Thanks for the feedback. I didn't want to sway the question with too many of my own opinions but I have been feeling the same way.
The biggest hurdle I've faced is that of proving my worth to others. Have you faced similar issues?
The biggest hurdle I've faced is that of proving my worth to others. Have you faced similar issues?
A great resume is key as well as a portfolio site. I always bring my laptop to an interview incase they want to see code; I always make sure I have examples on my portfolio site that are up to date and have to do with the job I'm applying for, etc...
What was funny - my 2nd last job - they need a Wordpress developer and although I'm damn good with PHP, I hated Wordpress - so the weekend of the interview (interview was on monday) I spent about a day reading the WP docs and built a website on my portfolio site with a custom theme, custom plugin, made it responsive, etc... (stuff they would expect) - showed it to them during the interview and got the job (I like to think it helped) - it didn't come out until months later that I learned WP in a weekend (roughly) and everyone was pretty impressed.
My current job - they were looking for a very specific skill set (Rackspace Cloud administration) and actually were more impressed with one of my side projects then any job I held. So you never know what someone is looking for - could be professional experience, could be a side project.
I need to get my resume cleaned up and put together a new portfolio site.
I'm starting to become disinterested in full time gainful enslavement. Three reasons I keep contracting:
1. freedom (i make my own hours and jump between contracts every 3 months or so, taking a short break between... usually around a week). When I do work, I only take on fully remote contracts.
2. my "interviews" consist of asking how much I charge, asking what my availability is, asking a few simple tech questions, and then having me sign a contract. That's because I get my work through recommendations from other people so I no longer have a need to prove myself on this front.
3. i make more money than when i was employed.