Leaving a job doesn’t always mean leaving it behind. One Redditor, u/antiworkthrowaway234, knew that all too well. After managing critical IT infrastructure for a company, they figured their exit wouldn’t stop the calls from coworkers needing help.
So they got ahead of it. “I was the only one who knew about tons of our IT infrastructure, and I anticipated that I was going to get tons of texts and phone calls from former coworkers,” they shared.
Instead of fielding questions for free, they set up a formal contract and tripled their former hourly rate.
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“I anticipated tons of texts and phone calls.”
— u/antiworkthrowaway234
The boss did not take it well
The move didn’t sit right with the ex-boss, who reportedly called the rate “outrageous.” According to the Redditor, management had a long-standing habit of leaning on former employees for free help. But this time, they ran into someone who knew their worth.
“I'm the first person who's left the company who hasn't just provided this sort of help for free indefinitely,” they said.
“He thinks my rate is outrageously high.”
— u/antiworkthrowaway234
The boss went so far as to warn staff not to contact their former coworker unless it was absolutely necessary. But that, the Redditor said, was the point of the contract in the first place.
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It was never about the money
The Redditor made clear this wasn’t a cash grab. They’d only billed eight hours total. “He's just offended that I have the audacity to demand payment for my work,” they added, suggesting the boss wanted free labor, not fair compensation.
Reddit users were quick to show support, with many saying this kind of boundary-setting was long overdue in workplaces.
“It sets precedent for others who leave.”
— u/takemyderivative
Others are doing the same—and loving it
Redditor u/IntelligentLake joked that the original poster wasn’t charging enough: “Really, who does that? You're supposed to charge much more, so you can use that money to pay for the liability insurance you're supposed to have as a contractor.”
And some had success turning similar situations into money—or just a little revenge. “I did this and set my rate insanely high in the hopes they wouldn’t call,” said u/Aromatic_Quit_6946. “They had to call me so much that they tried to rehire me. Said nope, but for $10,000 I will train someone (never expected a yes). I had a really good vacation that year.”
“I had a really good vacation that year.”
— u/Aromatic_Quit_6946
Gif of Jimmy Fallon saying "I Love It"
Know your worth—even after you leave
Setting boundaries with a former employer shouldn’t be revolutionary, but it is. The Redditor’s story highlights a bigger cultural shift happening in workplaces: people are no longer willing to give away their skills just because “that’s how it’s always been.”
Got niche knowledge when you leave a job? Don’t be afraid to put a price on it. Your time is valuable—and asking to be paid for your work isn't outrageous. It's just fair.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.
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Left, A woman cleans up manure; Right, a man driving
17 everyday things we do now that the future will find bizarre
A recent thread on r/AskReddit posed a fascinating question: “What’s something normal to us in 2025 that by 2075 will be seen as barbaric?”
With over 4,500 upvotes and thousands of comments, the responses ranged from hopeful predictions about medical breakthroughs to funny critiques of social norms. It’s an interesting thought experiment at how our everyday habits might age in the not-so-distant future. Here are 17 of the most memorable takes.
1. Wiping with toilet paper
Redditor u/Dramatic-Avocado4687 keeps it blunt: “Wiping our asses with toilet paper.”
Another user chimed in to roast our primitive ways: “They cut down trees just to wipe themselves?!” In the future, bidets—or some next-level cleaning tech—might make TP as outdated as outhouses.
2. Factory farming
Factory farming got called out repeatedly. User u/w0ke_brrr_4444 called it “the worst hell on earth that humans have ever created.”
Others noted the rise of lab-grown meat could render the practice obsolete. As u/AltEcho38 put it: “I’m convinced it’ll all be lab-grown by then, and we’ll be looked at as savages for raising animals for slaughter.”
3. Medical bankruptcies
The American healthcare system came under fire. User u/SarlacFace said, “Medical bankruptcies and for-profit healthcare leaving people to die if uninsured.”
If universal healthcare becomes the norm, future generations might shake their heads at the idea of choosing between chemo and rent.
4. Treating women’s pain like an afterthought
Many commenters didn’t hold back on this one. “Not giving anesthesia with placing IUDs,” wrote u/tt_DVM2011.
Another user, u/ThatRoryNearThePark, shared a harrowing experience: “Worst pain of my life… couldn’t sit upright for at least 48 hours.” If future medicine treats women’s pain with proper care, this era will look like the Dark Ages.
5. Eating animals
Some users went beyond factory farming to predict the end of meat consumption altogether. Redditor u/ciquta said simply, “Eating animals.”
Others, like u/Zetsubou51, lamented how disconnected people are from their food sources: “We don’t care because we don’t see it. Factory farms are awful for the animals and the people that work in them.”
6. Scrolling endlessly on social media
User u/cornylilbugger predicted: “Spending multiple hours, every day, scrolling mindlessly on social media.”
The irony wasn’t lost on u/Izual_Rebirth, who admitted: “Scrolled way too long to find this one.”
7. Single-use plastics
“Plastic everywhere, all the time,” wrote u/letthisbeanewstart, imagining future disbelief at how we let plastic infiltrate everything from straws to textiles.
U/MarkNutt25 added: “An even bigger problem is plastic textiles. Microfibers are evil.”
8. The 40-hour workweek
“Working a 9-5 just to survive? Barbaric,” said u/DeathofSmallTalk1.
User u/EvaMayShadee painted a grimmer future: “We’ll probably be working 60-hour weeks by then.” Optimism? Optional.
9. Drilling teeth
The dental industry might face a future reckoning. As u/llcucf80 put it: “Drilling teeth.”
One user brought hope with a scientific breakthrough: “If that new shot from Japan works, pull the tooth, get injection, grow a new tooth,” said u/nomiis19.
10. Chemotherapy
Redditor u/Helpful_Finger_4854 hopes cancer treatments will improve drastically: “Dying from cancer, hopefully.”
Another user, u/Vocalscpunk, put it more bluntly: “We still poison the whole body with chemo and hope the cancer dies first.”
11. Driving ourselves
“Driving yourself will seem barbaric,” predicted u/CranberryCheese1997, imagining autonomous vehicles becoming the norm.
12. Using fossil fuels
Redditor u/loftier_fish had a grim take: “If the answer isn’t ‘using fossil fuels,’ there will be a lot fewer humans to deem anything barbaric in 2075.”
13. Child influencers
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Using kids to generate content got roasted as a future ethical disaster. “Hopefully, monetizing your children for social media will seem barbaric,” wrote u/TheWorstWitch.
14. Modern healthcare procedures
Some users pointed out that many current medical practices could be judged harshly in the future. “Orthopedic surgery with drills, rods, and screws?” asked u/Orthocorey.
Another user joked: “So you guys just strapped them down and blasted them with radiation to cure cancer?!”
15. Animal captivity for entertainment
Redditor u/w0ke_brrr_4444 went in: “Drugged dolphins in resorts and whales at SeaWorld. Barbaric.”
16. Fast fashion and waste
Wastefulness came under fire. U/rabbity_devotee called out “fast fashion” and “overflowing landfills.”
17. The whole premise of this thread
Finally, some users argued that future humanity might not even have the luxury of judging our “barbaric” ways. As u/NapoleonDonutHeart put it: “By 2075, we’re gonna be way more barbaric… we’ll fight over everything once food gets scarce.”
Whether these predictions hold up or not, it's clear that what feels normal now won’t always be. And when 2075 finally rolls around, let’s hope they’re a bit kinder to us than we’ve been to the past.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.