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I respect you for carefully considering this ethical dilemma and not just jumping for the higher pay. I have several questions about your situation: 1. What ar

I respect you for carefully considering this ethical dilemma and not just jumping for the higher pay. I have several questions about your situation: 1. What are the terms of the original written contract (e.g., hours per week, hours total, deliverables due, date for completion, etc)? 2. Are there verbal expectations set forth between you and the client outside the written contract? 3. When do you expect to finish the low paying project? Do you have 40 hours remaining or 400?

cellis 18y ago
1. 40hrs/week. I was not given a hard deadline. 2. I gave them an estimate of 6 six weeks (we're in the 5th) 3. Probably around 200, but I have no idea how stringent their QA is.
- edgefield 18y ago
  So you have 200 hours of remaining work? In my opinion it would be unethical to leave the project hanging. Can you establish a specific deadline/deliverable within a 40-80 timeframe (e.g, get the project into beta) and then work out an alternate (e.g., flexible, work at home, higher hourly rate) arrangement to move the project through the final stages (e.g., QA)?
- turtle3 18y ago
  In this case, I think I would complete the first job first, for a couple of reasons. 1) You estimated 6 weeks, and after 5 weeks, you have about 5 weeks remaining. Your estimate was way off. You'd really be burning the company to leave at this point. 2) You're only talking about a month of work. In addition to the options you say you've considered, you could also consider repaying/taking no compensation for the first job, in order to pursue the second. In that case, they would be out nothing, and you would be free to pursue the other work, if you thought it was more rewarding. Tough spot to be in. Good luck.
- moe 18y ago
  Probably around 200 Well, say goodbye to your next 12 weekends. ;-) On a more serious note, this is actually one of the better dilemmas to be in - others are seeking contracts and you have two. Just be open to both companies, tell them about your problem and you guys will find a way. Unless you try to cheat on one or another I don't see anything unethical about your situation - just an unfortunate coincidence. Ideally you'll be in for a busy 3 months - but you'll get out of it with a load of cash and a well-paying, remaining contract in your pocket. What more could you want nowadays?

cellis 18y ago

1. 40hrs/week. I was not given a hard deadline. 2. I gave them an estimate of 6 six weeks (we're in the 5th) 3. Probably around 200, but I have no idea how stringent their QA is.

edgefield 18y ago
So you have 200 hours of remaining work? In my opinion it would be unethical to leave the project hanging. Can you establish a specific deadline/deliverable within a 40-80 timeframe (e.g, get the project into beta) and then work out an alternate (e.g., flexible, work at home, higher hourly rate) arrangement to move the project through the final stages (e.g., QA)?
turtle3 18y ago
In this case, I think I would complete the first job first, for a couple of reasons. 1) You estimated 6 weeks, and after 5 weeks, you have about 5 weeks remaining. Your estimate was way off. You'd really be burning the company to leave at this point. 2) You're only talking about a month of work. In addition to the options you say you've considered, you could also consider repaying/taking no compensation for the first job, in order to pursue the second. In that case, they would be out nothing, and you would be free to pursue the other work, if you thought it was more rewarding. Tough spot to be in. Good luck.
moe 18y ago
Probably around 200 Well, say goodbye to your next 12 weekends. ;-) On a more serious note, this is actually one of the better dilemmas to be in - others are seeking contracts and you have two. Just be open to both companies, tell them about your problem and you guys will find a way. Unless you try to cheat on one or another I don't see anything unethical about your situation - just an unfortunate coincidence. Ideally you'll be in for a busy 3 months - but you'll get out of it with a load of cash and a well-paying, remaining contract in your pocket. What more could you want nowadays?