What Working as a Contractor is Really Like

So, you’re interested in working as a contractor or just got offered a contract position? If you’re like me, this may be something you never really thought about doing until an opportunity came your way. I started my first contract position two years ago and just wrapped it up recently. Looking back, there were things I liked and didn’t like about working as a contractor, and most of the time, the positives also doubled as negatives in many ways. Keep reading for details on my experience, the good and the bad, and whether I recommend it or not.

*Keep in mind that this post is solely based on my own personal experience and opinions. Every company is different and I can only speak on my own experience.

Benefits aren’t great.
I was employed through a temp agency and the benefits they offered were expensive. Be sure to look thoroughly at your benefits package and really assess if it’s the right fit for you. Luckily, I had another option since I’m married, but of course, that’s not the case for everyone.

No paid time off.
You only get paid for the hours/days you work, so you won’t have income coming in on days you would for a typical salary position (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, etc.). If you request time off, you’ll be taking those hours unpaid. Needless to say, I avoided that at all costs and probably missed five or so days of work total in two years. Though I didn’t have any vacation days planned anyway, I skipped out on pretty much every opportunity that came up that would have required me to miss a day of work. Looking back, I recognize that I could have taken the couple days off if I wanted to and the dedication I had to the company may not have matched the level of their dedication to temps, if you catch my drift.

It’s likely not stable.
In my experience, companies see their contractors as temporary employees in a trial period while they evaluate if your role is one that they want to bring onto the team on salary. A lot of marketing departments are moving toward contract employees because it’s low-risk for them and quick/easy to cycle people in and out as they wish. It’s very hands-off for them in the sense that they send the temp agency out to find the employees and the agency has to do all the heavy lifting of hiring, firing, etc. Because of this, the company can drop you any day without reason if your contract doesn’t prevent them from doing so.

Hours are flexible.
Since you only get paid for the time you work, that usually means (or at least it SHOULD mean) you have a bit more flexibility with the hours you are working, when needed. For instance, if you need to come in late and work late to make hours up due to a doctor’s appointment, that is usually not an issue and your employer simply just needs to be notified. Alternatively, the company you work for may be requesting a different work schedule outside the standard 9-5, so be sure you understand what that entails before signing on.

You may have to use your own computer.
You may have the option or be required to use your own computer. With that being said, I HIGHLY suggest having your own laptop if you’re going to pursue contract work! If device availability in-house is tight, this may make or break whether you get the job over someone else. This can be considered a good thing and a bad thing in many ways, and if it’s a design position like mine was, keep in mind that you’ll be adding a slew of additional files to your own hard drive. This will take up space and consider the everyday wear and tear of using your own device as well.

Remote work is often included.
Because you’ll likely be working from a laptop, remote work is probably allowed in some capacity — but again, every company is different! Personally, I love working remote every so often (a few times a month is great), but I wouldn’t want to do it all the time. Having the option to do so though may allow for travel flexibility and what not as needed.

Advice for contactors:

• Use it as an opportunity for experience since it’s not necessarily guaranteed to be longterm.
• Be very aware of what your contact says and follow up on its status, asking plenty of questions.
• I recommend, within reason, always keeping your eye out for other work. You don’t want to find yourself suddenly unemployed with no other backups, so just always being aware of what else is out there will help you be prepared for whatever your next best move is.

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Those are the ins and outs of working as a contractor, in my experience! If you have any questions or would like me to go into further detail about anything, I’d be happy to do so privately. In general, I think contact work is do-able if you’re okay with the risk, it’s on a pre-determined temporary basis (it’s just not ideal longterm), you’re aware and comfortable with the terms of the contract, and the available benefits aren’t an issue. Thanks for reading and check back for another post later this week!