You can do contract work if you want. It's what I do. Like others are saying it is harder. In the UK, I am not sure, but here it means you're responsible for mo

You can do contract work if you want. It's what I do. Like others are saying it is harder. In the UK, I am not sure, but here it means you're responsible for more stuff. We have to buy our own health insurance policies or go without, for example. I'm sure you'd have to save your own taxes, instead of withholding. If you've never done that before, I assure you, it's really hard! The contract rates are higher because they are paying for the: fact that in a few months you have to find a new job, so you're being compensated in advance for that, fact that there won't be benefits, fact that you are going to do a lot more work than a regular employee.. So, what's the good thing about contracting: Freedom. At least in the US, a 1099 employee can't be told: when to work, where to work, what to use for tools, etc. In practice, they can still ask you to "agree" to these things up front, but compared the level of control a regular employee is encumbered by, it is much less. This is US specific, not sure what the UK law is. You get variety. Some people like the experience of working with lots of people and companies. Finally, I guess the advice piece: you'll only be able to live off contract work if you are absolutely fearless and totally independent. You'll have to interview/find clients a lot. A client meeting is a bit less scrutinizing than a job interview, but you'll have a lot more of them, and your success will depend on finding work often