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I've been in software for >25 years, and independent for ... 15+. "when you're on the other side of the planet." Don't take that work. It may sound easier sa

I've been in software for >25 years, and independent for ... 15+. "when you're on the other side of the planet." Don't take that work. It may sound easier said than done, and I remember days when I had no specific projects lined up and no sizeable network to reach out to for referrals/leads. It's not a great feeling, but if you can press through you can get to a point where you're not taking projects from around the planet. Even understanding that might be hyperbole - I took a project in a different state, and the guy ended up not paying. $8k. This was, to me at the time, a fortune, and needed. I tried to sue, and it took a long time, extra $, and... owing to some problems, was not resolved in my favor, even with facts on my side. I understand the headaches. I've had one other time where someone in my own town - who came through a personal referral - had a payment bounce, didn't pay on time, and I found out was underpaying others on the project. I was uneasy a week in, but pressed on to not upset the mutual friend we had. Lost out multiple thousands in the end, taking on some other subcontractors with the assurance of payment which didn't happen. These are hard lessons to learn, but you generally only need to learn them once (or twice...). If you spot a problem ahead of time, walk away, don't engage, or require some up front deposit. Again, easier said than done, but it weeds out a lot of projects ahead of time that. Projects can often be hard enough to be successful with - avoiding some known red flags up front saves a lot of headache. And... with FTE, you have all your eggs in one basket, and your choice of working relationships is limited. Your earlier comment about 'one word replies'... you get that often with colleagues in FTE situations. At least, I've seen it enough to know it's a potential problem. You have more choice about who you work with in freelance/contract situations than you do in FTE situations (you're moved to team X without any say so, assigned to new projects, etc).

balfirevic 5y ago
> "when you're on the other side of the planet." Don't take that work. I have a suspicion that you live on a highly compensated side of the planet.
- lowercased 5y ago
  Guilty as charged, and it was an assumption on taking work inside vs outside your legal jurisdiction. I recognize that it may be harder for some (many?) to find good clients/projects closer to home. That said, I run in to folks in the US that have similar issues/complaints (no idea if GP is in US or not), when often there may be better options. You need to look, and keep looking. I've been doing this since the mid 90s, and the effort it took to network, get exposure and build a brand was, IMO, much harder back then than now. However, there is likely more competition today than... 25+ years ago, so, perhaps it balances out in some way.

balfirevic 5y ago

> "when you're on the other side of the planet." Don't take that work. I have a suspicion that you live on a highly compensated side of the planet.

lowercased 5y ago
Guilty as charged, and it was an assumption on taking work inside vs outside your legal jurisdiction. I recognize that it may be harder for some (many?) to find good clients/projects closer to home. That said, I run in to folks in the US that have similar issues/complaints (no idea if GP is in US or not), when often there may be better options. You need to look, and keep looking. I've been doing this since the mid 90s, and the effort it took to network, get exposure and build a brand was, IMO, much harder back then than now. However, there is likely more competition today than... 25+ years ago, so, perhaps it balances out in some way.