Q1: When is the best time to start Non-Captive Work?
A1: The best time to start is after getting hired by a job agency, at a known hourly wage, for a new job. Try to give your previous employer a decent notice, in case you want to go back, or in case they want to retain your services as a consultant. If they do offer to retain you, give them a great deal on your hourly rate. It's important not to scare them away. They might not be used to the amount that consultants charge.

HINT1: Remember never to quit any job until after you have found a new one. Never!
HINT2: Always try to take a few days off in between jobs, to enjoy life.

Q2: Is it True that contractors and consultants are the first to get laid off if a company experiences a downturn?
A2: Yes, it is true. But captive employee lay-offs aren't that far behind, either! While the captives are sitting there waiting to get laid off, the non-captives are usually on another assignment, learning new techniques and technologies.

Q3. What will happen if you try "non-captive" work, and for some reason you don't like it?
A3. Well, that's okay because almost all non-captives are offered a permanent position with the company, if they are doing a good job. In fact, this is a common nuisance to those that want to stay non-captive!

Q4: How does working for a Startup compare to working as a Non-captive?
A4: Big companies have good benefits, but since their stock price remains steady, getting stock options for working there don't help much. Instead, many risk-takers consider working for an exciting start-up company; a new company on the bleeding edge of technology. They realize that they will have to work 60 to 80 hours a week, while getting paid for 40. They also realize that although they are receiving 20,000 stock options, they are worth only 25 cents a share, until the company is goes public in 2 to 3 years. That glorious first day of trading, though, this stock will go to some high number, say $25.00 a share. All of a sudden, they could be worth $500,000 more.

However, there are a few catches: (1) 60% of start-up companies, that get funded by venture capitalists, go bankrupt. (2) A company has to be worth $20,000,000 before it is allowed to go on the stock market. (3) It usually takes more than 3 years for a company to reach $20,000,000 in worth. (4) You are usually not fully "vested" in the stock options, yet, so you can't cash your stock out, even if the company goes public. (5) Your company knows how much stock worth you have, so they give you skimpy raises and ask you to work longer hours. But if you work really hard and take a big risk, you might end up with $300,000 extra in 3 to 5 years.

Now, here is the non-captive scenario: (1) If you are in a technical or professional field (trade-school education or higher), you start getting about 175 to 200% of your captive salary, as soon as you start non-captive work. (2) You get, on average, 18% more for overtime, only now it's at double your rate, or 36%. (3) You save an additional 5 to 25%, or more, of your total gross income as tax deductions. (4) In 3 to 5 years, you move from a Temp to a Consultant, and raise your rates again, 33% more, because you no longer require the services of job agencies to find jobs. How does this ad up? If you were making $50K a year as a captive, then as a non-captive, over 5 years, you could make an extra $290,000 to $368,000 of pure cash, risk-free, and with no "golden handcuffs" tying you down to one company. Plus you would have met many more managers and people in your industry, see more technologies and techniques, and learn much, much, more. This new knowledge makes you worth even more. There is no end to the raises you give yourself. It's a no-brainer. Do the math!

Stay tuned for more answers to common questions!