4 ms·

One of the reasons I choose contracting over employment (I've been contracting for 4.5 years and was employed prior) is that moving from contract to contract is

One of the reasons I choose contracting over employment (I've been contracting for 4.5 years and was employed prior) is that moving from contract to contract is expected and usually comes with an income increase. If I were to change jobs as frequently as I change contracts, this would look bad on my resume. This makes the contract market much more liquid than the job market, which has the consequence of arriving at my current valuation quicker.

mandeepj 8y ago
Consulting is like building a castle and giving it away to someone else to rule and enjoy the fruits. I refuse to do it now. With each new contract, you start from scratch, again. After a while, you'll realize - you are just hitting a reset switch on your career, with each new contract that you pick up. I'm glad I share my thoughts with this very smart man - https://youtu.be/Gk-9Fd2mEnI?t=908 https://youtu.be/Gk-9Fd2mEnI?t=908
- jameslk 8y ago
  I'd argue contracting has been the best thing for my career. I've learned sales, marketing, accounting, business & legal essentials along the way. I've made great connections from the diverse companies I've worked in and vendors I've worked with. I'm now working on scaling and selling to larger enterprises. I may not own the companies or products I work on, but I own my own company. You can stay stagnant as an employee or as a contractor. It's up to you to make your career.
- onlyrealcuzzo 8y ago
  Is there any room for income growth in contracting outside of building an agency? A couple of years ago, my career seemed to be dead in the water, so I thought about contracting. It's not clear to me what changed, but in the course of a year, I got two huge promotions and am now making double. I'm currently interviewing for a huge step up that might bump my salary another 25% more. I imagine if I went the contracting route, short term, I could've made much more money per hour, since I am/was pretty productive. But I /really/ doubt I'd get to where I am now on an annual basis (especially considering benefits and vacation). I also seems to have a clear path toward being a VP, CTO doesn't seem unrealstic in a few years, if I want to continue down the career path (I don't, rather start my own business, but nice to have a solid backup). I know there's a lot of money to be made running an agency, but I don't think that's a natural skillset for the vast majority of engineers. Also it seems like a really competitive space. I'd love to hear more from some contractors about this.
  - blihp 8y ago
    Contracting is effectively going mercenary. It's straight up 'I've got the expertise, you've got money... let's get together for a while.' There's no career path for you as far as the client is concerned but the pay is better. The understanding going in is that you will likely not be together for more than about a year. In addition to the bump in pay, since you know it's not a long-term situation, you typically get to avoid much of the office politics and organizational dysfunction and focus on what you're there to do. It's not an ideal terminal position: either you use it as a stepping stone to something better (i.e. starting your own agency, getting into consulting, starting some other kind of business etc.) or you use it as a way to test drive companies without committing (i.e. If you like the place, convert to an employee if it's offered. If not, move on ASAP) There are people who do contracting for the same company indefinitely. That's usually a career mistake as you're not getting valuable new experiences which will prepare you for something better and your hourly rate will get stuck in the mud. After 2-3 years it will have often been better to have converted to an employee. (i.e. more relaxed relationship, benefits/paid time off, stock/bonus programs etc.) Many larger companies love it when contractors stay long term: for them it's all of the upside of having an employee with none of the downside. (it's also legally problematic but that doesn't stop most of them)
  - chrisbennet 8y ago
    If you contract direct, you can make decent money. I have multiple clients at the same time and work 4-6 hours a day and make 40% more than when I was working 40hrs a week as an employee. I also have my own office close enough that I sometimes bike to work in the summer.
- pauljurczak 8y ago
  Upvote for the link.
- ramblerman 8y ago
  Thanks for the link. Very relevant to me. I've been contracting for the past 8 years, and earned very well through it. But I absolutely feel the cyclical nature, i.e. the constant starting over is wearing me out. It's kept me sharp, but I know don't want to be contracting as a senior engineer when I'm 45, and contracting is not the best path to leadership, or product ownership - which I would like to transition to at that age.
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago
  On the other hand it's nice to have that disconnection from all the crap that goes on. No matter how bad it gets you know that in a couple of months you will be somewhere else.
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  That sounds just like 'any Engineering job'. And No, its not resetting the switch, because the 'career path' that most companies offer is a hoax - a perk here, a perk there. What matters at bottom is, the money. And as a contractor you arrive there quicker. My references get the next job, and my pay goes up as I raise my rate. There's no reset involved.
- chrisbennet 8y ago
  I’m a consultant but maybe a different kind. I go in and create a product or the core technology and then move on. It’s kind of like being an “explorer” vs. a “settler”; big kudos to those who clear the land and creating a farm from nothing, I’d just rather be exploring.

mandeepj 8y ago

Consulting is like building a castle and giving it away to someone else to rule and enjoy the fruits. I refuse to do it now. With each new contract, you start from scratch, again. After a while, you'll realize - you are just hitting a reset switch on your career, with each new contract that you pick up. I'm glad I share my thoughts with this very smart man - https://youtu.be/Gk-9Fd2mEnI?t=908 https://youtu.be/Gk-9Fd2mEnI?t=908

jameslk 8y ago
I'd argue contracting has been the best thing for my career. I've learned sales, marketing, accounting, business & legal essentials along the way. I've made great connections from the diverse companies I've worked in and vendors I've worked with. I'm now working on scaling and selling to larger enterprises. I may not own the companies or products I work on, but I own my own company. You can stay stagnant as an employee or as a contractor. It's up to you to make your career.
onlyrealcuzzo 8y ago
Is there any room for income growth in contracting outside of building an agency? A couple of years ago, my career seemed to be dead in the water, so I thought about contracting. It's not clear to me what changed, but in the course of a year, I got two huge promotions and am now making double. I'm currently interviewing for a huge step up that might bump my salary another 25% more. I imagine if I went the contracting route, short term, I could've made much more money per hour, since I am/was pretty productive. But I /really/ doubt I'd get to where I am now on an annual basis (especially considering benefits and vacation). I also seems to have a clear path toward being a VP, CTO doesn't seem unrealstic in a few years, if I want to continue down the career path (I don't, rather start my own business, but nice to have a solid backup). I know there's a lot of money to be made running an agency, but I don't think that's a natural skillset for the vast majority of engineers. Also it seems like a really competitive space. I'd love to hear more from some contractors about this.
- blihp 8y ago
  Contracting is effectively going mercenary. It's straight up 'I've got the expertise, you've got money... let's get together for a while.' There's no career path for you as far as the client is concerned but the pay is better. The understanding going in is that you will likely not be together for more than about a year. In addition to the bump in pay, since you know it's not a long-term situation, you typically get to avoid much of the office politics and organizational dysfunction and focus on what you're there to do. It's not an ideal terminal position: either you use it as a stepping stone to something better (i.e. starting your own agency, getting into consulting, starting some other kind of business etc.) or you use it as a way to test drive companies without committing (i.e. If you like the place, convert to an employee if it's offered. If not, move on ASAP) There are people who do contracting for the same company indefinitely. That's usually a career mistake as you're not getting valuable new experiences which will prepare you for something better and your hourly rate will get stuck in the mud. After 2-3 years it will have often been better to have converted to an employee. (i.e. more relaxed relationship, benefits/paid time off, stock/bonus programs etc.) Many larger companies love it when contractors stay long term: for them it's all of the upside of having an employee with none of the downside. (it's also legally problematic but that doesn't stop most of them)
- chrisbennet 8y ago
  If you contract direct, you can make decent money. I have multiple clients at the same time and work 4-6 hours a day and make 40% more than when I was working 40hrs a week as an employee. I also have my own office close enough that I sometimes bike to work in the summer.
pauljurczak 8y ago
Upvote for the link.
ramblerman 8y ago
Thanks for the link. Very relevant to me. I've been contracting for the past 8 years, and earned very well through it. But I absolutely feel the cyclical nature, i.e. the constant starting over is wearing me out. It's kept me sharp, but I know don't want to be contracting as a senior engineer when I'm 45, and contracting is not the best path to leadership, or product ownership - which I would like to transition to at that age.
tonyedgecombe 8y ago
On the other hand it's nice to have that disconnection from all the crap that goes on. No matter how bad it gets you know that in a couple of months you will be somewhere else.
JoeAltmaier 8y ago
That sounds just like 'any Engineering job'. And No, its not resetting the switch, because the 'career path' that most companies offer is a hoax - a perk here, a perk there. What matters at bottom is, the money. And as a contractor you arrive there quicker. My references get the next job, and my pay goes up as I raise my rate. There's no reset involved.
chrisbennet 8y ago
I’m a consultant but maybe a different kind. I go in and create a product or the core technology and then move on. It’s kind of like being an “explorer” vs. a “settler”; big kudos to those who clear the land and creating a farm from nothing, I’d just rather be exploring.