Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Selling Out
Many years ago I was a freelance computer consultant--a programmer for hire for short-term projects. And I was quite successful; for the nine years I freelanced, I managed to buy a house in a fairly tight market.
For those who want to freelance, a few words of wisdom. First, your salary will be irregular. And I don't mean "the paycheck may show up a week or two late" irregular. I mean "you may not get paid for four months while you're looking for a new project" irregular. And that's not an exaggeration: there were several periods over the nine years where I went for several months without ever seeing a check.
So first and foremost, if you decide to consult, have at least six months stashed away somewhere. If you are currently living month to month from paycheck to paycheck, then do not go into consulting until you sort out your finances. I do not think I can stress this enough. Having a second income may also help; my parents leveraged themselves into the home building industry by my father working full time while my mother worked as an architectual designer. After a decade, her work was solid enough that my father was finally able to leave his full-time job.
Second, as my parent's example illustrates, it takes a very long time to get established. Freelance work is not something that happens overnight, though sometimes it can help to take a project with you to get started.
Third, don't expect to do freelance work and have more time left over. If you aren't working like a dog making your client happy (because, honestly, you will be hired because your client is an idiot and has a disaster that you need to solve--so he's also an idiot as to how much slack to give you before he fires you), you're working like a dog finding another client to make happy.
Well, three years ago I reached a turning point where I wanted to work on larger projects--so I took a job at Symantec so I can learn more about management. And a funny thing happened.
I found myself selling out.
Today I get paid six figures--and it's a reliable six figures. My salary is no longer a roller-coaster ride from feast one year to famine the next.
Further, I find myself working just as hard--I'm a bit of a workaholic--but rather than dealing with a client who doesn't know if I'm working enough, I'm now dealing with a boss who cannot be more estatic with my level of work. I routinely get extra bonuses (about two "A+ awards" per year) for my level of participation, along with the occassional stock option grant (which is worthless because of today's stock value, but the thought is nice) and the like. The people I work with are nice--and I've been around long enough to develop a better friendship with many of them than I would have if I breezed out of there after a few months.
And I'm starting to learn the organization there.
Yes, I've sold out. But the reality is that I'm getting paid more there than I was as a consultant, I'm working less, it's less stressful because my level of participation is well appreciated. And I couldn't be happier overall with my work situation.
I don't think I'll be going back to consulting anytime in the near future. ¶ 9:07 AM
For those who want to freelance, a few words of wisdom. First, your salary will be irregular. And I don't mean "the paycheck may show up a week or two late" irregular. I mean "you may not get paid for four months while you're looking for a new project" irregular. And that's not an exaggeration: there were several periods over the nine years where I went for several months without ever seeing a check.
So first and foremost, if you decide to consult, have at least six months stashed away somewhere. If you are currently living month to month from paycheck to paycheck, then do not go into consulting until you sort out your finances. I do not think I can stress this enough. Having a second income may also help; my parents leveraged themselves into the home building industry by my father working full time while my mother worked as an architectual designer. After a decade, her work was solid enough that my father was finally able to leave his full-time job.
Second, as my parent's example illustrates, it takes a very long time to get established. Freelance work is not something that happens overnight, though sometimes it can help to take a project with you to get started.
Third, don't expect to do freelance work and have more time left over. If you aren't working like a dog making your client happy (because, honestly, you will be hired because your client is an idiot and has a disaster that you need to solve--so he's also an idiot as to how much slack to give you before he fires you), you're working like a dog finding another client to make happy.
Well, three years ago I reached a turning point where I wanted to work on larger projects--so I took a job at Symantec so I can learn more about management. And a funny thing happened.
I found myself selling out.
Today I get paid six figures--and it's a reliable six figures. My salary is no longer a roller-coaster ride from feast one year to famine the next.
Further, I find myself working just as hard--I'm a bit of a workaholic--but rather than dealing with a client who doesn't know if I'm working enough, I'm now dealing with a boss who cannot be more estatic with my level of work. I routinely get extra bonuses (about two "A+ awards" per year) for my level of participation, along with the occassional stock option grant (which is worthless because of today's stock value, but the thought is nice) and the like. The people I work with are nice--and I've been around long enough to develop a better friendship with many of them than I would have if I breezed out of there after a few months.
And I'm starting to learn the organization there.
Yes, I've sold out. But the reality is that I'm getting paid more there than I was as a consultant, I'm working less, it's less stressful because my level of participation is well appreciated. And I couldn't be happier overall with my work situation.
I don't think I'll be going back to consulting anytime in the near future. ¶ 9:07 AM
