Comment Re:Amazing and dreadful, simultaneously (Score 1) 381
you fail to understand what a modern silicon valley 'contractor' is.
you don't bid on jobs. you get offered whatever the company is willing to pay. take it or leave it. you call that 'bidding' ? I don't.
here's how it works these days. you get a call from a job shop or middleman. you always must now go thru those guys, you can't 'go direct' or business to business. they want to be sure that the contract house or jobber has $1M liability and umbrella insurance and all the right papers and stuff, which you will not likely have. you will get a percent of what the jobber charges the company and you usually won't know the billing rate TO the customer.
the job shop will ask you what you made at the last job you had. if you fight with them or refuse, they walk away and go to the next suck^Hguy. you can't tell them that you'll work for market rate. they demand to know what your 'number' is and if you quote too high, they blow you off. if you quote low, you are in the running, but you just talked yourself into the below-market rate just to GET the fucking job. they all know this and they depend on this.
you really don't properly bid on jobs and you can't GET a job if you ask for market rate. it truly is a race to the bottom.
walk in my shoes before you claim to know what a modern software 'contractor' is. its not the guy who puts up wallboard or who charges a good hourly rate so he can cover the other omissions that others get when f/t. no, its the lowest rung on the ladder, only slightly higher than an h1b. oddly enough, h1b gets more respect since they are considered f/t, they DO get benefits and they DO have job security for at least a few years. they'll be worked to death but they will have a bit more security than me and perhaps even more money left over since they don't have to pay half a grand or more each month for healthcare and sick time and so on.