5 ms·

One can address the stress of layoffs by switching over to becoming a consultant, slowly ramping up premiums, treating each job as something that can end the ne

by bitL 4y ago

One can address the stress of layoffs by switching over to becoming a consultant, slowly ramping up premiums, treating each job as something that can end the next day, and scheduling the life with that in mind (i.e. not putting all your eggs into a single basket, talking to other "job-providers" all the time etc.).

tra3 4y ago
I would love to become a consultant. Any suggestions on how to do it? I feel like consulting a skill set different from being a developer. I think some folks fall into it, but I certainly haven't been able to.
- GiorgioG 4y ago
  > I feel like consulting a skill set different from being a developer. Not really, "consultant" is just another word for contractor. Almost 20 years ago the company I worked for did a round of layoffs that did not affect me. But it got me thinking and I started looking around and decided to try contracting. It was just like being employed except the term was set (6 months) and the money was much better than being employed. That 6 month contract turned into 18 months and I did contracting for many years after. I don't regret it. It was the best money I ever made. But when you're doing hourly contracting it's hard to stop thinking about billable hours outside of work (especially if there's lots of work and no overtime cap.) "If I take a vacation I'm not billing for $X and I have to pay for the vacation, etc." Everything has its trade-offs. I'm employed now, but some days I think about getting back to contracting.
  - tra3 4y ago
    > Not really, "consultant" is just another word for contractor. The difference between consultant and contractor in my neck of the woods, is that consultants have multiple clients where as a contractor is basically an employee-employer relationship, simply structured in a different way. I believe the grandparent was specifically referring to an arrangement where you have more than one customer ("employer", if you will) to mitigate the risk of getting laid off.

by bitL 4y ago

tra3 4y ago

I would love to become a consultant. Any suggestions on how to do it? I feel like consulting a skill set different from being a developer. I think some folks fall into it, but I certainly haven't been able to.

GiorgioG 4y ago
> I feel like consulting a skill set different from being a developer. Not really, "consultant" is just another word for contractor. Almost 20 years ago the company I worked for did a round of layoffs that did not affect me. But it got me thinking and I started looking around and decided to try contracting. It was just like being employed except the term was set (6 months) and the money was much better than being employed. That 6 month contract turned into 18 months and I did contracting for many years after. I don't regret it. It was the best money I ever made. But when you're doing hourly contracting it's hard to stop thinking about billable hours outside of work (especially if there's lots of work and no overtime cap.) "If I take a vacation I'm not billing for $X and I have to pay for the vacation, etc." Everything has its trade-offs. I'm employed now, but some days I think about getting back to contracting.
- tra3 4y ago
  > Not really, "consultant" is just another word for contractor. The difference between consultant and contractor in my neck of the woods, is that consultants have multiple clients where as a contractor is basically an employee-employer relationship, simply structured in a different way. I believe the grandparent was specifically referring to an arrangement where you have more than one customer ("employer", if you will) to mitigate the risk of getting laid off.