Tech IndustryFeb 22, 2018
Verathonnaw

Anyone successfully gone rogue?

I estimate that I can make about the same amount of my annual salary in 6 months if I change to hourly as an independent contractor. This is risky of course and requires you to always be hustling and looking for the next gig. Plus insurance and other misc benefits. Thoughts on working contract to contract through agencies? Or cut your own contracts and prospect on your own (cut out the middleman)? Anyone have experience here? Tbh I'm tired of working 12 months per year and only getting 3 weeks of vacation to enjoy myself. Surely there's a better way even if it means a pay cut in exchange for all that time back.

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Oath NotNew Feb 22, 2018

I know a friend that just does 6 month contract and just take the next 6 months off. Although most likely he does this because he’s nearing retirement.

Verathon naw OP Feb 22, 2018

That sounds pretty ideal, although I might prefer a few 1-3 month contracts with space in between each. How's his comp?

Oath NotNew Feb 22, 2018

It was $150/hr rate. This was 3 years ago though.

Lyft redRadish Feb 22, 2018

How do you even get started with this.

Splunk xjdjeifkc Feb 22, 2018

Yeah, I'd like to know too.

Facebook Hyperplane Feb 22, 2018

You have to know people, which is why you generally only see more seasoned people do this.

Amazon ktaa05 Feb 22, 2018

Some fields lend themselves to consulting more than others

Twitch Babasheep Feb 22, 2018

I was a consultant for a couple years. The pay is indeed good, but if you are prone to anxiety, I would not recommend it. It’s feast or famine. I ended up saving about 50% of my take-home to give me peace of mind through the out of work periods. You are also at the mercy of your clients. You will have to deal with politics and stupid work just the same. Not all clients will want remote devs, so you will have to be open to coming into the office just like a normal job. There’s also other stuff like taxes and health insurance you have to take care of. If none of that bothers you, and you are good with money, and you’re a good hustler with good contacts, the freedom is pretty sweet. And if you can fill your pipeline consistently, you can clean up

Verathon naw OP Feb 22, 2018

Thanks for sharing your perspective. Why did you quit? How did you fill your pipeline?

Twitch Babasheep Feb 23, 2018

I quit because i got tired of having to find more clients. My initial clients were all first degree connections, ie, coworkers who I worked with in the past who were at new companies and needed extra help and knew me and could vouch for my work. Once I exhausted my personal network, became much harder on the hustling side. I think if I were to do it again, I’d want to have a personal blog or something where I could have some independent authority that would make the hustling easier. I tried Upwork but the quality wasn’t as good. The best clients were people I liked at new startups who raised fresh capital and were looking to hire like crazy and were amenable to my rate ($180/hr)

Undisclosed BJTr25 Feb 23, 2018

Start investing and earn some passive income?

Verathon naw OP Feb 23, 2018

I think that's easier said that done...