Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Some company decided to sign me up for their job alerts locally. So I am sitting here, just hammering away, and I keep getting e-mail alerts for people hiring programmers at $80-140K.

Anyone have days like this?

I just have to keep reminding myself of why I`m doing this .....

Oh yeah. Just last week, I went for a consultation meeting with my CPA. While she was reviewing my consultant income, she noticed the heading on my invoices indicating engineering planning and project management, and was suddenly excited at the prospect of referring me to her husband`s contracting firm, which was in desperate need of engineering project skills to help with more work than they could handle.

Man, it would`ve been easy to bite on that one.... (thoughts to self: "hey, I`m already doing this kind of work as a consultant, and I know I`m really good at doing it for government contractors ... wait a second - part of the reason I came in here was to discuss setting up my accounting system for my new LLC [which is NOT related to project management] ... but it would be SO easy.")

Hey Nikole, need some chips to go with that "dip"?

Here`s what you do: Take the job, keep 10%, and send me the remainder. PM me for my mailing address. (No personal checks, direct deposit only, gold and diamonds entirely acceptable.)

No kidding. It`s PAINFUL!

yeah...but are they going to let you work at home, where in the future, you`re going to be making a lot more than that? :)

I ran my own business for 16 years and actually succumbed to such a temptation. After 9/11, the demand for security consultants was red hot, and I got an offer from a major corporation that I just couldn`t refuse.

I did the corporate thing for five years, and then resigned last March. I have since reestablished my old consulting business and am loving it. In many ways it is as if I never left, but I have a far greater appreciation for being in business for myself once again. It`s hard to put a price on freedom and the ability to do what you think is right rather than what is politically correct from a corporate standpoint. 

Nikole, if you get tempted, try getting up early in the morning, taking your child to day care, and then commuting for 90 minutes to near where one of the programming jobs might be. Spend the day at a coffee shop, and then commute back just in time to pick up your kid before day care closes. Repeat as many days as necessary to lose the urge.

 

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Michael A. Silva
Silva Consultants

www.silvaconsultants.com

Remember too, that you likely can`t work in an office in boxers...right?

Getting the notice of a job opening is entirely different from getting the job. Recently (three days ago) I found a seemingly typical position available in my city government. I applied for the position (never know where life takes you) and soon (today) received a reply from the management team trying to fill the position.

After stating, "you qualify" for the position, they then wrote, "there were 700 applicants for this position and not every applicant will be interviewed." I will be contacted later if I make the next round of cuts. Nowadays, if a person wants a job, it`s like going on a reality TV game show. Only one wins... the others, even if reaching the final level, are all losers.

I will continue looking into other methods of earning a living... not just my own business. At the same time, I give my business more energy than the job hunt. Something great about the stage of my business today is that it runs smoothly. It leaves me available to do more. Maybe return to music!


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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

My friend Zeek made a similar choice, after years as a musician. He was barely making it, he thought, with many weeks of no money, then catching up when he worked.

After 15 years, he went back to working for the phone company. He did that for another 5 years, just like SecurityPro. But he was getting more and more dragged.

Then one day he sat down and averaged out his annual earnings as a musician, over each year, then over 5 years---going back over records. He found he was essentially making about the same money in both environments, but more steadily in the phone company.

Given he was making about the same money, but he loved what he was doing as a musician, and didn`t like the phone work....he blew it off, went back to music, and never again thought about a straight job.

CraigL... Did he die of starvation? 

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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words