I had been a freelance consultant for about ten years, working through headhunters and by word of mouth. Around April 2002 my contract was not renewed and I sp

I had been a freelance consultant for about ten years, working through headhunters and by word of mouth. Around April 2002 my contract was not renewed and I spent four months unable to find one. The freelance contract market seemed to dry up. I had to go work as a full time employee for less than half the pay in Montréal (I live in Toronto). I commuted five hours by train each weekend for a year. Ironically, the crappy company that hired me referred to me as a 'consultant'. My hours went towards implementing KYC regulation for a big American bank. The upside is that I got to live and work in French among my people for a while (I am French Canadian).