Cool story, like a mini american dream! Some drivers have differing views on the topic though :(
Why? I’m a consultant - and this is what I do for a living. Why isn’t freelance work respectable or acceptable in your view?
As to your first question, I've never met a consultant that enjoys all the benefits of the full-time employees at the companies they consult for. The term "consultant" sets the expectation that one would not enjoy those benefits during their work there.
You used the word should - should get a full time job. Based on what you say, you don’t think freelance work is acceptable. If you considered it acceptable then you wouldn’t be admonishing people, telling them what they should do.
I've never met
You’re just full of assumptions. I get paid crazy-well - much higher than the salaried employees I work with, and unlike them I can bill off-hours. I don’t have a company retirement plan but that’s cheap with the excess I get paid over salary. And I write my own vacations.
The term "consultant" sets the expectation that one would not enjoy those benefits during their work there.
No, it sets the expectation that I’m consulting. That’s all.