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> if those of you who contract find all the flexibility in time and place that
> you are looking for - things like working at home, keeping your own hours,
> working less than full-time if you want to, taking days off and extended
> vacation time.
I've found the opposite to be true. I actually work more hours and more
days than I expected. I take fewer vacations, too. OTOH, I do work at
home a lot, and I do keep my own hours most of the time. It's not
unusual for me to work very strange hours to accommodate the non-work
part of my life. Sometimes I wake up with an absolutely brilliant idea
(well, they seem so at the time) and lay in the basics for it right
there and then - even if it's 3 a.m.
I spent some time building up my clientele, and now I don't want to let
them down. If they call and need me to fit something in, I always try to
accommodate them. Many weekends and would-be vacations are spent doing
this.
> Is contracting all it's cracked up to be in this regard?
It can be, depending on your own situation. If I really wanted to work
less, I could. I still prefer it to staff work.
