You guys remember "Chaco" my traveling friend and coworker at my last job?
He texted me saying the business could use my help to get something working. "Sure! As long as you help yourself to the treasure of documentation I left behind FIRST."
[LATER]
"We followed your docs and things started working. Except..."
I don't mind helping out old friends and employers. When it starts to be work though, I want to charge. And I NEVER moonlight.
1/2
@SECRET_ASIAN_MAN I don't know man, if you're being offered $1000/h to solve a problem, and it doesn't involve (for example) insider information so it's not going to get you burnt, I see no reason to turn that down...
Especially not corporate loyalty. I like to think of it this way: unless you're working for a small business / nonprofit with principles & are a personal friend of higher-ups, there's about a 99.9% chance if they thought they'd make more money by dumping you that they'd do it.
I was offered once $1000/hour to solve a similar problem.
I said no multiple times. My policy goes like this.
If I'm going to work any harder than I do it's going to be for the company that pays my salary.