Contracting

Amongst the many other things I’ve been thinking about recently, I’ve been asking myself would I ever consider contracting in my current field?  Most definitely.  The positives – a lot of these positions are home-based so in theory I could live anywhere I wanted in the US, I would have less responsibility and more hands-on work (something that I definitely prefer), I wouldn’t have to deal with the godawful office dynamics and politics of a full-time employee (some of the posturing, maneuvering and promotions at my current place are unbelievable).  The negatives – more work (though that is something I think I can deal with), less job security (but I like to think that I would do a good enough job in a contracting position to be offered the opportunity to switch to full-time if I so desired), no healthcare (so how Trump decides to deal with this has become something I’m very curious about), more isolation (if I was ever to get a home-based position, then I think I would have to get a dog or something to keep me company).  Even without a lot of the job perks, I could probably get an hourly rate that pays more over a year than my current job (I’ve seen what my current reports make, and it is unbelievable relative to their competency).  Something to consider (though probably as a last resort since I’d still rather have a permanent office-based job).