> I prefer working with clients to having a boss. I prefer having customers to having a client.
To me, it was just trading one noun for another.
> I'm starting to develop a picture of you under-billing, if you felt obligated to do so.
Projects have deadlines. This isn't a matter of under-billing, it's the fact of life.
> Except for the part where if you're the type of person to prefer working on 5, 10, or 15 different things a year as opposed to one thing for 5 years, you're penalized as an employee because you'll be seen as a job hopper.
Not really. Go work for an agency that does lots of different things. I own a digital agency, and we build lots and lots of different things every week. My creatives/engineers can jump on stuff they're interested in (we actually encourage that).
If you feel like you're more "free" as a contractor, great. Personally, I found I thought that until I realized it was nonsense.
I add 2 months of runway for each week I work. Not exactly a big deal.
>Often it meant I had to do double-shift days to make up the lost time.
I'm starting to develop a picture of you under-billing, if you felt obligated to do so.
>There was absolutely no "reward"
Can we just get to the part where we recognize we value different things and move on?
>As a salaried employee, I was still completely free to quit.
Except for the part where if you're the type of person to prefer working on 5, 10, or 15 different things a year as opposed to one thing for 5 years, you're penalized as an employee because you'll be seen as a job hopper. It does real palpable damage to your career as a salaried employee to quit a job.
>Being a contractor doesn't make you free or independent in any way that a salaried employee isn't.
That's plainly false.
This was always a waste of time, but now it's an expensive waste of time.
Troll somebody else who hasn't drunk your kool-aid.