I've graduated from college, received my degree, and submitted my application. Now all that's left is to wait for a government job—one that's stable, straightforward, and respected.
But months go by, then years. The waiting list barely moves. Along with putting off the appointment, everything else gets put on hold: one’s own income, a place of one’s own, a family, and the feeling of leading an independent adult life.
The person has already done what was expected of him. But the promised beginning still hasn't come.
Пока решение принимают другие
Of course, you can look for other options in the meantime. You could get a job at a private company, work in delivery or retail, or provide small services to friends. Some people try to start a local business, while others learn a trade that allows them to work remotely.
The Internet expands your options. You can look for jobs in design, translation, copywriting, advertising, programming, or other work that you can do from home. The client may be in another city or even another country.
Each of these paths can bring in money and experience. Sometimes a temporary job becomes a permanent one, and individual assignments gradually turn into a career.
But most of these options share a common principle: to make money, you need to find someone who’s willing to pay for your time and labor.
A government position depends on the agency's decision. A job at a company depends on the employer. A small service depends on whether there is a client. Freelancing depends on the assignment, your rating, and the platform's rules.
Workplaces, tasks, and payment methods may change, but a person’s role often remains the same. They still wait for someone to choose them, give them a job, and agree to pay them.
Когда свободное время превращается в товар
Selling one's labor is a natural and important way to earn a living. A huge part of the economy depends on it. There is nothing wrong or outdated about it.
The problem lies elsewhere: personal time is limited.
If income depends entirely on the number of shifts worked or orders completed, a person is forced to find clients for their time over and over again. To earn more, they usually have to take on more tasks, work longer hours, or raise the price of their services.
Even remote work doesn't always change this dynamic. A laptop can replace an office, a foreign client can replace a local employer, and an online platform can replace a human resources department. However, to get paid, you still have to do the work yourself.
Therefore, the question of autonomy can be framed more broadly.
Обязательно ли независимый доход всегда должен начинаться с поиска того, кому можно продать свой труд?
The digital economy makes it clear that the answer is no—this is not the only option.
В цифровом мире можно быть не только работником
Most people are introduced to the digital economy as users. They communicate, make purchases, watch videos, store files, and use online services.
The next familiar role is that of a service provider. A person uses the Internet to find an employer or client and offer their skills.
But there is also a third role: the owner or participant in a useful digital infrastructure.
Behind every online service lies real work. Information must be stored and transmitted. Computational tasks must be performed. Communications must be maintained. Data must be collected and processed. All of this requires resources, and such resources do not necessarily have to belong only to large companies.
An ordinary person can also own a useful physical or computational resource, or manage it in collaboration with others. When connected to a broader network, this resource performs the required work and generates a separate stream of income.
The main change here lies not in the name of the technology, but in the role of the individual.
He's no longer just looking for his next assignment. He provides the network with what helps it function.
Ресурс работает, а не продаёт ваши часы
Let's look at a simple difference.
In the traditional model, a person receives an online order, fulfills it, and sends the finished product. After that, they need the next order. Their knowledge, attention, and working time remain the source of value.
In another model, value is created by a resource that a person owns or co-manages. It performs a function needed by the network: it provides computing power, helps store or transmit information, and supports other useful digital activities.
In this case, income is not determined solely by how many hours a person personally spends in front of the screen. It is generated by the work performed by the resource provided.
Именно здесь открывается непривычная возможность: в цифровой экономике можно быть не только удалённым сотрудником или фрилансером, но и участником самой инфраструктуры.
This isn't just another job opening to which you need to send your resume. It isn't just another client you need to convince. And it isn't just an extra shift after your regular job.
This is another basis for participation: not just “what can I do right now,” but also “what useful resources can I own or manage?”
От вечного соискателя — к владельцу
For someone who has been waiting several years for a government position, this change is particularly important.
The main difficulty of waiting lies not only in the lack of a steady paycheck. The decision to start an independent life is in someone else’s hands. Someone has to review the documents, free up a position, approve the appointment, and let you know that you can now get started.
A similar dynamic holds true in other forms of employment as well. The employer must hire someone, the client must choose an offer, and the online platform must show the profile to the client.
Ownership of a functioning digital resource does not continue this chain. It offers yet another foundation—participation in the broader economy through what a person controls themselves.
This does not mean we should downplay the value of government service, private-sector work, small business, or freelance work. All of these paths remain part of life and can be combined with one another.
It's just that the range of possibilities is expanding.
It charts a path where a person gradually transitions from constantly looking for work to owning something that performs useful work for the network on its own. He remains a participant in the economy, but ceases to be merely a job seeker and a worker.
Ещё одна дверь в самостоятельную жизнь
When your adult life has been tied for years to a single promised purpose, it’s easy to conclude that there are only two options: to keep waiting or to constantly sell your time to whoever is willing to pay.
But the digital world is much broader than that.
You can work there as an employee. You can fulfill orders. Or you can own or co-manage a resource that other people and digital networks need.
This opportunity doesn’t require you to immediately choose a new path or give up the ones you’re already familiar with. At first, it’s enough to simply grasp the idea: income doesn’t have to be tied solely to your job title or your working hours. It can come from a useful digital resource that you control.
And then the question changes.
Not just, “Who will give me a job?”
But also: “What kind of infrastructure can I participate in as an owner?”
Именно с этого вопроса начинается знакомство с GUIDE to DePIN WORLD — миром, где обычные люди предоставляют цифровым сетям принадлежащие им ресурсы и становятся участниками инфраструктуры, которой пользуется более широкая экономика.
А если первый доступный ресурс — уже имеющийся компьютер, Sleeping Gamer позволяет начать именно с него, не превращая знакомство с DePIN в покупку нового сервера.
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