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flyingmoose, I feel your pain, I really do. I have been where you are many times. I was in NYC during the "boom" years and opted to stay away from the small dot-coms, and go work at large ad agencies, who were desperate to keep employees and paid really, really well. I bounced around through 3 of the top agencies in the city, and made many connections, the creative directors loved me because my HTML/DHTML looked exactly like their photoshop documents. But in the end, the corporate cubicle world got to me (and the advertising world too, but thats another story). Long story short, the towers fell less than a mile from my office and I decided I had had enough. I stuck around for a few more months, to save money, moved out to the burbs, and my wife and I had twins (well honestly she did most of the work), then I quit my job. It was probably one of the dumbest things I have ever done.

Now I still had alot of connections around town, and I did a few small jobs here and there, but it was really just more of the same. The only difference was that I knew it would be over soon, which was both good and bad. In the end, I lucked out, I got a call from a friend who had his own small consulting company, and I am still here 2 years later. Connections, connections, connections, I can't stress their value enough!

However, I do not recommend quiting your job now. I do recommend saving your money, and carefully planning your escape. When you are ready, if you feel like you can handle your own business, then go for it, but as others have said, its a lot more work that you might think. Personally I am no good at that end of the biz, so for me it was never really an option. If its not your thing either or you don't feel ready to venture out on your own yet, then shop around to your area for small consultancies. Things are tight now, but you can at the very least get your name and resume in front of them, you never know you might get a call. Also try local Perl Mongers, Linux Users groups, etc. its a good way to make connections with other like minded people, who you never know, one day might hire you. Never be afraid to let people know you are looking as well, people can't read minds ya know. Write some open source software too, upload something to CPAN, join an existing project, whatever. I won't get you a job directly, but it can't hurt, and you never know.

Your young, I assume single (at least not married), and you have alot of energy, and talent (at least thats the perception I get of you from your perl-monk-persona). Don't let The Man© keep you down! It takes patience and planning to leave cubicle land (and not end up having to come back), and a big fat healthy dose-of-luck/pair-of-balls too. But it is possible!

Of course, if your willing to move up to NYC, I would do my best to hook you up.

-stvn

In reply to Re: Advice on escaping Corporate America / Starting own consultancy outfit? by stvn
in thread OT: Advice on escaping Corporate America / Starting own consultancy outfit? by flyingmoose

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