Moving into the world of contracting (Software Dev)

[Gonzo0]

After working 6 years in various technical roles within IT as a permie i'm considering setting up on my own and going contracting.

I currently work with Salesforce as an Admin/Developer and have been studying the market now for some time and to me it just seems like a contractors market....the rates are attractive and there is much more choice.

I'm still young at 25 but feel that now (while i'm still young) is the best time to move into contracting, and income is a large driver for me so the lure of Salesforce contracting rates is strong.

I'd like to understand if people have had any regrets moving from permie to contract and if it's something I should be doing at this stage or stick with the job security as a perm and gaining more experience?

Any advice/past experience from people who have contracted in the IT Software Dev market would be great (Salesforce people would be a bonus!)

 

[Throrik]

As you say the difficult part is knowing where your next pay check is coming from - I personally wouldn't do it, I like the security of a perm job, but in the future when I am much more financially secure I may rethink that.

I wouldn't do it unless I knew I could live for 6-12 months without a pay check coming in, as you never know when business is going to dry up, and it can take longer than most people think to get a job again.

 

[Ayahuasca]

Have you got a strong portfolio of work?

 

[AHarvey]

If you can manage money well and are motivated you can do well as a contractor.

Also start networking now, while employed full time. Spend a couple of months making contacts in the industry so if a position ever falls through you can quickly jump into something else.

 

[HangTime]

Advantage of doing it now is presumably at 25 you have few ties, so can 'follow the money' in terms of where contracts may take you. Once you have family, house etc it can be a bit more restricting in terms of the range of contracts you could take.

 

[dowie]

^^^ this, if you're considering it and you're confident in your own knowledge of the area you work in then it is much less of a risk, potentially much less stressful to try it while you're single and with no dependents, few responsibilities... if you've got kids and a mortgage to pay then you'll probably want to be an experienced contractor with no trouble getting work or a permie.