True, contracting often has a shorter hiring time, and less job security. The risk is not much lower, though. Companies that hire freelancers expect immediate r

True, contracting often has a shorter hiring time, and less job security. The risk is not much lower, though. Companies that hire freelancers expect immediate results. If you can’t deliver right away you’re not going to get training or hand-holding. There’s no shortage of people who know Javascript and a little Python. Companies want to hire people who can solve problems and add value, not copy/paste from Stack Overflow. The large majority of programmer jobs in the US are at-will, meaning the employer can terminate at any time for any (or no) reason. Even in jurisdictions that aren’t at-will you won’t get paid during the months or years trying to sue.