What would you do if you weren't a contractor?

**Troll** · 3 December 2006, 14:57

There was a time when:

1: I wasn't a contractor
2: I didn't work in IT

I could easily return to that employment but nothing, absolutely nothing, is as lucrative as IT.

I have also done the entrepeneur thing while contracting. The trouble was I needed to bet the house to take it to the next level... with young kids I baulked at doing so

**wendigo100** · 3 December 2006, 15:00

Originally posted by MarillionFan

If you didnt contract what would you do?

That's a good question and I bet you'll get many predictable answers from the "businessmen" on here.

I'd almost certainly be a permie.

**VectraMan** · 3 December 2006, 15:17

Contracting was always a plan B for me, to tide me over until I got my own business going. But I've been doing it for over a year now, and just started another 6 month contract so the plan A is making little to no progress (unless you count me daydreaming about how great it would be as progress

).

I think you need the fear of having no income, and need to be prepared to gamble it all to really succeed at your own thing. Doing it bit by bit at the weekends or evenings just doesn't really work, at least not for me. Maybe that's a sign I should stick to daydreaming.

In reality I'd probably be a permie.

**Viktor** · 3 December 2006, 16:57

I would probably go for a PhD...Working as a researcher for a big university was always my wish, but I failed to pursue mainly for monetary reasons...

**bobhope** · 4 December 2006, 07:54

I reckon it's a bit of a double edged sword in a way: the money is so good that it forms a disincentive to try anything else. When I'm evaluating a (non-IT) project, there's always the thought at the back of mind that the same effort (hours wise) would yield much more in IT.

**wendigo100** · 4 December 2006, 07:58

Originally posted by bobhope

I reckon it's a bit of a double edged sword in a way: the money is so good that it forms a disincentive to try anything else. When I'm evaluating a (non-IT) project, there's always the thought at the back of mind that the same effort (hours wise) would yield much more in IT.

That is an excellent point. Within five minutes, most of my ideas to do something different usually run aground on that. I'm lucky I'm not tied to IT though.

**DimPrawn** · 4 December 2006, 08:46

Originally posted by bobhope

I reckon it's a bit of a double edged sword in a way: the money is so good that it forms a disincentive to try anything else. When I'm evaluating a (non-IT) project, there's always the thought at the back of mind that the same effort (hours wise) would yield much more in IT.

New Labour are doing what they can (through immigration and promoting offshoring) to remove that disincentive.

HTH

**Flubster** · 4 December 2006, 09:01

Rent Boy.

Chico

**Ardesco** · 4 December 2006, 09:10

Not sure what I would do, I wouldn't mind being a pilot, but the cost of getting yourself qualified to fly at all times of the day/night and in all weather conditions is horrible, and then you have to spend a load of time flying in all of the above conditions to keep your qualifications.

I probably wouldn't last long as a permie though, after 6 months to a year I get itchy feet if i'm doing the same thing day in, day out. You could say I have a short attention span

What would you do if you weren't a contractor?