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The Hidden Costs of Going Freelance
snydeq writes: IT pros lend firsthand advice on the challenges of going solo in Bob Violino's report on the hidden costs of going freelance in IT. 'The life of an independent IT contractor sounds attractive enough: the freedom to choose clients, the freedom to set your schedule, and the freedom to set your pay rate while banging out code on the beach. But all of this freedom comes at a cost. Sure, heady times for some skill sets may make IT freelancing a seller's market, but striking out on your own comes with hurdles. The more you're aware of the challenges and what you need to do to address them, the better your chance of success as an IT freelancer.'
IT work is for people who couldn't cut it as programmers. Every IT worker I've ever encountered is incredibly anal about the systems they manage to cover up the fact that they're not competent when it comes to actual technical stuff. IT workers shouldn't go freelance because they're just not competent enough to run their own business. The last thing this country needs is failed entrepreneurs collecting welfare checks every month. Linux admins are the worst because they think they're better than everyone else for running Linux when they really don't have a clue about Linux. They think they're great when they're really using a cheap ass clunky OS full of source code stolen from SCO. IT workers shouldn't freelance, especially when they specialize in Linux. It's just a bad idea.
No, it doesn't. I made it through college by starting at community college, working my ass off and using contacts to get better jobs in (and after) college. Oddly enough, that interfered with my entitled drinking budget and partying time, but it seemed to work a lot better than the entitled living off student loans, both at the time and now, 20'years later when I work when I want to. It's amazing what working instead of partying can do for you. I'm not particularly gifted or smart, and was never the rock star. But, my dad (luxury one) beat my ass if I didn't work (luxury two). And that's made all the difference.