The value of this thing

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of "value" lately.

There's a trend these days towards the era of "big front-end," where people interested in transitioning to engineering are often persuaded to jump straight into becoming front-end developers without much hesitation. However, the market operates on a value exchange: companies pay for your expertise, and you invest your time to earn money. Currently, there's a demand for web development, as many companies offer services or products that are web-based, thus creating a need for front-end engineers.

Additionally, I’m not a fan of those who identify themselves as front-end engineers and start looking down on various industries. That’s a topic for another time.

Recently, I bought a timer from Muji, and I really liked its minimalist design, so I went ahead and purchased it, even though it cost 500 TWD.

When I think about it, its functionality isn’t complicated: a countdown, reset, and display—simple enough. But turning it into a complete product requires product design, modeling, and more; it’s not something you can just whip up casually.

That’s where the 500 TWD value comes in. Getting someone to spend 500 TWD on software or an online service is a challenge, yet hardware easily breaks through that barrier, enticing consumers to buy. I keep wondering, to transform a prototype into a marketable product, it’s quite impossible for independent developers unless they have connections and channels. Just to create molds and place orders with factories requires a significant investment, making it difficult for independent developers to leverage for personal use or small businesses.

This is where the advantages of software come into play. As a developer, it is possible to bring a service from 0 to 1. Servers and databases can be addressed through cloud solutions, and as long as you have a computer to code, the possibilities are endless. Of course, finding a niche market to profit from in software development is another story. Nowadays, almost every demand has corresponding services and products, making it increasingly challenging to earn money purely from software.

Therefore, various integrations are necessary. For example, Amazon not only provides a platform but also handles logistics and everything else to ensure a smooth service process. Uber Eats operates similarly, offering not just a delivery platform but also integration, delivery tracking, rating systems, and more. What I'm getting at is that the value that software can create is limited; often, you need to ground yourself in understanding user needs rather than just writing code and calling it a day.

This might explain why most well-known engineers eventually don't identify solely as engineers but transition into management or even entrepreneurship. In the end, addressing user needs means that programming is merely one tool in the toolbox.

However, such platforms give rise to another issue: to keep the platform running, there needs to be a labor force, and often, the compensation for these workers is disproportionate to their efforts. The individuals involved in deliveries are the real facilitators of transactions, yet their pay is typically much lower than one might expect. The platforms rake in substantial profits, engineers earn good salaries, but the sweat equity comes from countless everyday workers. I know this is a complex issue, but it feels strange to me.

Returning to the topic of value, as mentioned earlier, you invest your time and expertise to earn money; companies buy your skills. While salaries vary based on company, experience, skills, and market demand, there is ultimately a ceiling. It’s difficult to become wealthy solely through salary or achieve financial freedom.

Financial freedom isn’t about earning a lot of money; it’s the ability to pursue what you want without being constrained by financial factors. For instance, if I want to take a month off to travel, I should be able to book a flight and leave without worrying about how much money is left in my company or bank account. Without financial freedom, it’s challenging to fully engage in what you want to do, and financial limitations may make life harder than for others, starting you off at a disadvantage. This realization has been clear to me since my school years through to graduation.

I’ve read many articles online and several books. Although the methods vary, they all point to one conclusion: join capitalism.

To achieve financial freedom, you need to invest, buy real estate, create passive income, outsource, mine, and for some reason, I feel a bit resistant to these ideas. Indeed, joining capitalism is the fastest route to financial freedom because of the power of compound interest, allowing you to earn money without investing time and effort.

But what about the people who actually do the work? Where does their hard work go? Is it all siphoned away by capitalism? To be honest, I’m not sure. If I really think about it, I suppose I’m part of capitalism too, considering I'm currently developing a service that helps capitalists earn more money.

Yet, looking at those people makes me wonder. Yes, these individuals work so hard, and are we just focused on exploitation to squeeze more profit, pushing the limits of capitalism? Is there anything I can do to help?

As I ponder, I feel limited in what I can do alone. The only thing I can think of is to join capitalism, wait until I have more resources, and then figure things out. Until then, I’m just living as a "slightly" better-off white-collar worker.

I previously saw responses suggesting that if complex knowledge were truly beloved by the masses, writing academic papers would have already made one rich. Indeed, compared to a research paper on algorithms, people tend to prefer a course on the subject, preferably with LeetCode problem-solving included. However, I don't think we should be cynical, feeling as if no one understands us; instead, we should listen to the market. Although this raises the issue that, rather than writing papers or conducting research that genuinely changes minds and contributes to science, people may lean more towards directly creating courses that cater to market demand.

To be honest, I’m not entirely clear on what my next steps should be. I find myself in a state of confusion every day about what to do. GG

Alright, that’s all for this somewhat aimless and context-less article. Thank you, everyone.