I quit as the FT's senior drama critic (on a freelance contract) in 2019 because I was being paid, in real terms, less than on my first gig as a cub reviewer for a London listings magazine of <10,000 circulation in 1991.

I freelanced my way through my PhD (1999-2004), then became a part-time/short-term/zero-hours/you name it academic. Around 2007 prospects weren't looking great, and I looked into the possibility of going back into freelancing. Oh. Even in those three years things had got *much* tougher.