Is this enlightenment?
Player_E
Member, PRO Posts: 604
Well, after a year and a half at my job, yesterday I was let go. Long story short I was the rebel of the company who voiced their opinion about being paid too little for the work that we do and was let go in fear that I would start an uprising. I'm not too disappointed because I was growing to despise my life because of that job. I am in a comfortable position, I have more than enough money in savings and I am still going to school full time. All this to me seems like one big sign to continue working on the GS game that I have been wanting to release, So for the next month I will be hard at work to get my new release out.
Its strange that I am actually feeling better now that I no longer have a job? Kinda having a office space moment here.
Anyone else have any cool quitting/getting fired stories?
Its strange that I am actually feeling better now that I no longer have a job? Kinda having a office space moment here.
Anyone else have any cool quitting/getting fired stories?
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Comments
no, it's not enlightenment.. it's relief.
enlightenment is something else entirely. it doesn't really matter whether your employed or not. it's got a lot more to do with appreciation of life and awareness of every moment.
Keep in mind that working on apps for the app store, making money (even a few bucks) and collecting unemployment without reporting the earnings at the same time is illegal.
So unless you can live on a couple hundred bucks a year (what the average dev makes), good luck
Also be sure to pay your taxes each quarter (Self Employment tax is 12.5%), plus you will pay 15% (or whatever tax bracket you are in). Sure you can deduct expenses, but that is at the end of the year, and it does not prevent the SE tax.
All seriousness though, the appstore is a very weird place, it seems to be a bit of a luck thing, so far my first two games havent brought in outrages sales, but they improve slowly. and from what ive read and seen from other people in gs, good things are possible. all it takes is that magic idea!
I was a bit anxious at the time about how I'd look after myself and my partner, but I worked it out - and I'm living a much better quality of life than when I was writing too; it was far too stressful for what they were paying me. (I frequently had to get up at 3 AM to write pieces on really short notice for some UK clients. I never slept well because I didn't know if I'd be woken up again or not.)
Those are well known facts.
$200 - 15.3% for SE (or corporate) tax = $169.40
Now lets assume you're in the lowest tax bracket of 10%, we're down to $149.40 after taxes
You worked six weeks, thats 240 hours. Congratulations, you made 62 cents per hour!
But wait, you have no insurance! That costs $8,000 a year or more for a cheap policy, now you owe someone $7,850.60 for insurance
Sure in the real world you will have deductions, but still, ask ANY accountant and they will tell you that you will pay 15.3% SE tax minimum. Most people say basically you will pay a total of 25-40% taxes depending on your tax bracket. It is also well known that you need to double your salary to maintain the same standards of living when self employed. These aren't my numbers
By the way, you made about $5 a day on average. Feel good, because 50% don't even make that! Trust me, its a real small number of people who can earn a serious living at this.
Treat it as a hobby, if you get lucky thats cool, but really its a hobby.
PS: Making a few thousand in 1 month is not the same as a few thousand for 12 months. After 3-4 weeks most apps drop to 1 or 2 sales a day.
Its scary as hell...and very difficult to make ends meet at times...and the hours are longer...but the freedom is nice. I never want to go back.
Of course I was about 30 years old at time with 10+ years of work experience. If you are younger with less experience...I recommend finding another job.
@TymeMaster....
That SE tax is a bitch!!!. I think you forgot to add on state tax...which is another 5% generally. Plus you can get healthcare generally for about $250 a month...if you are under 30 and don't plan to have kids and never get married.
Sure, you could get featured, and you could be cruising, and loving life in the app store for a week or so, but after that, your app can still drop in ranking, and you're back to the drawing board again.
It's not easy, but fortunately, Gamesalad makes things a little easier with less programming time, so the ability to publish more apps, than spending all your time with xcode.
Still, even having said that, it's NOT easy, you really have to study the market, and keep up with the trends, which change ALL the TIME.
You also have to consider all the costs, which are write offs, but nonetheless, out of pocket costs for graphics, sound effects, music, hosting a website, if you really want to create well polished applications.
I would suggest keeping a day job, and doing this as a 2nd job for AT LEAST a full year before venturing into doing it solo.
Good luck!
Gives me new perspective on taxes
Just my wife and I, we pay $400 a month for insurance through her employer.
Just do your best, make the best game you can and who knows! Plus, perhaps this will look good on your next job resume. Even if you are not learning programming, you are showing that you have the drive and determination to work hard for something.
@tymemaster, Im only 20 and still full time student, so I'm not exactly worried about financial situations any time in the near future
For now its screw the corporate world and I'm just doing me. I'm too young to be worried about holding a full time job and going to school full time while keeping a social life.
Today is official the first day that I did not work (fired on a Friday when you have weekends off doesn't count in my book). I just woke up on my leisure and worked a little on my GS project before heading to class. After class I actually had some spare time to talk to a few ladies instead of bolting to work like normal. Tomorrow morning is the first Tuesday in over a year i'll be able to sleep in due to not having to attend that 7am corporate meeting.
Life is truly good.
I'm fairly confident that in time I can push GS earnings up to $50 or so a day; especially as I'm not on any time line - and until then I'm still making enough from being self employed to not have to stress on it
PS: $58 a day in the USA is minimum wage (McDonalds pay). Its about the same as making $70 per day self employed.
I'm pretty sure 64 cents an hour wouldn't support two people, bills, etc.
I make enough to get us both by and I get to stay at home and work only when I want to; I'd choose life like this over a full time job where we're only together a few hours a night any day
I agree about the pimple popping apps getting featured; there are SO many of them now too >.<'
Not only did they get lucky, but are they able to sustain it? Honestly, the "poor" adult will make at least 12k a year in the USA (min wage). Now, to be self employed, and make that same 12k, I would estimate you need to earn about 20k gross. Once again this is without insurance. So technically, the McDonalds employee making 12k is earning the same as someone self employed making 20k, plus he has benefits (unless Obamacare is stopped, but thats another story lol).
So, 20K a year is $1667 a month. You need to make that every month! Earning 1k in a month and then nothing for 11 months means you don't survive
Not trying to be rude, just trying to tell you the facts
The truth of the matter is if you want to be independent and self employed, you need to bust your ass working 80+ hours a week. And this is usually after having spent at least a decade in the working world (unless you are born with a silver spoon). So um, basically a 20 year old hasn't even paid their dues and would be delusional to think iOS development will support life.
PS: A BUM begging for money in NYC probably makes $10 per hour or more, for doing nothing. That doesn't mean a sane person will do it hehe
I've been independent and self employed since I was 16 - I've been supporting two people since I was 17. I'm now 21.
I've never had a real job but I do make more (although not a LOT more) than $20k a year.
I'm aware that I need to make it every month; I have been making it every month - for 5 years. Lol.
I appreciate that you've got it into your head that you're stating some facts that I must be unaware of and you're therefore providing some kind of insight, but you're not - not in this case. I appreciate you are probably just attempting to provide said insight; but in this case, it isn't needed.
I wasn't born with a silver spoon (low income family) and I have NEVER held a "real" job - I've always been self employed.
The truth you stated isn't a definite truth; I am independent, I am self employed, I don't work more than 50 hours a week unless I'm really into what I'm doing and I've spent zero years working for anyone but myself.
As to paying their dues; the only "dues" I've got in life are to my mother, and that isn't the kind of "due" that you ever pay off. It's a lifelong thing.
So yeah, I appreciate you're trying to state the facts as you see them - but in this case you couldn't be more wrong - so please don't try to tell me that at 21, or 20 as you said, one cannot do this - because I AM doing it
As to a living from development; I've never said that's what I'm going for - it'd be nice, but I'm just happy with a bit of extra cash for doing something I enjoy.
If you make some money, set aside about 10% to cover taxes. Ultimately, all taxes are based on your Net income not your gross.
IRS is not going to be hard on you...the SE is just to cover social security and medicare (when you work for somebody else, they pay half; when you work for yourself, you pay all.)
Quarterly estimated tax is Estimated not Guestimated...you don't pay that till you have the earnings to base a good estimate on. And, should you be highly successful, IRS does allow carry-back to the last 5 years; so any windfall income from creative endeavors can be spread over 5 years...EX: you earn a net of $100,000.00 from a game; IRS allows you to adjust/increase your income by $25,000 for each of the past 5 years. Other than SE contributions, that is peanuts to pay.
In this world, we pay our dues as we go...You are paying yours by having a vision and learning and working to make that dream a reality.
Go for it...I hope you get stuck with a huge tax bill! then you will have lots of money!
MH
Agreed!
They have great games as I state they do not fall in the pimple category and yes they are able to sustain it. But again they are the rare and will be even more rare as all the flash game come in as well as all the game engines that are putting non-coders in the mix