[elliotbnvl]

Thank you!

And it's hard to say, but I would guess probably quality of the relationships haven't changed too much, although they are definitely of a different nature.

I'm always running into other contractors that are doing the same thing, and everybody knows that the relationship formed there will extend beyond just the one job. In a way, these relationships are stronger because they can persist for years after you've finished working together -- making friends is a good way to find new work.

I also have made up for it in my personal life. I find that I don't necessarily share the viewpoints of everybody that I'm working with, so it's nice to spend more time with people that I've opted to spend time with instead.

So I think even from a relationships perspective I think I've made better friends with people that I meet while contracting (and choose to maintain relationships with) than I have when meeting people after being assigned to a certain team.