> In contracting the big differentiator seems to be working for yourself vs being sold by a company, so go to more meetups, try getting freelance jobs on your o

> In contracting the big differentiator seems to be working for yourself vs being sold by a company, so go to more meetups, try getting freelance jobs on your own. I don't know anything about the regulatory environment for such but it's supposed to have gotten easier in recent years. The biggest differentiator really is - be in demand. Companies prefer to hire employees and get contractors only if they must, i.e. if no one wants to join as a perm at the wage they offer. So, to contract, you need to be at the high end of the market. Luckily, due to craziness of the tech threadmill, all it takes is getting some experience in the newest/hottest tech in a given area (such as frontend/backend/mobile/bigdata etc.)