[PragmaticPulp]

> I know many smart people who'd do non-full time work if they had healthcare provided. But, unless you're a FTE you're not getting that.

Buying your own health insurance and setting your rates to be able to afford it is Freelancing 101.

It’s not some mysteriously difficult subject. Anyone can price out ACA marketplace plans online and build out a spreadsheet calculating their costs and taxes and necessary target rate in under 30 minutes. If you can’t calculate those basic numbers, you shouldn’t be thinking about freelancing.

> Also, the pay differences is pretty low. Why would I work as a Dev at "Random Contract Company" that is offering $65-75/hr when I could just get a FT job that pays $140-150k/yr and includes PTO and other perks?

Freelancing doesn’t really mean taking those terrible contract jobs you see on job sites. Successful freelancers will build a reputation and offer services to companies, naming their own price in the proposals.

[galleywest200]

1. FTE comes with far more insurance types and benefits then just health, at least mine does.

2. "Freelancing doesn’t really mean taking those terrible contract jobs you see on job sites. Successful freelancers will build a reputation and offer services to companies, naming their own price in the proposals."

-- This makes sense, after you have built that reputation. What people are worried about is that start when you have _zero_ reputation and they need to have income and healthcare for themselves and their families. How long can this take? Weeks, months, years?

[pasttense01]

You start out keeping your 40 hour full-time job and do freelance work in the evenings and weekends. After you reach a reasonable income level freelancing you drop the full-time job.