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Career Choices and Self Employment
Anyone who is trying to determine their career choice can easily be intimidated these days to say the least. With so much to offer, where does one begin? Perhaps we would all benefit from time to time to think about what it is that gives us the...
Characteristics of a Sought-After Teacher
When a school searches for a new teacher, they already have an image of the teacher they want. Every school has certain qualities they feel a teacher must have to be successful. Those qualities can be many things depending on the needs and location...
Handling Strange Interview Questions
In this week's job searching tip, we address an inquiry from a subscriber about an interviewer asking strange questions. As we discuss in this tip, persuading an interviewer to hire you often requires taking the initiative to find out what their...
Nursing Jobs Website Wins Praise From Those Who Count – The Nurses and Employers Who Use It.
NursingExecutives.com, an innovative career website for executive and administrative nurses, is winning plaudits from those who count the most – executive nurses seeking career choices and the employers and recruiters who are seeking them. By...
Vault's Top Consulting Firms
It should come as no surprise that the top ten consulting firms in the US contain significant Big Four representation. Of the top ten, four of the firms are
Big Four companies (or have their roots in Big Four companies ), and three of...
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The Job Loss Myth
Presidential candidate John Kerry is fond of stating that “... not since Herbert Hoover has any president lost more jobs than George W. Bush.” And there is a kernel of truth to the statement; thanks to technology, jobs require less human intervention to complete. However, a larger factor in this seeming loss of employment is due to the evolution of the American workforce from a lot indentured to the confines of one company or one job title toward the Jeffersonian ideal of every person being a free agent, or indie.
The explosion in the number of people going indie has a number of causes. Downsizing created the realization that “job security” isn’t something other people provide, but something you have to create. Two-income families discovered that with their increased tax burden and overhead expenses for daycare, cleaning, housekeeping services, home maintenance and lawn care, a second income from paid full-time employment can actually be a liability. Individuals interested in becoming self-employed can segue more easily from employee to entrepreneur via the indie route. Finally, career changers can obtain valuable experience and networking opportunities in their field of choice with contract work.
Indies may lose company-provided benefits, but that doesn’t mean they are without means. As an independent contractor, they are eligible to create Medical Savings Accounts, or they may be eligible to participate in a group health plan through organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce. They can create their own retirement programs via SEP, SIMPLE, or IRA investments, or the direct purchase of government-backed I-bonds. If they work out of their homes, they have access to extensive tax deductions not
available to wage earners.
What kind of jobs are available to independent contractors? Well, here are some of the indie jobs I’ve done:
1)Telephone psychic ($20.00 per hour, work from home)
2)Mystery shopper ($15.00 per hour + expenses)
3)Virtual assistant ($15.00 - $30.00 per hour, depending on the task)
4)Editor ($35.00 per hour)
5)Ghostwriter ($50.00 per hour)
Many creative and professional jobs, such as technical writers, webmasters, graphic designers, programmers, teachers and tutors, etc. are done by independent contractors on a project-by-project basis. However, the FedEx Home Delivery and Schwann’s Ice Cream drivers are also independent contractors, so not having professional credentials is not necessarily a barrier to indie work.
Not everyone is suited to life as an indie. If you absolutely need the structure imposed by a job, a manager and a time clock in order to function, then don’t consider going indie. If, however, you like having some freedom, are self-disciplined enough to complete jobs on time without being told, and can organize your day and yourself to maximize your productivity and meet your clients’ needs, you have the necessary personality traits to become a successful independent contractor.
Ignore the gloom and doom scenario painted by politicians eager to have a job with perks you pay for. Join the indie revolution, and gain an income – and a life – without a traditional job. It’s a choice you won’t want the government to “help” you out of.
About the Author
Jean Fritz indies in the areas of copywriting, editing and graphic design. She can be reached via e-mail or through her website, JMT Publications http://jmtpubs.tripod.com).
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