re desperation:
It’s a truly desperate individual that can’t afford $9.67 a year. That’s about two beers at London prices. Or three decent golf balls. If, in the next three years, my $29 gets me one good job possibility then I’ll consider it money well-spent. I can’t begin to count the number of wasted trips I’ve made and pointless hours spent in interviews for inappropriate roles over the years. The chance that a potential employer is serious enough to identify SO as a potential source of quality candidates (and that they might consider me to be one such) is more than worth a trivial sum.
And if nothing happens? I’ve lost three golf balls, which is about par for the course.