| Contracting at medium to high rates is great if you want to bootstrap your own startup. I use it for that purpose myself. A few of the best reasons. 1. It allows you to work for 6-12 months and save up enough to take 2-3 months off to work on your startup — something that’s often required to build a version 1 of your app. 2. Contracts tend not to include the usual clauses such as "We own the ip to everything you invent, even in your spare time." And if they do they can be removed without difficulty. 3. It’s extremely forgiving of job hopping and spending short amounts of time with a company before leaving to work on your startup. 4. Contractors are usually not expected to work overtime, eating into side-project time. On a different note, your use of the term "side project" instead of product, app, startup or business suggests you don't see this side project as a business or potential business. Maybe that's why your focus is on the money and not the business you might build. I've always felt that "side project" is a terrible phrase to describe the early stages of a new business, even if you're starting that business while working a day job. |