| Overview | | | | you are now available and working as a |
| This article discusses some of the considerations | | | | contractor. Have some basic information you can |
| involved with self employment. There are alot of | | | | provide that specifies previous work experience |
| opportunities for information technology workers | | | | and samples if available. There are some good job |
| to start their own business. You can decide to | | | | search engines such as careerjet.com, and that |
| start it as a part time venture and gradually build | | | | aggregate opportunities from several sources. |
| the work and phase out of a current opportunity | | | | Freelance web sites such as Elance, Scriptlance |
| or do both. | | | | and Getacoder advertise a lot of opportunities |
| 1099/Corp to Corp/Taxes | | | | that could match your skill set. Setup a company |
| You have to pay taxes whether self employed or | | | | web site and specify on any job boards you |
| as a standard w2 employee. The contractor can | | | | work Corp to Corp or 1099 status. Local |
| work as a 1099 status or as an incorporated | | | | advertising in free online classifieds is a good idea |
| business. The 1099 is a self employed status and | | | | and joining local community networking groups. |
| has specific IRS rules that determine if your | | | | Billing |
| relationship with the employer is indeed as an | | | | There are some companies that do payroll online |
| independent contractor. The 1099 status requires | | | | as an outsourced service if you dont want to do |
| you to file a 1099 schedule during tax time and all | | | | any billing, taxes or financial statements. It is easy |
| liabilities of the business are yours. The taxes with | | | | enough to get a basic accouting package online |
| 1099 involve self employment and income taxes. | | | | and learn to use it if you have basic computer |
| Working as a Corp to Corp requires you | | | | skills and do your taxes online. |
| incorporate the business and there is a cost | | | | Career Development |
| involved with that. From the perspective of the | | | | Keeping your technical skills current is key and the |
| IRS you are a corporation and not a self | | | | best way to do that is with certifications. Plan on |
| employed individual. There is no self employment | | | | doing a certification that supports your business |
| tax, however you should consider the | | | | plan and market demands every 6 months. |
| complexities of tax laws in your state and | | | | Contracts |
| consider and decide what is best for your | | | | Most contracts with the information technology |
| business. | | | | industry involve non-disclosure agreement, work |
| Health Benefits | | | | scope, penalties for contract default, payment |
| Working for yourself will require you to shop | | | | plans and intellectual property rights. Read carefully |
| around for your own health care benefits. Web | | | | and confirm you are not signing away rights. |
| sites such as ehealthinsurance can generate a list | | | | Advertising |
| of providers with plan specifics and costs. | | | | The best advertising is customer testimonials |
| Finding Work | | | | from previous work you have done. Your |
| Searching for work can be daunting however | | | | reputation is valuable and a great selling point |
| there are some good places to focus your | | | | when competing for a contract. Include samples |
| efforts. Start with contacts you have made over | | | | of previous work accomplishments. |
| the years working for clients and let them know | | | | |