Re: Contract Work or No Contract Work?

[Robin Lewis <rlewis -at- CTIW -dot- CFER -dot- COM>]

Rose wrote -

It takes more than commitment -- it also take time, and perhaps money, to
support yourself and your family while you build up your contacts and your
business. <snip snip snip>
Rose A. (the 'A' stands for "Agonizingly Long Sentences") Wilcox
rwilc -at- fast -dot- dot -dot- state -dot- az -dot- us
ncrowe -at- primenet -dot- com
 -----
I agree with Rose about supporting yourself and your family and juggling *
that*  with the time it takes to maintain a business.

Before I became a single mom a few months  ago, I enjoyed working as a
contract writer.  I am an extrovert and did enjoy the contact with different
sets of people - and the variety of jobs I held -  throughout  the months I
worked contract. I also enjoyed the freedom I had to take off when I wanted,
etc.

However, I still preferred going through a staffing agency over working on
my own  because  the agency  took care of all the legwork and business
transactions - areas of entrepreneurship I didn't really care to delve into.
All I had to be was a writer, not a businessperson, salesperson, etc. I did
get a few "off-site" jobs through a very large employer here in the Denver
area ... those assignments were nice because I could work at home, get paid
a little extra for using my own equipment, and do my laundry while I was
working. :-) But I missed the people contact, too.

The few times I really  freelanced were mainly  via contacts/friends/etc.
and were mainly "moonlighting" jobs.  Because of the "smallness" of some of
the  jobs, there were  a couple of times the clients backed out of paying me
 - or made partial payments and disappeared. So making a few bucks freelance
wasn't really worth my time (except for my creative writing jobs - my
avocation). My biggest mistake in that area was not having more discernment
over who my clients were and how I dealt with them (why I'm NOT an
entrepreneur!). The most successful jobs I had in this type of setting  were
those where I worked with others as a team  and we all got paid for the end
product.  I don't really think my freelance work could be considered true
"contract" work because I never really turned it into a true business - my
bread and butter. It was always just icing on the cake. That's just my
story. I think every person has their (pc) own reasons for what they (pc)
do.

I now have a full-time job as a technical writer. Benefits to  that  - you
really get to know  your product/software/people you work with etc., and you
have a better routine or schedule for your tasks. You also get benefits,
paid vacations, etc. As far as security - I think in today's world, whether
you're a freelancer, contractor, or full-time employee, you still have the
same chances of being unemployed tomorrow. Just the way it is. I take solace
in knowing that my skills are extremely marketable where I now live.  But
for now - I prefer workin' for a livin', being a mom and also enjoying my
time away from work.  It's nice to be paid when you're taking a day off.

I think you also have to consider where your market is. When I lived in
Houston TX, there didn't seem to be need for  that many contract tech
writing jobs. The industry I worked in (aerospace) was competitive -
 between large companies vying for government contracts -  so if you wanted
to write (at least in aerospace), you worked for a government contractor.
That was my perspective on it, anyway. Here in Denver (which is ALSO a nice
place to live, commenting on that *other*  posting), I was amazed at the
amount of contract  tech writing jobs available when I moved here two years
ago.

Anyway, this is my first posting ...I've been lurking for a few weeks.

Robin Lewis McCloud
rlewis -at- ctiw -dot- cfer -dot- com
rcmmccloud -at- aol -dot- com