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As someone who left full time about 2 years ago to do 1099 work only, I recommend you definitely work on pushing your rate up as you go. Not only do you have to

As someone who left full time about 2 years ago to do 1099 work only, I recommend you definitely work on pushing your rate up as you go. Not only do you have to account for the extra costs, it's also likely you won't always be billing 40 hours a week. I've finally gotten my rate to a point where I feel alright if I only bill 20 hours of work a week. I am working a full week, balancing programming time with managing existing clients, connecting with potential new ones, and taking time to stay involved in open source projects which have been my best marketing strategy. Also account for the fact that all time off is unpaid. My hourly rate is now about twice what I was paid as a full time employee. Good luck!

brandall10 15y ago
Thank you. Those are great points. Is it weird that I love doing this stuff so much, that the simple idea that I can go work anywhere means I can go on a 2 week road trip and work while doing that is vacation enough? Granted, me from 2 years from now might have a different take. But the fact that 'work' means going into a coffee shop, staying at home with my dogs on the couch, or going into a cool co-working space and collaborate with like-minded people... it's like my whole life will become this big vacation. Because I really love writing software, it's just exhilarating. 'Work' to me is having to slave through rush-hour, deal with water cooler talk, walk into a sea of cubes in a faceless corporation, spend hours upon hours in meetings that accomplish little, then put on my headphones and pretend I'm somewhere else. The work itself is what actually takes me away from that reality.
- greghinch 15y ago
  Yep I'm right there with you, and a lot of those points are exactly why I left to do freelancing and enjoy it for the most part. I've definitely done "working trips", and I do work each day when it's best for me. That being said, the part I'm struggling with right now is how to take a real vacation. I mean like 2-3 weeks off, full disconnected. I have 3 clients I'm working with right now on an ongoing basis, and trying to find 3 weeks where I can break from all 3 (and have anything to work on when I get back) is next to impossible so far. But that's part of the challenge, and I've learned to allot time to figuring out strategies for running the business, both in drumming up work and making it a better experience for myself (hence I only end up billing 20-30 hours a week generally).

brandall10 15y ago

Thank you. Those are great points. Is it weird that I love doing this stuff so much, that the simple idea that I can go work anywhere means I can go on a 2 week road trip and work while doing that is vacation enough? Granted, me from 2 years from now might have a different take. But the fact that 'work' means going into a coffee shop, staying at home with my dogs on the couch, or going into a cool co-working space and collaborate with like-minded people... it's like my whole life will become this big vacation. Because I really love writing software, it's just exhilarating. 'Work' to me is having to slave through rush-hour, deal with water cooler talk, walk into a sea of cubes in a faceless corporation, spend hours upon hours in meetings that accomplish little, then put on my headphones and pretend I'm somewhere else. The work itself is what actually takes me away from that reality.

greghinch 15y ago
Yep I'm right there with you, and a lot of those points are exactly why I left to do freelancing and enjoy it for the most part. I've definitely done "working trips", and I do work each day when it's best for me. That being said, the part I'm struggling with right now is how to take a real vacation. I mean like 2-3 weeks off, full disconnected. I have 3 clients I'm working with right now on an ongoing basis, and trying to find 3 weeks where I can break from all 3 (and have anything to work on when I get back) is next to impossible so far. But that's part of the challenge, and I've learned to allot time to figuring out strategies for running the business, both in drumming up work and making it a better experience for myself (hence I only end up billing 20-30 hours a week generally).