Low Rates/Bad feelings (was The Lone Writer)

[Maggie Pierce Secara <maggiros -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Rates are dropping all over the place.  Someone
offered me $18-20 the other day, which included a
roughly 90 minute commute.  With no interview.  I told
him it sounded like what they wanted was a temp who
could write policies and procedures.  Since I have a
job (so far) I was able to laugh and say no thanks.

But aside from that, I'm seeing very low rates down
here in L.A.  (During the boom I saw the same
positions offering $75 in the Bay Area that went for
$40 down here, but of course, down here I didn't have
to be a Frame expert. <g> Now we're back to extensive
lists of "requirements" in experience and education,
for rates in the low to mid-20s.  On the up side,
salaries seem to be fairly stable, if static.

In 2000, which was a horrible year for me, I took a
couple of very low rate contracts just to keep the
rent paid.  I'm afraid I was a little resentful about
it, and while I don't think it affected my work, it
certainly made me grumpy. (Especially when one of them
balked at the "bonus" they'd promised for taking the
lower hourly, and didn't cut that check till after a
lot of phone calls and bad feeling.) 

If you don't need this job, I'd say pass it by.  If
you do, suck it up and try to maintain your sense of
humor.  Builds character, and all that :)

Maggie Secara



--- DaveC <peninsula -at- covad -dot- net> wrote:

> 
> I'm leaning more toward passing this by. There's
> nothing worse than 
> knowing that you're being taking advantage of by
> clients and working 
> among them.
> 
> Anyone want to help me with my dilemma?
> 

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