Originally posted by: DJFuji
Descartes, GREAT posts and advice. Thanks for your input.
Glad I can help. Feel free to PM me at any time in the future if you have any questions.
What I do like about consulting is that I'm always learning because i'm always doing something different. It's not the same old boring workday with the same old boring projects.
This is precisely why I left the corporate world for consulting. I was working at very large corporate with full Dilbert-principle enforcement, and I worked on projects long in duration, but low in diversity and productivity (i.e. do one thing that takes maybe a day, then the rest doing nothing). As a consultant I work on several projects a day. There is simply
no substitute for this experience, but obviously not everyone enjoys the perceived volatility. I like working on large projects too, but I bore quickly; working on many things at once helps ameliorate that.
And I do like the social aspects of it as well. Maybe not so much when dealing with difficult clients, but that's par for the course, i think. I have found that most my clients are either referral based, or repeat customers.
It is indeed, but sometimes you have to fire a client. I've never had to actually do it, but I've come very close. If things start to deteriorate I usually call a time out, take them out to lunch, and discuss where the problems lie. Sometimes they just require too much, and if it drains your resources it's not worth it.
$40 is kind of low, you're right, but i have less than 5 years of experience in professional software development, so it's a decent starting point. That, and I worked through a recruiter and he took quite a big cut of the total amount. (50%). And yeah, I get royally screwed on taxes.
I didn't mean to denigrate the rate. $40 isn't a small amount of cash by any means, but pricing too low in any market could have a negative impact. I think this is colloquially called "salting the jar" in marketing, and as I said above, I've done it too. If that gets you in the door, helps build a foundation, and facilitates your subsequent diversification, then it's worth it.
On the other hand, I do enjoy the flexibility and the ability to network with many individuals and organizations. But in the case of the full time position, the environment promises to be of the consulting variety-- i make my own schedule, work as many hours as i want to, and can either telecommute or go into the office. That alone is worth me considering.
If you enjoy the flexibility, etc. then you'll quickly find out there's no other vocational possibility
🙂 There are negatives to it as well, but many of them are more prominent when you start out; newer ones are introduced later once you're established
🙂
I guess if the recruiter doesn't offer something on the order of the 55-60+ benefits and a 1-2 year contract, I'd be better off with the full time. Especially since I'm relatively inexperienced in the industry and I'm doing the 1099 thing right now.
I think the corporate experience is positive, and possibly required. You gain experience in large groups (usually), dealing with the formalities of corporations (this will help you as a consultant, because you'll have first-hand experience), and you'll learn what you might
not want to do with your career! My corporate experience was valuable for a number of reasons, but ultimately I learned that I didn't want that lifestyle. Some love it, and that's fantastic. It takes all kinds...
I have one last piece of very important advice: SEE A CPA! I know many feel you can do it on your own, and you can; however, a good accountant can really help you when you're starting out. I've read the IRC (the relevant) parts, books on small business taxes, etc., and they help greatly with my understanding; however, without my accountant I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of a lot of small-business opportunities.
