Why I am concerned for our society

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So I got this PM:
searchprogrammer wrote:
Hey, do you do c++ programs for money?
I have a program I need done by Thursday, it should not be anything too challenging for you, its for a project in class, I just don't know anything about c++ bcus I haven't paid attention the last month.
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closed account (D80DSL3A)
The only thing I see that's at all shocking is the casual admission to not paying attention (you're supposed to hide that).

Clearly, society couldn't function without people to fill the full range of occupations. We really do need menial laborers, factory workers, garbage men, construction workers of all kinds (you probably live and work in buildings, drive on roads), etc...

This guy just hasn't found his true calling yet. Not to worry though. It will find him.
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I got the same PM.
At least he is honest...
Why I am concerned for our society

What rather concerns me is the root cause of this call for help: the pressure to succeed in disciplines one has no passion for.
I feel left out, I didn't get a PM :'( [sarcastic sadness, I actually do not envy people who get PMs like that.]

A lot of people try and get others to do their work for them nowadays, in my school people love copying h/w they did not do. All say is that I won't let them take my work for their own, and I feel sorry because they will be the ones suffering when they are forced to do it themselves.
Once I got a PM which had no subject and said
PLEASE HELP!

That's all!

I have no idea who sent it (of course I saw the username, but I couldn't recall who he/she is).
Catfish3 wrote:
What rather concerns me is the root cause of this call for help: the pressure to succeed in disciplines one has no passion for.
That's what my concern is.
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My question is why are people forcing themselves into a profession, simply because it might give them a higher pay.
Its a big misconception; most fields can give a great pay if you excel at it and usually easier to do so if you enjoy it. Unfortunately, some idiots think they have to be in a certain profession to make it and ironically; you cant make it in those fields if you're an idiot.
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It is a general mistake when someone thinks that the higher its qualification the more he will be paid.:)
An employee is paid as many as the boss decided to pay. And you are not yet the employee when the salary of the vacancy is already set.:) This salary does not depend on your qualification. It was set before you or somebody else will be the employee. So the main criteria is not your qualification. The main criteria is boss sympathy.:)

I don't understand why somebody would take a class they don't care about....programming isn't a required course anymore is it?
programming isn't a required course anymore is it?

Its been a required course?
I hardly ever answer PMs anymore. They're mostly from new users who need help with something or need something done for them. I just ignore them anymore. I won't even tell them to use the forum.
He probably wants to get a better grade so his parents will keep footing the bill to send him to college.
I actually don't see what is wrong with him asking you to do this, what's the worst that could happen? You say no? Let's consider agnophilo's scenario for a moment. If him paying you $100 to do this project raises his grade and encourages his parents to continue paying his $5,000 dollar tuition then he would actually be stupid NOT to try. In fact I dare you to find a better ROI anywhere in the world.

Contrary to what a college might tell you this is not illegal either (it is probably against their ethics standards). In the US this would make you his employee so in the absence of a contract that says otherwise any works that you create while you are employed with him are his IP to do whatever he wants to with.
@Computergeek01 so you would have me support the college monetary scam?
@ LB: I don't understand which part you consider to be the scam. The outrageous price of a college education these days or the act of a person selling their original works for students to hand in as their own assignments.

I simply wanted to point out where the author of that PM is coming from. We know that people that don't have the interest, ability or the correct mind set get stuck in programming classes through no fault of their own. For some of them failing a class like this might just mean wasted money and having to take it again the next semester but for others it could mean a drop in their GPA and the cancellation of their student aid.

I don't think that you are a bad person for rejecting what is basically a private business offer regardless of your reasons for doing it. But I don't judge the author of that PM for trying either. In fact the only thing that I'm upset about is that this isn't RentACoder and people should stop spamming our board.
closed account (D80DSL3A)
In line with Computergeeks observations. There was a U.S. news story a while ago "Programmer outsources his own job". The guy had contracted a Chinese company to do his work for him for several years for a small fraction of his salary. He even got numerous glowing reviews for his excellent code and timely completions. He finally got caught because he had given the Chinese company access to his company's servers for the purpose of submitting the work, and someone finally noticed the unusual times and origins in some log file. I think he did get fired for it, but he was still admired for the basic strategy.
Its been a required course?


Only reason i said that is cause all the teachers who know i program keep talking about how hard basic was in college....i couldnt help but laugh:P
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