Life under contract

I've been a contract technical writer for nearly a year and a half now, and I'm still weighing the pros and cons of life as, basically, a glorified temp.

On the good side:

• I never get stuck in a rut.
• I'm always learning new things.
• If I don't like where I am right now, I know that I'm not stuck there forever.
• I get paid more per hour than I would be if I was full-time.
• If I have to work overtime, I get paid for it, since I am paid by the hour.
• I like the idea of being a hired gun.
• I can take large chunks of time off. (I spent most of this past summer by my apartment building's outdoor pool, or in it. This was very enjoyable.)

On the bad side:

• No job security of any kind. (Mind you, I got laid off from my last two full-time jobs, due to circumstances beyond my control both times. Believe me when I tell you that job security is an illusion.)
• No benefits package. I hope I never need major dental work or expensive pharmaceuticals, because I can't afford either.
• I have to constantly prove myself useful to new bosses.
  
• Unemployment can be really stressful if you want to work but can't find any.
• Watching your bank balance go down can be even more stressful.
• Going for interviews is even more stressful than unemployment or watching your bank balance go down.
• Turning down a potential job lead because you don't like it is even more stressful than going for interviews.
  
• I'm not good at networking, to put it mildly. So looking for work is hard for me.
• A lot of contract jobs on offer are really awful.

I think I would take a full-time job again if the circumstances were right: a short commute, an interesting job, reasonable job security. But in my line of work, the only people who are offering full-time jobs are small startup software companies, and that's not exactly a stable, secure environment. Besides, I don't want to work in a room full of desks again. (People who complain about cubicles don't know when they're well off. I haven't worked in a cubicle of my own since 2000.)

I guess the bottom line is this: sure, a contractor's life is one of uncertainty. But who among us is ever guaranteed anything in life?


Some indie rock bands have the coolest names. Here's a partial list, from collections I've seen lately:

• We Are Scientists
• People In Planes
• Pornopop
• Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
• Be Your Own Pet
• As The Poets Affirm
• Mr. Hudson & The Library
• You, Me, And Everyone We Know
• My Morning Jacket
• The Boy Least Likely To
• Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
• Small Leaks Sink Ships
• Boyfriendgirlfriend
• Explosions In The Sky
• The Morning After Girls
• Math and Physics Club
• I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
• The New Sound Of Numbers
• Your Code Name Is Milo

These names are all basically awesome. The music's probably interesting too.