Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/02/01/the-six-stages-of-a-designer.html
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Somewhat related…
This isn’t new but continues to summarize my life in the tech world so well.
ETA: I’m a little worried how close I have followed Luke’s looks. My beard is about that gray but I keep my hair shorter. I’m about equal cranky.
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Spot-on*, and it applies to a lot of creative and tech career progressions. Probably like many of us here, I’m at that last stage: alone in my workspace, often in a robe, not shaving regularly, easily annoyed by the slightest interruption, and ready to tell the young hotshot that every word of what she just said was wrong.
[* your video, too, @Garymon]
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That’s why I like the freelance stage, when you realize you’re working with idiots you can just walk away… 
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The classic, I built what you idiots asked for, exit.
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The problem is when the idiots in charge of the funding don’t agree and won’t pay. Several weeks of work for free? Nopenopenope.
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That’s why you charge triple what it should be and insist on 50% deposit up front. 
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“Brown Ring of Quality” time!
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You know that scene at the end of the latest movie when all the AT-ATs open up on Luke and he emerges from the hellstorm unscathed? That’s the Jedi power known as the “20% deposit” (or perhaps the more powerful mind trick, the “Retainer Agreement”).
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I’m on the 5th (basically). But I look like the 6th.
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You can throw that in as a bonus after they’ve paid the rest of the amount owing. 
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It’s not widely known, but there was an unfortunate typo early on in the Star Wars series production, Vader should have been known as the Dark Lord of the Sixth, which would have lead to Revenge of the Sixth etc
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as someone who is has achieved level 6, this is very accurate.
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I’m still about ten years away from number six. I have asked to not be promoted at my day job, because the role changes from designing stuff to managing people like me. That sounds like difficult and soul-sucking work.
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I am so glad there are people who get the joke. 
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Or maybe you can realize the idiots won’t make it without you and you still have connections to humanity so you return to sacrifice yourself for the idiots and the biggest idiot of them all gets everyone out the back because it’s what you ‘wanted’
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Managing people like you is great! You can protect them from all the horrible “management” that was inflicted on you in your career and watch them accomplish far more than you ever could by yourself
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It is true that there is usually at least one with whom one can have a heart-to-heart after and can gently deliver the reality check or steer things in a functional direction.
Also, watching the video posted by @Garymon, none of those requests were unrealistic from the perspective of the requestor, they were just a bit disorganized and lacking the language to express it.
Much of the “magic” an expert brings to the table is the ability translate between different worldviews and devine the true intent and desires of the client.
The expert in that video is about a stage 4 in the 1-6 parlance. Stage 6 is when you can do that translation effectively across a range of specialties, (emphasis on the C-suite of course).
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50% down, nonrefundable. Also I don’t issue any rights (any at all) until the final billed payment clears.
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