target2019
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
First, you must agree to use the consultant/contractor motto at every opportunity. "It depends..."
I was a consultant/contractor on and off for a decade or two or three. My advice is to try it. Temp work is an eye-opener. Six years ago I took a temp job, and went full time with megacorp. Without a working spouse to supply the baseline dollars, it is difficult for most to survive as contractors.
The contracting landscape has changed, as have various industries. My opinion is that companies use temps to try before they buy, or it is definitely project-type work, and projects come to an end. In either case, it comes to an end. You must plan for that and bank the extra cash you receive. Also, don't plan on receiving extra beyond what a perm makes. It is not always that way. In the perm job I have, I was offered exactly what I was making as a temp. No negotiation was possible. This is not true for every company, but I suspect megacorp didn't get large by spreading the wealth.
I was a consultant/contractor on and off for a decade or two or three. My advice is to try it. Temp work is an eye-opener. Six years ago I took a temp job, and went full time with megacorp. Without a working spouse to supply the baseline dollars, it is difficult for most to survive as contractors.
The contracting landscape has changed, as have various industries. My opinion is that companies use temps to try before they buy, or it is definitely project-type work, and projects come to an end. In either case, it comes to an end. You must plan for that and bank the extra cash you receive. Also, don't plan on receiving extra beyond what a perm makes. It is not always that way. In the perm job I have, I was offered exactly what I was making as a temp. No negotiation was possible. This is not true for every company, but I suspect megacorp didn't get large by spreading the wealth.