Did you have a warchest before starting your first contract?

[doodab]

I often read the advice that you need a fair bit of money stashed before you even consider going contracting, and I'd agree it's sensible advice however when I think back to when I started my first contract I recall I had very little money to my name and if I'd waited until I had 6 months worth stashed I'd still be permie.

I suspect quite a few people were in the same boat when they started, and the main reason they have warchests now is because they've been contracting for several years, not because they waited until they were 100% secure before making the leap.

So, a poll.

[suityou01]

I often read the advice that you need a fair bit of money stashed before you even consider going contracting, and I'd agree it's sensible advice however when I think back to when I started my first contract I recall I had very little money to my name and if I'd waited until I had 6 months worth stashed I'd still be permie.

I suspect quite a few people were in the same boat when they started, and the main reason they have warchests now is because they've been contracting for several years, not because they waited until they were 100% secure before making the leap.

So, a poll.

Didn't have a pot to **** in. Walked out of a permie gig I was being treated like tulipe in and said fook this I'm going contracting.

My father was an IT contractor for 20 years so I knew quite a bit about it from a getting started pov.
I have since learnt a whole heap more and when people tell me they are thinking about going contracting as if it's the easy choice I do point and laugh.

[thunderlizard]

I had no cash reserve at all, but then again I'd never had a job before either. It wasn't a matter of giving anything up to "take the plunge".

(I really dislike the term "warchest". I'm not Genghis Khan.)

[northernladuk]

I took VR and had a month off. I just couldn't face going back to permie land so started contracting. I had my redundancy pot that would have lasted me half a year or so if need be so very low risk start for me. It did take me 2 months to find a role as I hadn't read up on tailoring CV's and dealing with agents and so on though.

[doodab]

I had pretty low paid permie job but I was being dicked about so I applied for a couple of things on jobserve. TBH I had no idea about contracting at that point, I didn't even realise I had applied for a contract as such.

I had to sit down when the agent phoned me after the interview and told me the "slightly lower due to lack of experience" rate I would be getting

[d000hg]

Bit hard to say for me. I was doing freelance work alongside a full-time job for about a year (earning more in the evenings as a freelancer than the whole day as a permie). By the time I became full-time freelancer I suppose I had a few grand set aside,

[shaunbhoy]

I took my first contract because I wanted a warchest!!

[norrahe]

Had a bit of a warchest, but not intentionally (had sold a house and made a nice profit on it). Was Taking a year out and when it came to looking for work fell into contracting by accident.

Haven't looked back since..........

[swamp]

Applied for a credit card and handed my notice in. Only way to go!

[Mich the Tester]

Yep, had about 3 months permie salary in the bank. Resigned just as a project came to an end (was working for an insultancy) so was able to leave quickly, walked into a contract the next week that I'd already been offered. Unfortunately the day after I resigned the car's turbo blew up and cost 1500 euros to replace. Still, got through to first invoice being paid.