[agentultra]

So you like working for less-than-market rates and have no life other than work? Want to work for me?

I suspect the answer is a flat, "No." Unless I was running a successful media company like PA there's nothing in it for you. What about it being PA makes it okay then?

Unfortunately I'm not surprised by the job posting. In non-unionized media companies the labor relations are generally very poor. A friend of mine used to work in such a post-production audio studio as a junior engineer. They paid him practically nothing and waited as long as they could to pay his invoices. In return he lived to work for them and never received credit for anything.

In contrast his sister worked in a larger post-production effects studio where the workers were unionized. She still has a job there afaik and is quite happy. Her brother left his gig when he was up to his eyeballs in debt and couldn't handle the hours anymore.

It sucks but that's the free market for you.

[fennecfoxen]

The free market is sending you a price signal and telling you that you shouldn't go into this field. It's over-saturated. Unless you really think it will be emotionally rewarding, stay away.

It sucks, but that's "the reality of what the people of Earth have demonstrated they want" (when they have to make tradeoffs against the rest of reality, anyway) for you.

[SheepSlapper]

He says what made it okay in his case:

"This job meant security, a huge opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and learn, and countless other 'soft' benefits I couldn't think of. And I got to work with people I truly enjoyed."

[agentultra]

I can't really speak for him but my junior audio engineer buddy liked his job too. It's still a craptastic job that ultimately goes no where. You don't retire from a job like that: you quit, move on and tell people about your glory days down the road when you have a real job.