FWD>Freelance contracting

[Liz Babcock <Liz_Babcock -at- C28B5 -dot- CHINALAKE -dot- NAVY -dot- MIL>]

Mail*Link(r) SMTP               FWD>Freelance contracting
In response to an 8 Sept request from Kathleen Nosbisch for further info on
freelance contracting, Len Olszewski suggests,

>You should check out the STC salary survey - they may list some regional
freelance rates.

I assume Len means the STC Special Report, Profile 92, which was enclosed in
the April 1992 issue of STC's member newsletter, Intercom. One page in this
report does address the average hourly rate for consultants and independent
contractors. However, these rates are not listed by region (and they're a bit
on the old side, as well as representative only of rates charged by STC
members).

Here's what that page shows: 8% of those surveyed charged less that $20, 22%
charged $20-29, 31% charged $30-39, 20% charged $40-49, 11% charged $50-59, 7%
charged more than $60, and 1% had no set fee.

kat, if I were you, I'd use this information with several dashes of salt, since
the rates are old and also likely to vary greatly from region to region. A more
helpful strategy, I think, for anyone contemplating going into freelance
contracting would be to join STC's Professional Interest Committee on
Consulting and Independent Contracting (familiarly known as C&IC PIC). There's
no charge for STC members to join this active and rapidly growing group. If
you'd like further information on the C&IC PIC, here's the person to contact:

Charley McWha
CMC Consulting
27 Kings Road
Morgantown, WV 26505-8935
ph: (304) 624-6486

I realize that joining the C&IC PIC won't help you with the job you've probably
already signed on to do, but as a longer-term strategy, it can't be beat.