If there is one thing that the people who knew me growing up would never have expected me to become, it is an independent contractor. It is not in my nature. I was never a very hands-on kid. I liked puzzles, and I could solve some tough ones with my mind, but when it came to putting things together or taking them apart, I was always out of my league. In retrospect, it wasn't that I had no mechanical aptitude. It was simply that I was shy and hesitant to touch things with my hands. As a matter of fact, it took me years to realize my true calling as an independent construction contractor.
It all started out when I hired a contractor to do some major renovations in my house. I took pride in learning everything I needed to know to make all the designs myself. When I hired a contractor, all I had to do was take him into the house, show him the plans, and explain a few things to him. He was impressed by how good they were, and he asked if I had ever been an Independent contractor. When I answered that I hadn't, he was quite surprised.
Over the days and weeks that he worked for me, I learned more about the life of independent contractors than I had ever thought to ask. I knew that the money wasn't great, but it turned out that it was better than I had thought. Best of all, you get to set your own hours, hire your own people, and work without a boss. Of course, you have to pay for independent health insurance – something that no one really wants to have to do – but that is only a minor setback. Although independent contractor taxes are unreasonably harsh, by the end of the year you still have enough money to get by. The more I thought about it, in fact, the better it seemed.
Of course, working as an independent contractor was not all that simple. As you may imagine, switching careers in your 40s can be quite difficult. Nevertheless, I have always been a quick study. Within a couple of years, I was able to start my own business. Although I don't make quite as much as I did as a lawyer, I am much happier with the work that I do. And isn't that the most important thing after all?
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