Speaking from experience, no it's not. At least, the work is easy to pivot into, but finding the work is .... NOT.
Once you find a good one though, it's OH so much more rewarding than office work, for some people at least (including me). There's a lot more freedom and flexibility in how you get the work done, less (zero!) politics, and going above and beyond is more appreciated by a client than an employer. (which opens the door to repeat business!)
My career has been (to a first approximation) alternating between full time roles at startups and consulting work. When I'm doing consulting work, it's 1-2 months work, 3-5 months off, not the other way around. YMMV, this experience may be specific to my working style, and the sort of projects I do. I like to land a juicy project, work in long intense bursts until it's done, then collect the check (sometimes one halfway through). I've never billed per hour, almost always per-project, but occasionally per-week (for deep pocketed clients).
The hard part is finding clients. If anyone figures it out, do let me know.
I've used every strategy I can think of and I have yet to find something that reliably works, so you've got to do everything at once. Social connections, "professional networking", email lists, craigslist (in the mid 2000s), Many of the large projects come via "friend of a friend". Word gets to me through a friend that someone's day job involves them doing something I suspect I could improve, I arrange an introduction, and, well, work up the company's food chain, then try to get to yes :) That being said, the most lucrative project yet I found on reddit! 1 month of work, then 6 months off. :) [In that case, the tool I wrote replaced more than 50% of the client's work]
Finally, something you might want to consider is working with a contract placing firm. I've never done it myself, but I've gotten close during my most recent employment hunt (which ended days ago). I've talked with several of them, as well as outside recruiters, and if you're interested, I'd be happy to point you towards the people I liked (including the recruiter who landed me my new and awesome full time job, if our skills are similar.)
My email addr is in my profile.
I've often thought that there's still a missing market to be filled, somewhere where people with different skill sets can form loose associations, and then find opportunities together. "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" &c. The group can then sell to the client.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. It's something I would probably look into if I end up getting let go from my current position as it seems to take a bit of effort to build relationships.
Once you find a good one though, it's OH so much more rewarding than office work, for some people at least (including me). There's a lot more freedom and flexibility in how you get the work done, less (zero!) politics, and going above and beyond is more appreciated by a client than an employer. (which opens the door to repeat business!)
My career has been (to a first approximation) alternating between full time roles at startups and consulting work. When I'm doing consulting work, it's 1-2 months work, 3-5 months off, not the other way around. YMMV, this experience may be specific to my working style, and the sort of projects I do. I like to land a juicy project, work in long intense bursts until it's done, then collect the check (sometimes one halfway through). I've never billed per hour, almost always per-project, but occasionally per-week (for deep pocketed clients).
The hard part is finding clients. If anyone figures it out, do let me know.
I've used every strategy I can think of and I have yet to find something that reliably works, so you've got to do everything at once. Social connections, "professional networking", email lists, craigslist (in the mid 2000s), Many of the large projects come via "friend of a friend". Word gets to me through a friend that someone's day job involves them doing something I suspect I could improve, I arrange an introduction, and, well, work up the company's food chain, then try to get to yes :) That being said, the most lucrative project yet I found on reddit! 1 month of work, then 6 months off. :) [In that case, the tool I wrote replaced more than 50% of the client's work]
Finally, something you might want to consider is working with a contract placing firm. I've never done it myself, but I've gotten close during my most recent employment hunt (which ended days ago). I've talked with several of them, as well as outside recruiters, and if you're interested, I'd be happy to point you towards the people I liked (including the recruiter who landed me my new and awesome full time job, if our skills are similar.)
My email addr is in my profile.
I've often thought that there's still a missing market to be filled, somewhere where people with different skill sets can form loose associations, and then find opportunities together. "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" &c. The group can then sell to the client.