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  3. The frustrations of being a contractor

The frustrations of being a contractor

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  • M MrPlankton

    I say, you need a raise. I would recommend a 33% raise, cut your time back to 40 and wella, instant raise. It takes a pair to just say no.

    MrPlankton

    D Offline
    D Offline
    DontSailBackwards
    wrote on last edited by
    #17

    I second that. Gave myself a 40% raise a year ago, dropped back to 3-days / week (mostly, give or take but I am supposed to be developing my own project) - income went up by 30%. Don't undercut yourself - you may as well be a wage-slave if you do that. 60-hour weeks area mug's game - I'd rather dig holes for peanuts than die in a cubicle of a stress-induced fat-attack.

    The Broadcast Systems Documentation SYSTEM "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" -Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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    • L Lost User

      Please warn me if the stresses become too much

      Take a chill pill, Daddy-o .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

      M Offline
      M Offline
      Member 96
      wrote on last edited by
      #18

      Why? Do you want to watch? ;)


      "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

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      • M Member 96

        Why? Do you want to watch? ;)


        "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

        P Offline
        P Offline
        Paul Watson
        wrote on last edited by
        #19

        It takes a few minutes for his satellite linked directly to YouTube to get into position...

        regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

        Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

        At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

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        • S StevenWalsh

          Why do I continue to contract when I work 50-60 hours, creating systems that ultiamtely end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars... only to be forced to share a small cube. All the while a set of interns are running around completely cluess, and with full cubes.

          S Offline
          S Offline
          Steve Naidamast
          wrote on last edited by
          #20

          I have been working for years trying to get my own business started. I have had enough of incompetent, arrogant bosses and all the political crap that comes with being an employee. I was a consultant for 3 years and much preferred the situation until constant rate cuts forced me and many others back into wage slavery... Who cares how much money you save the company you have an income and you are more on your own than us "trench runners"...

          Steve Naidamast Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@ix.netcom.com

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          • M Member 96

            Cube? Mwhahahahahah...my office is 2.69 acres of parklike bliss that I can run around on fully naked at any time I please if the stresses should become too much. ;)


            "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

            J Offline
            J Offline
            Jaime Olivares
            wrote on last edited by
            #21

            The frustation of being a contractor outside USA is that you don't qualify to a Visa, because the embassy says you don't have "enough strong ties" with your country, even if you have a 12-year family and a 2-acres country house like me. :(

            Best regards, Jaime.

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            • S StevenWalsh

              Why do I continue to contract when I work 50-60 hours, creating systems that ultiamtely end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars... only to be forced to share a small cube. All the while a set of interns are running around completely cluess, and with full cubes.

              M Offline
              M Offline
              Mike Lang
              wrote on last edited by
              #22

              It's better than being an employee working 50+ hours in your own cube, and being paid for 40 hours of work.

              Michael Lang (versat1474) http://www.xquisoft.com/[^]

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              • M Member 96

                Nice! We have almost to much too manage as it is. We planted over 400 cedar trees by hand around the outside permiter, fenced it all, put in over a kilomerter of hand built gravel trails, planted 29 species of bamboo etc etc. If we had even an acre more it would become a full time job.


                "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

                M Offline
                M Offline
                Member 3899595
                wrote on last edited by
                #23

                I. Hate. You. Both. ;P. Just kidding. I'm perfectly happy with my 10x10 home office/bedroom and the roommate who's been passed out on the couch for 3 days from a bender following his unplanned "leave of absence" of employment.

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                • P Paul Watson

                  It takes a few minutes for his satellite linked directly to YouTube to get into position...

                  regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                  Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                  At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

                  M Offline
                  M Offline
                  Member 96
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #24

                  :laugh:


                  "It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson

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                  • M Member 3899595

                    I. Hate. You. Both. ;P. Just kidding. I'm perfectly happy with my 10x10 home office/bedroom and the roommate who's been passed out on the couch for 3 days from a bender following his unplanned "leave of absence" of employment.

                    M Offline
                    M Offline
                    Member 96
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #25

                    I don't know about the other guy but I've been there where you are now so I can sympathize.


                    "It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson

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                    • S StevenWalsh

                      Why do I continue to contract when I work 50-60 hours, creating systems that ultiamtely end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars... only to be forced to share a small cube. All the while a set of interns are running around completely cluess, and with full cubes.

                      B Offline
                      B Offline
                      BunnyFaber
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #26

                      Don't forget having to park in the "contractor lot" which is a 10 minute walk down the road.

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                      • M Member 96

                        Whoa! Seriously? I know a whole bunch of palm tree collectors and growers that would a) Love to see pictures of everything there and b) would probably come and take them off your hands if there were any small transportable ones.


                        "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

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                        N Offline
                        nullPtr420
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #27

                        My office is on the 14th floor in Manhattan. I get free food, free drinks (soda, coffee, tea, beer), and I'm a 14 floor elevator ride from some of the finest aspiring-model pedestrians in the world.

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                        • M Member 96

                          Why? Do you want to watch? ;)


                          "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #28

                          While I appreciate the offer ...

                          Take a chill pill, Daddy-o .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

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                          • S StevenWalsh

                            Why do I continue to contract when I work 50-60 hours, creating systems that ultiamtely end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars... only to be forced to share a small cube. All the while a set of interns are running around completely cluess, and with full cubes.

                            Y Offline
                            Y Offline
                            yogihw
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #29

                            Still better than being asked to build a website for a company (full-fledged, complete with multi-language capability, custom forms, dynamic header, inline editing, etc.etc.etc.etc.)... for FREE!

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                            • M Member 96

                              Nice! We have almost to much too manage as it is. We planted over 400 cedar trees by hand around the outside permiter, fenced it all, put in over a kilomerter of hand built gravel trails, planted 29 species of bamboo etc etc. If we had even an acre more it would become a full time job.


                              "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

                              L Offline
                              L Offline
                              Logic Chip
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #30

                              I raise your 5 acres and trees and bamboo with 9 gees and one duck which I let the kids feed while I play my 6 guitars

                              Logic Chip

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                              • S StevenWalsh

                                Why do I continue to contract when I work 50-60 hours, creating systems that ultiamtely end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars... only to be forced to share a small cube. All the while a set of interns are running around completely cluess, and with full cubes.

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                Member 3833910
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #31

                                I don't know about you, but I assume that you get paid for every hour you work unlike the poor employee that you share a cube with. Plus - and this is a BIG PLUS ...... you are pretty much exempt from all the office politics. Your not in those little employee meetings where the "SH%T Rolls Downhill" methods are heavily employeed. I have been in this business for over 35 years both as an employee and a contractor - in my opinion the contractor side is better.:cool:

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                                • M Member 96

                                  Nice! We have almost to much too manage as it is. We planted over 400 cedar trees by hand around the outside permiter, fenced it all, put in over a kilomerter of hand built gravel trails, planted 29 species of bamboo etc etc. If we had even an acre more it would become a full time job.


                                  "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #32

                                  I find that, as a contractor, the extra variety, experience, and income more than compensate me for the fact that I often must work in a broom closet. BTW: I live on 80 Acres of original aspen parkland forest with my wife who was born sometime after I wrote my first computer program.

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                                  • L Lost User

                                    I find that, as a contractor, the extra variety, experience, and income more than compensate me for the fact that I often must work in a broom closet. BTW: I live on 80 Acres of original aspen parkland forest with my wife who was born sometime after I wrote my first computer program.

                                    M Offline
                                    M Offline
                                    Member 96
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #33

                                    Nice! :)


                                    "It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson

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