Is contracting the lifestyle for you?

How are the latest trends increasing demand for Data Scientists?

February 9th, 2023

Throughout my time here at KDR I have worked on plenty of contract and permanent roles. Many of the contractors I speak to have been doing it for years and are well adjusted to the lifestyle, however when I speak to those who have been perm and want to make the switch to contract it can bring up plenty of question.

I wanted to know more about this lifestyle, so I asked my contractors what they think the pros and cons of being a contractor are.

Pros

While there seems to be plenty of pros, there was one resounding answer from my candidates – the freedom to choose your work. By being in contracts for smaller amounts of time they can pick and choose which they like. By doing this they are able to advance their career in the way they want and can become specialised in one tool and be known in the industry for that. This freedom also means that many of my contractors have the ability to take time out if they want; I’ve even had one contractor take time out so they can build their own house!

Another positive that was mentioned many times was the variety of working locations. Contracting can be great for anyone who likes to move and can get ‘itchy feet’ working in one location during their career.

And of course being a contractor means getting a daily rate rather than a salary, which generally means more money in your pocket!

Cons

Being a contractor also has its downside. While this freedom to choose work can be a positive for many it can also be a burden. Having the ability to pick and choose can mean having to look around a lot for the right role, and sometime the travel to this is further meaning a good work-life balance can be rare.

As contractors are classed as self-employed they do not get the benefits a full-time employee would receive, this means no sick or holiday pay, so if my contractors aren’t working they’re not getting paid. It also means there is almost no job security as contracts can be cut short.

And one of my contractors even said the lifestyle itself can be bad as you are travelling a lot and staying it hotels makes it is easy to put on weight!

As with anything in life there are plenty of pros and cons to think about, if you are considering moving to a contract role weigh up the two before making any decisions as the contract lifestyle may not be for everyone.