end up in.

 

[verbatim]

Isn't this the same thing as a job, wherein you give hours of your life working for someone in return for an # of currency? Considering I don't have access to any jobs that would pay more than 1250$ per hour, I would say yes.

 

[ssbbm]

thats $24 / hour which is hella good lol

if you trade away a whole year (168 hours / week) you make $210000!

however i still wouldnt do it at this current point in time (teenager) since i dont wanna waste it because imo time > money especially when you're developing!

 

[ivar]

question: does blackout time count as part of sleep time?

i suppose that makes it easy doesnt it, since i black out for approximately that long every day without making any money.

so im assuming it's 8 hours blackout, 6-8 hours sleep, and 8-10 hours do as you want for 50k. yeah i would do it; jobs fucking suck and i would still have 8-10 hours to do shit with my life. plus i could drink lots of coffee to stay awake during certain periods i want to be more productive, and sleep during others. money would not really be an issue, so i could pursue passions without fear of not getting any money.

 

[forks]

generally speaking, the experience of being alive and conscious is worth more to me than 24 dollars an hour, if not immediately then in the long run. it's easy for me to say that, since my life is pretty good most of the time, and i can realistically foresee myself having similarly lucrative job options within the next decade or two. but even when my life isn't so hot, even when i'm feeling unwell or unmotivated or don't want to leave the house or deal with people (which is admittedly often), i feel i'd still get more out of having to do it anyway than i would from fading away for 8 hours. i wouldn't mind having blackout bucks as an option to which i can subscribe and unsubscribe at will, in case i'm in dire need of money and have no other avenue - but if i can avoid it, i'd prefer not to sacrifice any of my precious waking hours. god knows i lose enough of them trying to appease the sandman.

i assume that this unconscious state lacks the refreshing properties of sleep and you wake up feeling more or less like you did when you zonked out? i guess that would be a factor too somewhat

 

[some hero]

Yes i would do it. It's basically a job. I already black out during most of my day, at least i won't be tired at the end of the day. Then, it's better to have money now since you won't be able to enjoy it after a certain age. In a way(a very dark way) you win either way as you won't have to suffer through old age.

 

[Fisdunction]

I'm not gay, but 20 dollars is 20 dollars.

 

[macle]

i already trade hours of my life for less money so i see no downside

 

[Jellicent]

Hell yes. I'd take the 40 hours a week in straight blocks. Gives ya 5 days in a row off to do whatever you want, and then your "work" is nothing. Sounds pretty fly to me. I'm getting by with less than half of that right now; that kind of money would have me set. Plus, assuming my roomie would take that same block of time off (I assume she'd be down as well), we'd be working with 100k a year as a household.

Besides, I already black out all the time anyway :P

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

You have to do it for 40 hours per week for a year to make $50k per year~

One thing that's nice about this is that you don't have to do it 9-5, if I'm understanding the premise correctly -- you can do it for like an hour a day, which owns if you are desperate (or just want a fucking nap, or have insomnia). My family is poor because we are all unemployed disabled people (except for my brother, who is presently looking for a job) and we legit do not have enough to eat sometimes. I know that every single person in my house would choose to not be hungry for a couple of hours in order to get money so they can not be hungry for the rest of the day. It's not like we're starving all the time, but we go hungry every now and then and everything makes the difference, lol.

Poppy: I think the thing would freak me out the most about it is that you are barely awake most of the time. Your days would feel so short and you would feel like you have no time to do anything you want. On one hand you'd be less tired with your free time than with a job. On the other hand... you'd feel really unproductive and maybe a little like your days are meaningless (unless you have lots of interesting ways to meet people and explore the world outside of work, in which case hell yes do this) eventually? Just saying this as someone who has lived like a NEET for a very long time. The days blur into one another if you don't make a point of differentiating them, especially if you keep weird sleep habits like I do / sleep long periods of time. You also end up with a very distorted perception of time, which confuses your memory a little sometimes... and that's sleeping only ten hours a day, just at random hours for a few years of not leaving the house. I know I feel very very disoriented when I sleep longer, like the times I've slept ~17 hours before.

I think it might make it harder to relate to others, too.

I am happy with my life, but I think work is something that is very enriching for others, so that's something that has to be factored in when making your decision.

yes, i've experienced things similar, but undoubtedly for a much shorter overall time frame. getting into a rut of being generally unproductive and feeling terrible about things in general.

jellicent raised a good point, which he is gonna post about shortly, namely, chunking the 40 hours and having the other 5 days + off; this seems a lot more feasible considering you're essentially losing slightly less than 2 days a week for a very solid salary. this is something i would definitely consider doing after university. however, problems of fulfilment and meaning etc etc. would probably weigh on me quite heavily, still something to think about though.

 

[manav95]

It depends on what I could get otherwise. Now i'm still in high school so I don't know much about the world of work, but it'd be great if I was stuck with worse options. So yeah, I could see myself doing it. But if I could get another job with better pay, then I'd definitely go with that. Money is an important part of life and I don't see myself finding meaning in a poor life.

 

[Al_Alchemist]

Depending on the specifics of the blackout, I probably still wouldn't do it, especially after

 

[UncleSam]

I would do it if it replaced sleep because I rarely dream anyway and don't value dreams in the least. I would not if it replaced working because every significant position I've held (mostly academic related things up to this point) I think I have learned something valuable from, and the knowledge that I am capable I think has some intrinsic value. However, I totally understand and respect anyone who chooses the easier path, particularly if 50k is more than they would make otherwise.

 

[alamaster]

Not for a year, no, but I would do like 200 hours or so just because I'm behind on some bills atm, that'd get me caught up :D

 

[Glen]

i definitely would

most of you who say they wouldn't due to the 'preciousness of life' or whatever probably spend hours a day on the internet doing absolutely nothing just like the rest of us

 

[TheFourthChaser]

Holy fuck 40 hours a week for 50k? Goodbye poor people problems.

 

[Firestorm]

I was talking about it with some friends and we agreed that even though working a bad job sucks it's part of the experience of life.

What is the worst job you have worked and how long were you there?