Self-Employment Has Its Advantages
I received an email today from an old friend whose company just cut all employees' pay by 15%. It's a damn outrage, and I really feel for this person.
At the same time, when I see people I know (not nameless, faceless statistics) being treated this way by corporations, it's a reminder to me of the advantages of self-employment. The advantages are few, but there's one that's tough to beat: a company can't suddenly decide to pay me 15% less than the rate we agreed to. That's what contracts and purchase orders are for. The disadvantages are obvious: sporadic work (unsteady paychecks), fewer opportunities for socializing, and no cafeteria. The killer is the no cafeteria.
A super informative article on companies screwing workers.
Back in 2002, when I took a voluntary severance package from Merrill Lynch (sweet!), I wrote an article about how companies could give a shit. It appeared in a few online publications back then, but I'd like to share it again here.
Self-employment isn't for everyone. You have to be content spending A LOT of time alone. And you need to be able to be productive without having a manager with a whip and a chair standing over you. If you can meet those two criteria, and if you can live without the cafeteria, then working for yourself might be the answer.