Ask HN: Managing Two Contracts | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Managing Two Contracts

11 pointscellis12 comments

Hello all,

I have a very problematic dilemma. Currently i am working 70 - 80 hrs a week between two contracts. One of them, which pays pretty low ($19/hr), i took through a recruiter because i needed the money -- it was after quitting my job to work on a game. The second contract i took after the first because one of the smartest programmers I have ever known called me up and offered it, (the day after I started on the first), and it pays a relatively decent wage ($35/hr).The second contract company is now asking me for more time--time which i do not have. In short, it is not a very sustainable situation.

So for most people the choice i have to make is pretty clear cut, right? Quit the first contract and focus solely on the second one! Except i'm kind of worried that if i quit this one (which requires me to be onsite 8-5), i'll damage my reputation, because the project isn't done.

I have considered asking to work from home until it is done or asking for wage parity with the other contract (because i'm now losing money on this contract), but again, the project isn't done and I am the only person at the company that knows how to complete it (its a legacy app written in Actionscript 2), so I am worried that this would be viewed as some form of extortion or at the very least a little dishonest, because i did present myself as a specialist and if I quit because management didn't want to pay me more, the onus is now on the IT manager that hired me, and he doesn't have a clue how the app works.

Thoughts?

I respect you for carefully considering this ethical dilemma and not just jumping for the higher pay. I have several questions about your situation:

1. What are the terms of the original written contract (e.g., hours per week, hours total, deliverables due, date for completion, etc)?

2. Are there verbal expectations set forth between you and the client outside the written contract?

3. When do you expect to finish the low paying project? Do you have 40 hours remaining or 400?

1. 40hrs/week. I was not given a hard deadline.

2. I gave them an estimate of 6 six weeks (we're in the 5th)

3. Probably around 200, but I have no idea how stringent their QA is.

So you have 200 hours of remaining work? In my opinion it would be unethical to leave the project hanging. Can you establish a specific deadline/deliverable within a 40-80 timeframe (e.g, get the project into beta) and then work out an alternate (e.g., flexible, work at home, higher hourly rate) arrangement to move the project through the final stages (e.g., QA)?

In this case, I think I would complete the first job first, for a couple of reasons. 1) You estimated 6 weeks, and after 5 weeks, you have about 5 weeks remaining. Your estimate was way off. You'd really be burning the company to leave at this point. 2) You're only talking about a month of work.

In addition to the options you say you've considered, you could also consider repaying/taking no compensation for the first job, in order to pursue the second. In that case, they would be out nothing, and you would be free to pursue the other work, if you thought it was more rewarding.

Tough spot to be in. Good luck.

Probably around 200

Well, say goodbye to your next 12 weekends. ;-)

On a more serious note, this is actually one of the better dilemmas to be in - others are seeking contracts and you have two. Just be open to both companies, tell them about your problem and you guys will find a way. Unless you try to cheat on one or another I don't see anything unethical about your situation - just an unfortunate coincidence.

Ideally you'll be in for a busy 3 months - but you'll get out of it with a load of cash and a well-paying, remaining contract in your pocket. What more could you want nowadays?

As a freelancer myself I think it's really important to finish what you start, and keep your promises.

Sure, there are times when you have to walk away from a project, such as when there are personality conflicts, or unreasonable expectations. It doesn't sound like that's the case here.

Keep in mind that most software isn't actually done when you deliver on the initial specs. Companies will usually expect you to be available for some sort of maintenance phase where bugs fixes and small feature additions are done by you. They'll likely expect you to work at your original rate unless otherwise specified. Even though you think it's only going to be 200 hours I suspect you will likely be involved with them longer than that.

What I would do is finish the contract, but start to set the company's expectations now so there are no surprises at the end. Tell them honestly that you set your rate lower than your costs, and that after you deliver the project you will need to charge $35/hr or whatever the going rate is for further work.

On a side note, while $35 sounds like a great full-time wage when freelancing you'll be lucky if you can get 8 billable hours a day. Sure, while deep in code it's easy to meet that, but there's the downtime between projects that you have to account for. Also as a freelancer you're expected to be an expert, so learning everything on the job is normally frowned upon -- you don't get paid when you take time off to learn how to use a new tool or technique.

I once heard the rule of thumb is that if you'd like to earn the same as you would working full time, but as a freelancer, that your hourly rate should at least be twice your full time wage. Depending on where you live $35 might be good, but I don't know any experienced freelance developers in North America who charge that.

They have offered me a fulltime+ job at that rate, and I live in Michigan where living costs are quite low.

Tough situation to be in. But it's great that you're stopping to think about it.

I would say why do you have to stop the low paying project? Isn't it possible to cut down on the hours? Also, if you explain why you need to cut down on the hours, i am sure they would understand.(You can say "I need the money", nothing wrong with that) And if not, then they would've answered the question for you.

That's what i would do anyway. Good Luck.

I've been there. It's a good place to be. If you have other (trusted) coders that you know, see if any of them are willing to take the work from job 1 at the going rate ($19/ hr). Ethically, I believe you can send the work to them (and they might be grateful, given the economy...) Additionally, be sure to bill for the hours that you spend spec'ing the work to your subcontractor (these will be few and far between -- but most companies would be willing to pay to have stuff completed sooner).

If you don't have trusted colleagues (and/or cannot find someone working for $19/ hr), I'd start looking for them. I recommend trying out oDesk (outsourcing). As long as you have decent specs, they can crank out work quickly for you. Of course, you will still need to rewrite a bunch of their stuff (most don't have great code quality, IME), but you bill that out as well.

This leaves you time for the real money making project.

The big problem is the on-site requirement. After working with them for 5 weeks, you should have some trust karma built. Talk with your manager, explain that it is necessary for you to work from home for the remainder of the project. Tell them that you need to work with other programmers in order to finish in a more reasonable amount of time. A decent company will agree.

Would the second (higher paying) contract understand if you wrapped up the first contract before offering more hours? Bailing on a contract is certainly bad for business, but more importantly, you could be on the hook for the amount paid to you depending on how the contract is written.

Here's an idea that I don't think anybody else has suggested: find another developer to help with the first contract. You can't be the only Actionscript 2 expert out there.

I'm not sure this is the best solution, but I think it's better than leaving them hanging.

Dude - just finish it up, if you want to be a luxurious entrepreneur you must finish all assignment.s

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