Something about “referral systems” gives me pyramid scheme vibes, and I’m not comfortable putting links to sign up at the bottom of any article I write. I’m just happy that Medium still allows writers to make money in other ways, and referring new writers is only optional at this point.

I’ve been self employed or freelance in some capacity for much of my adult life, and the unfortunate thing I’ve learned is that almost anything that brings in significant amounts of income is not sustainable long-term. I hate that our society makes it so hard to survive outside of the corporate world, and only see things getting worse over the following years.