I would be gaining more work experience. Always a plus. There is no need to work like that. If you work 17 hours a day, 7 days a week. You or your project manager is doing something unproductive. Maybe reassess your design?. I've worked on many projects that where due in say 3 months, when in reality they were 9+ months projects. Even then I didn't need to work more than 12 hours, usually(rarely; In those instances the client wanted something changed or added, asap). It's about proper time management and knowing your teams' strengths and limitations. Occasionally some of those extra hours put in, was helping out other team member(s). Again, know your team. Not just at work, outside of work as well.

When I started, a college degree was not a requirement. You jumped to a new contract when yours was finished, via your network of associates. They did the same. Of course that all changed circa 2000 when HRs started to do the hiring process. My network has run thin. Lack of a degree makes it hard these days. So yes, I would take 2.50/hr. Less money doesn't always equate to lesser quality. It's just a rare gem to find, and that gem is me! I'm old school, were code auditing was the norm. Not like most kids these days. Where they run test suites and pray it passes. Don't get me wrong. Test suites are vital, but limited with out a proper audit.

It's about loving what you do best.

I'm not independently wealthy. I was just smart enough to save and not take on bank notes or mortgages. So, I only need a basic income to make due. That's with a family.

I'd like to have a Steambox for the family. It's just out of my budget. After feeding and clothing the kids. I can only afford, maybe a 15 dollar game from steam or gamestop. I'm not an avid gamer, so 250+ bucks for a game system, is a very low priority. Now a Steambox, under 150 bucks. I'd jump on that. I'd finally get my laptop back in evenings, from my kids :-)

I would work for as little as 2.50 USD / hour. I love programming, been doing it for 32 years, 20 off and on professionally. 2.50/hour programming is better than the general labor jobs I've been working recently.

I didn't follow the Snowden saga much. I would not classify him as a hero. He did show the public about the U.S. government's overreach. What he did just wasn't grandeur enough for me to classify him a hero. My point is, if your getting paid to do something. Then it's your job. Your job doesn't make you a hero.

- Byte - Scientific America - Popular Mechanics Was sad to see byte leave the world.

Second the motion for a tumbler. My buddy had one. We would collect rocks for him to tumble, as we played. Always liked the look of a polished rock. Of course this was the eighties, when kids where allowed to leave their doorway and venture outdoors.

"They are doing exactly what our nation has asked them to do to protect us. They are the heroes." Heroes do an act of heroism, independent of money and nationalism. A hero does a selfless act. If it's done for money. It's just a career, a tough one perhaps, but a career all the same.

Kernel code isn't blindly put in to the code base. Linus and his trusted few do a great job, at weaving out the garbage submissions, for the most part. They aren't as affective as OpenBSD, with their useful paranoid code audits. If your concerned about future instances like this. Please contribute your time, not your tears.

^ This

Exactly, most of the talent is from immigrants and work visas. Without them, people would be saying, "Where is the United States again?" when looking at a globe or map.