| Most consultants and professionals working in any | | | | jobs, or in need of some fast cash. Anyone |
| kind of industry in these recession years tend to | | | | interested in expanding his or her career options and |
| prefer the steady paycheck and relative ease of | | | | business opportunities should absolutely at least toy |
| working at an established firm to the uncertainty of | | | | with the possibility at some point, independently of |
| starting their own contractor business, having to build | | | | present status and employment. |
| a new list of clients from scratch, and taking on | | | | The main career advantage to taking on contractor |
| short-term assignments. Consulting firms seem to be | | | | roles is that that interim assignments give an industry |
| the easier solution for anyone with a career plan: | | | | professional an opportunity to explore more industry |
| they have established bases of clients, often a | | | | niches in a shorter period of time, to gain more |
| strong brand name and reputation, and they offer | | | | experience across different fields of expertise, and |
| the kind of security one gets in any kind of full time | | | | make more new business contacts than he or she |
| employment at a big firm. So why even consider | | | | ordinarily would while working at the same office |
| striking out on your own? | | | | every day. Business contacts and professional |
| Working at a consulting firm certainly has its | | | | acquaintances always matter if you are looking to |
| advantages, but there is a significant downside to it | | | | advance your career. Beyond that, if you have any |
| as well. Other than not really allowing consultants to | | | | misgivings about your choice of career, the kind of |
| dictate the terms of their career and professional | | | | work you do from day to day, and where you feel |
| advancement to the degree that they could if they | | | | your career is going, by taking on more temporary |
| were in charge of their own business, consulting firms | | | | jobs, you are giving yourself a wider range of |
| do not really provide the same kind of opportunities | | | | opportunities to really figure out what works best for |
| that independent consulting assignments do. | | | | you. |
| There are a number of advantages to contract | | | | It may not be easy to take the leap and take on the |
| consulting and taking on interim manager jobs that | | | | risk that goes with being self-employed, but it is |
| most consultants do not really begin to consider until | | | | definitely an option you may some day regret not |
| they are either faced with redundancy, or between | | | | having explored. |