[rescue] Career Rescue (was DEC Pro 350, or something)

[Gregg Mackenzie]

Have you guys considered contracting?  I don't know about
the current market, as I've been out of it for about 18
months since this customer converted me to a "real employee"
(same work, same office, but now I get to work all those
extra hours for free, and I get to write my own performance
appraisal to justify a 2.5% raise!  Wahoo.)

My past experience has been that companies still hire
contractors even when they're laying off, because some of
the work that laid off workers were doing still needs to
get done.  Contractors are appealing to companies because
they tend to be "lower maintenance" than employees; they
don't come with all the "stuff" that goes along with having
employees (tax withholding, social security, FLRB rules,
equal opportunity regulations, other icky stuff); somebody
else deals with all the "stuff."  It's also easier to get
rid of malcontents and non-producers if they're contractors.

I've always done better financially as a contractor than as
an employee, simply because I get paid for all the overtime
I work.  Even at straight time rates, this alone makes up
for the bennies that I don't get by not being an employee.
With contracting, I learn more, faster, and I get to move
on to something new and exciting when the current contract
ends.

So, why am I an employee now?  Not for the money.  I had
something I wanted to do that was easier to accomplish as
an employee.  I'll return to contracting when I'm done.

Just a thought...contracting's not for everybody.

later,
Gregg Mackenzie
gmackenz at ball.com

> From: BSD Bob the old greybeard BSD freak <bobkeys at weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
> Subject: Re: [rescue] Was what to do with DEC Professional 350....now us young "grey-beard's"
> 
>> Hey I'd go to the same place as well.  So anyone know of anyone looking
>> for future "grey-beards"...:-) 
>>
>> <SNIP>
>>
>> Andrew -25yr old GBIT (grey beard in training)
> 
> Well, around  here in the past several months, things have gotten rather
> tight.  I am due to retire in Dec., so will be looking myself.  There used
> to be 50 UNIX jobs a week on the jobmongers, around here, but now that is
> almost nil.
>
> Bob