Contractor vs Full-Time Employee

[@JoshMadakor]

💻 My Course! Get into I.T. in under 3 months! coursecareers.com/explore/it/ref/18242/

[@Burninhell247]

is it important for beginners to stay at one job for at least 1 year before moving to a new job?

[@weeden350]

2 questions can you please answer me. First one if you're an independent contractor the company that hires you don't check your background do they? Also can I start off as an independent contractor or do I need experience first?

[@learntostrafe]

I'm 24 and I've been doing contract work for a couple years now. I always found that I had fewer responsibilities than my FTE peers. For anyone worried about benefits, I would sign on through an IT contracting agency. Some of them have benefits that you can enroll in,. Mine also gives me 3 weeks of PTO.

[@yn9861]

I've been at my job for 15 years and the toxicity is killing me alive...I'm thinking about leaving and doing contract work just a little intimidating

[@JLRG00-BTC]

Do it

[@temickab]

My last contract ended and I didn't find another gig for a year. 😢

[@andrewadams8601]

Good to know. I've never tried contract work in IT (did some temping for awhile in manufacturing) so I'm a bit apprehensive about trying it out since it feels less secure than FTE. I tend to switch positions/jobs every 1-2 years anyways, though, so maybe it would be a good fit. I'll have to consider it next time I'm looking at a job move.Thanks!

[@JasonL_Hawaii]

I'm currently in the Job Hop Gang as well. I would like to add that contract work tends to make: - You forfeit PTO (or on one year waiting period before it starts accruing) - Have no health insurances (medical, dental, vision) unless you are willing to take a slightly lower pay rate to get the benefit - And, you can get canned at the drop of a hat (I mean this also applies to FTE, but contract work tends to lean on being canned) Hope this helps to whoever is in this situation.

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks for the contribution!

[@frankjohnson8750]

Contractor it is then. I'm on my way into infoSec 🙂👍

[@JoshMadakor]

Awesome! And yeah, it's what I prefer lol :)

[@coherentpanda7115]

Downside in the US is contract work does not come with any health benefit subsidies like an employer would provide, so buying insurance off the market is a large expense. Als, contracting can make it a challenge getting a mortgage since lenders prefer a stable W2 job, and will demand 2 years or more of your bank statements, plus more.

[@learntostrafe]

Go through a IT contracting agency. That's what I did and the agency provided health care coverage that was the same quality as some of the companies that I have worked at.

[@AlfeCorona]

@@learntostrafewhich ones you recommend?

[@Frissdas1207]

How do you budget for the taxes? Don't you have to pay a different tax when you're contract vs fte?

[@mugentuner]

Good short info. Question @JoshMadakor, for contractor work what do you do for health insurance cover? Do you normally sign off on a contract where the employer may provide health coverage for some time or do you self cover?

[@dvn3605]

Hey Josh. I’ve had a few issues with contract. Every guy that’s called back or called me has a harsh accent and they are reading me the guidelines with minimal questions. How can you tell if the contract is legit or not?

[@Stick2Web]

I normally tell them email me the job description the ask, who is the client, when does the project start, what is the budget for hourly compensation ? Communicating with recruiters when there is a deep accent is usually better setting e-mail dialogue first.

[@dvn3605]

@@Stick2Web they usually will confirm what they said in email but even then i still sounds fishy to me. I be scared fr.

[@varunmanjunath6204]

Anytime full time is better.

[@CherryBlossom12959]

I got my security+ cert. But I'm having trouble landing an entry level career change. What are some ways I could stand out for remote or local contract work?

[@jbstudios777]

I understand how hard the struggle can be. I’m not Josh but I could give you advice from the best of my knowledge. I would say enroll in a bachelors degree program at WGU, and maybe do a paid cybersecurity internship while completing your degree. Competition is very high in IT and you need to be able to stand out from the rest and what I assume hiring managers are looking for is education (bachelors, masters or even higher), experience (perhaps volunteer work, internships, or even freelance work), certifications (what you have plus possibly beyond), and doing very well in an interview (prove to them your skills, show them your confidence and passion for the work, and just wow the living heck out of them). All of this combined (in my opinion) will put you in a good position. I wish you the best with pursuing the career of you choose to.

[@lesleyleaf6747]

Hi Josh! I appreciated your help on building resume and I got my current job and enrolled into WGU. Could you let me know if they give you medicare or dental care during contract job? Thank you!

[@franciscoortiz8531]

Hello Josh, How does one find contract work? Thanks!

[@travis3684]

You can find contract work the same as any job. It should say in the job applications description.