where are they now: update #19 – is a contract position worth the risk?

by Alison Green on December 29, 2010

Remember the reader who was trying to decide if leaving her poorly-paid, unpleasant job for a one-year contract position was worth the risk? Here’s her update.

I wrote to you last summer for advice regarding taking a contract position vs. keeping my current position. I wound up not doing either. Before I gave my resignation, I was offered a promotion. My employer did not know I was planning on leaving when they offered it to me. The timing was just a lucky coincidence. I have a different manager now. It’s more money than the contract position offered, and I get paid benefits, that I wouldn’t have gotten with the contract position.

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  1. Aftaan*

    Sometimes its worth it depending on your industry! I work in the IT field which is contractor heavy anyway. I was working a full time paid position for 3 years that become unbearable and as I check the listings often I knew I was getting paid for my skill level and they refused to promote me to a Sr. title (long story). After being head-hunted and contacted by several recruiters about contract positions often paying 20k or more over my current salary I finally accepted one. I worked the contract and near the end of the 6 months entered the job field again and instantly received several interviews and I have found and been offered a permanent position with a company with excellent benefits! And here is the bonus…now I’m in a different pay bracket…they matched the 20k increase I was being paid on the contractual position. 6 months with extremely expensive benefits and a long commute and some uncertainty was a huge pay off in my opinion on this one!

  2. Miserably stuck contracting*

    Contracting is a miserable dead end. Having a FT job and putting some years in is the absolute best way to go. There’s the old saying “sh-t rolls downhill” and there’s a reason for it. As a contractor you are the bottom of proverbial ladder. You aren’t on the ladder at as a matter of fact. You are the garbage the ladder stands on. Anyway, stick it through and only jump to a contract position if all else fails.

  3. Janette*

    After being unemployed and underemployed for a year and a half, I accepted a 11 month contract job with GE, it was more entry level than my experience but the pay was good and they love what I do – 4 weeks into it they told me that they have clearance to hire someone as permanent for this position, I was excited and applied – last week I was informed that they thought I’m over qualified and decided to hire a newly graduate and she starts in 2 weeks. So, they cut my contract short – from 11 months to 3 1/2! I didn’t know this could happen, this is my first contract job, can they really do that? I asked my recruiter and he is shocked and says this is the 1st time this happened. I know I need to read my contract but there were 100 pages of stuff I had to sign… any advice?

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