Congratulations David!
Some observations that your notes, and those of other correspondents triggered with their thoughts:
- "Work/life balance on my terms, and flexibility of and power over my schedule (which means unlearning the 9-5)."
Absolutely true. Now you only have to work half a day, either the first 12, or the second! And Saturday/Sunday is just like, say a Wednesday/Thursday, except your golf mates are elsewhere!
- "Replacing my old job's salary and then some."
And hoping that your current and future clients are not reading these posts[1]. But don't be concerned. Your competition will be certain to bring them to their attention.
And BTW, at least early on, when you calculate in the overhead time, your seemingly attractive billable rate 'ain't all' that special, at least for the first 18 months or so. . .. usually.
- "Having creative license over the business I operate under."
And by "Creative"and "I operate under"means you have engaged the services of a competent attorney and accountant who each meet the requirements:
- Neither of them are related to you or other family members.
- Each have no less than 7 years' experience advising engineers who consult with clients who work in fields of either service or products that you provide your professional engineering services to.
- You did your due-diligence to learn what legal filings were made against these two specialists or their partners over the past 20 years.
- The Attorney has made you clearly aware of the hierarchy and timing to assert your intended creative and/or business ownership of "Words & Things,"such as TM, R, Copyright, and the like.
Epilogue
While in Houston, Texas, 1979 or so, as VP of a traditional Consulting E/A/C firm, I found myself drawn towards wanting to be more of a consultant. . . without really knowing what that would require of me.
That next Sunday, in the Houston Chronicle, a seminar was announced, believe it or not, "How to be a Successful Consultant,"by Howard Shenson.
Now realize, at this point, as a civil engineer with BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York, leading and managing over a 50-person technical group, like, what could this guy, tell me, about consulting?
GET THE BOOK!
Later, I learned the Mr. Shenson died prematurely at the age of 47.
The Complete Guide To Consulting Success [2]
by
Howard Shenson,
[1]Right now, go online and <DELETE> your Facebook, Twitter, and other such social media trivia. If you need me to state why, ask. Better yet, ask your attorney.
[2]Source:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4530000-the-complete-guide-to-consulting-success downloaded 21JUL2019
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William M. Hayden Jr., Ph.D., P.E., CMQ/OE, F.ASCE
Buffalo, N.Y.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot 1819 - 1880
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-24-2019 12:02
From: David Urena
Subject: The Self-Employed Engineer
Hey Natalya,
I've heard it said that the self-employed life lends itself to the "work all the time, play all the time" culture. With regular employment, breaks to chat with your officemates are common so with self-employment, taking many short breaks is critical to a good and healthy workflow.
I work mostly from my home office so I understand the blurred lines feeling but nothing is more rewarding than having say over your own schedule (for the most part, anyway).
Good for you for being self-employed with a family. I know of a few engineers that do it with families and they love the flexibility of working while raising kids.
Cheers,
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Dave Ureña, P.E.
Banneker, LLC
3104 N. Armenia Ave
Suite 2
Tampa, FL 33607
813.415.7872
<maskemail>dave@...</maskemail>
Original Message:
Sent: 06-24-2019 11:25
From: Natalya Sokolovskaya
Subject: The Self-Employed Engineer
Hi David!
As a semi-self-employed engineer, the benefits outweigh the challenges for me.
In addition to what you've mentioned, I really enjoy not having to work from a set location. I shuffle it around by working out of libraries, cafes, college campuses and parks. It is also a challenge, because these places may be noisy or have poor connection.
Something that is both a challenge and a reward is not always being able to / having to separate work and personal time. Ideally, it is preferable to separate the two. However, I felt great when I was able to have a slow-running model on my laptop in the passenger seat, while driving kids to a playdate, or work with a napping toddler on my lap. It is a thin line though.
The biggest challenge for me is not having a support network that you often have when working for a company - be it input from a more experienced colleague, or IT support.
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Natalya Sokolovskaya P.E.,M.ASCE
Wynnewood PA
(323)382-6176
Original Message:
Sent: 06-20-2019 07:53
From: David Urena
Subject: The Self-Employed Engineer
Good Morning Friends,
Six months ago I embarked on the most exciting journey I've ever taken in my career: becoming a self-employed engineer. At the time, it seemed like a terrifying undertaking but it's been paying off in several different ways. Just to name a few:
- Work/life balance on my terms.
- Flexibility of and power over my schedule (which means unlearning the 9-5).
- Replacing my old job's salary and then some.
- Having creative license over the business I operate under.
What are some other benefits (or disadvantages) you see in being a self-employed engineer? Please chime in whether you're self-employed or not.
Cheers,
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Dave Ureña, P.E.
Banneker, LLC
813.415.7872
<maskemail>dave@...</maskemail>
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