From my experience if you are any good you might get some income dive when you go independent but it should sort itself out within a year or two. That being sa

From my experience if you are any good you might get some income dive when you go independent but it should sort itself out within a year or two. That being said, working as a consultant requires different skill-set then just hacking on some software for 'the man'. You can be super brilliant when doing tech work but miserable when dealing with people, selling, managing your own time, etc. In such situation you have only 2 options: a) change and learn to deal with people, or b) work for a company that can utilize your skills while "protecting" you from the outside world. some people choose (b), others choose (a).