- Spent less time coding, but more time overall on overhead to make roughly the same amount when it's all said and done. That said, I was at the point where I could have begun raising my rates significantly.
- Nagging clients for payment. It's nice that payment is entirely decoupled from your work. Even if it happens every once in a blue moon it is somewhat disheartening, esp. when they give plenty of praise but "whoops, thought it was sent!" messages. This can be more of a reflection on their bankroll which should be less of an issue as you move further up the client food-chain.
- I hate to admit this, but damn that was lonely. Spending days in cafes, at co-working spaces, at the park, at home, etc, sounds wonderful at first - and it is - but the novelty of that can wear off quickly depending on how you carry something like this. For those less outgoing amongst us, a cool company with bright people is quite a nice thing to have around you.
- A unified 'big thing' to accomplish with said team. Working on very early stage internet startups to help get something off the ground is fun, but it lacks the depth of what I'm doing now.
I can see myself returning to consulting. But I don't see employment vs. consulting as one clearly being better than the other...
The loneliness thing is fixed for myself by working on-site for digital agencies. In terms of pay, I get to ask for 5x what I'd get full time, so it's worth it for me anyway :)
Here's my reasons, which include none of those
- Spent less time coding, but more time overall on overhead to make roughly the same amount when it's all said and done. That said, I was at the point where I could have begun raising my rates significantly.
- Nagging clients for payment. It's nice that payment is entirely decoupled from your work. Even if it happens every once in a blue moon it is somewhat disheartening, esp. when they give plenty of praise but "whoops, thought it was sent!" messages. This can be more of a reflection on their bankroll which should be less of an issue as you move further up the client food-chain.
- I hate to admit this, but damn that was lonely. Spending days in cafes, at co-working spaces, at the park, at home, etc, sounds wonderful at first - and it is - but the novelty of that can wear off quickly depending on how you carry something like this. For those less outgoing amongst us, a cool company with bright people is quite a nice thing to have around you.
- A unified 'big thing' to accomplish with said team. Working on very early stage internet startups to help get something off the ground is fun, but it lacks the depth of what I'm doing now.
I can see myself returning to consulting. But I don't see employment vs. consulting as one clearly being better than the other...