Your Career, Act II: Thriving in the New Economy |
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Becoming an Independent Contractor
Technology will create all kinds of new careers. One friend's husband is confident he can make $50,000 to $60,000 a year selling rare books and comic books on the Internet auction site Ebay. A front page article in The Wall Street Journal tells of professors leaving Ivy League schools to join dot-com start-ups. ThirdAgers are teaching themselves HTML and starting Web design companies. The possibilities expand every day. Aquent.com's Web site is full of stories of how these work style pioneers make a living. Nearly all of these independent professionals spent a fair number of years as employees before going off on their own. They're thriving on new challenges--from teaching scrapbooking skills to operating computer servers from backyard chicken coops to flying around the world offering specialized design advice to universities.
Self-employment isn't for everyone, warns Susan Guarneri, noting the financial risk involved and the lack of institutional structure. All the same, independent contractor arrangements have become so popular that companies such as New York-based FreeAgent.com offer a full range of back-up services. FreeAgent.com calls this back-up service e.office. Its Web site is devoted to matching skilled project workers with temporary assignments.
Peter Chapman is living proof that being Me, Inc. can be the most satisfying work role of all. Chapman knew from the get-go that he did not want to work for anyone else. A successful publisher, Chapman is the guy the big newspapers call when they want a comment on the prospects of a company that has filed for bankruptcy. Chapman has no formal training in either law or business. He taught himself all about bankruptcy when it occurred to him
that a number of well-heeled companies could use a quick way to keep on top of bankruptcy proceedings. He runs his business from home, has an extensive list of impressive clients, and absolutely revels in his work: "I learn something new every day. What could be better?"
Truly this is an exciting time to be working. Not everyone can be a space explorer, but all of us can have the fun of being the first generation of the information age.
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