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Subject:New to contracting, all the usual questions? From:Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 21 Apr 2005 14:26:02 -0400
Rebecca Stevenson wondered: <<Since all of the calls I have been
getting have been for contract work, it seems like this is in my
future; I like the idea.>>
I've been doing it for about 1.5 years now, and can't imagine going
back. You have to have an independent personality to succeed, but I'm
loving it. The crush periods (too much work all at once) are no worse
than they were when I was a wage slave, but I'm having a harder time
learning to accept these (emotionally) as job security--it would be
nice to have more time off some weeks!
<<I am particularly curious about home office setups/computer equipment
that I might need to purchase. Does anyone contract using a Mac, or am
I going to have to buy a PC to be effective?>>
Depends entirely on the work you're doing. I'm using a Mac exclusively,
but I'm doing primarily editing and translation, not WinHelp. If you
need specialized PC-only tools, get a PC either as a main computer or a
backup.
Although you can run RoboWhatever and all the main help authoring tools
using Virtual PC on a Mac, it's more cost-effective and easier on your
sanity to purchase a cheap used PC and use that instead. Models from 2
years back are more than fast enough if you're not using Photoshop, and
they're cheap. April-May is a particularly great time to buy if you're
near a university, since many students living away from home are
preparing to return home for the summar and can't carry their desktop
computers on the plane or train, so they sell them for ridiculously low
prices. (This also gives you backup in case one computer dies.)
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