4 ms·

Moving to contracting/b2b had a much larger effect on my quality of life than I anticipated. I don't lose sleep over the insurance or investment options my empl

Moving to contracting/b2b had a much larger effect on my quality of life than I anticipated. I don't lose sleep over the insurance or investment options my employer provides. Flexible hours with most contracts. I feel more in control of my life.

daok 5y ago
Don't you have to pay a hefty price for private insurance? Dont you have the stress to find contracts all the time?
- nonplus 5y ago
  All of that is true. I have preexisting conditions; relying on my employer for insurance was a bit of a mess. Some jobs would have insurance that the best plan would cost maybe 8k more out of pocket in a year (compared to the previous employer). Maybe the FSA was really bad/they would not reimburse things they should/force you to appeal 3 times for every transaction (Imagine spending 5 hours a month fighting with the FSA program about giving you your own money). Getting a contract is stressful, but I've found job security is basically non existent anyway, so if I couldn't find b2b work I could always take traditional w2 or 1099 work. When I switched I was expecting more stress, and less stability. A few years in though, I feel better than I did in fte roles. It might not be for everyone, but it's worked for me so far.
horns4lyfe 5y ago
Mind if I ask what your path was to get into that? I’m only in the 2nd year of my career but I think that’s the direction I’d like to go eventually, and as a veteran I have benefits (healthcare etc) that follow me no matter where I go that I think would help take the pressure off a bit.
- nonplus 5y ago
  I set up my business about a year before switching from full time employment so I had the option to do b2b work. I would say I feel into it, a former coworker mentioned a contract to me that was b2b. I would say my contracts have been word of mouth for the last 3 years or so. Edit: When talking with recruiters I frequently ask if b2b is an option, I would say 30% of the time it seems to be.

daok 5y ago

Don't you have to pay a hefty price for private insurance? Dont you have the stress to find contracts all the time?

nonplus 5y ago
All of that is true. I have preexisting conditions; relying on my employer for insurance was a bit of a mess. Some jobs would have insurance that the best plan would cost maybe 8k more out of pocket in a year (compared to the previous employer). Maybe the FSA was really bad/they would not reimburse things they should/force you to appeal 3 times for every transaction (Imagine spending 5 hours a month fighting with the FSA program about giving you your own money). Getting a contract is stressful, but I've found job security is basically non existent anyway, so if I couldn't find b2b work I could always take traditional w2 or 1099 work. When I switched I was expecting more stress, and less stability. A few years in though, I feel better than I did in fte roles. It might not be for everyone, but it's worked for me so far.

horns4lyfe 5y ago

Mind if I ask what your path was to get into that? I’m only in the 2nd year of my career but I think that’s the direction I’d like to go eventually, and as a veteran I have benefits (healthcare etc) that follow me no matter where I go that I think would help take the pressure off a bit.

nonplus 5y ago
I set up my business about a year before switching from full time employment so I had the option to do b2b work. I would say I feel into it, a former coworker mentioned a contract to me that was b2b. I would say my contracts have been word of mouth for the last 3 years or so. Edit: When talking with recruiters I frequently ask if b2b is an option, I would say 30% of the time it seems to be.