Question: Please, help me figure out how to find short-term work that fits a very narrow range of variables.

dubitable — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:59:17 -0800

Please, help me figure out how to find short-term work that fits a very narrow range of variables.

Here's my situation:

I've been freelancing for about four months after quitting a full-time job in a state of frustration and massive stress. This may not have been wise, I won't debate that, but generally I'm a lot happier now (despite my current situation). More to the point, I don't have a lot of savings built up yet.

I'm moving to a new city in a little while, about a few weeks. The city isn't so far apart that trips back and forth will be impossible or difficult, but it will make consistent hours for the next month or so hard and of course I won't be able to go to an office on a 9-5 sort of schedule.

I may have a new job lined up in the new city, which is part of the reason I'm moving. That may come together by the time I get there, in about a month or around there.

To top it all off, I've found out I've gotten into some grad schools, and the deadline for telling them I want to attend is mid-April. That means that if I want to take it seriously I've got to buy some plane tickets and pay for some lodging.

All my clients have dried up...temporarily. I've got a lot of potential clients. It's kind of absurd right now actually; I've got a lot of folks saying something like "we might have a job for you soon, really!" It's sort of pissing me off, actually, I just know they're all going to ask me to start doing stuff for them at the same time right when I don't need the work or can't do it. Not their fault, of course, and I'm grateful I've even got potential clients, it's just annoying.

I've looked on Craigslist and there are a lot of short-term gigs doing what I do...for absurdly low amounts of pay ($20 an hour for an "experienced, passionate" programmer? Sorry, no), or for no pay (sure, I'll build you an entire social networking site for nothing...hahahahaha). Point being, I'd love to find somewhere else that would have short-term gigs that aren't insultingly cheap for someone who's got the experience I do. Like, yesterday.

I've got nothing in terms of easily available credit. My (thankfully) only credit card is maxed out. Not that this would be a good idea anyways, but...

All of this adds up to mean that I am getting real broke real fast because of the costs of moving and taking trips to see schools, I cannot take any long-term gigs, I can't take any gigs that require me to be in any one place or have regular in-person meetings, and I don't know how I'm going to eat next month. I am not the absolute best person at what I do (which is for the most part web development and Linux system administration, although I've got a lot of other things going on too...) but I'm pretty damn good, really experienced, and great at getting to the bottom of what people need without wasting their time and without cutting corners. I also, unfortunately, don't have a lot of sites to show people as I've been working full-time for the last few years, and most of my clients I've made through connections with people I've worked with and who know I'm great. But my reh-zoo-meh isn't bad.

I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking of taking some of my retirement money (which I don't have a lot of anyways) and using that to fund the next month or so, but I'd rather not. I know things will work out somehow but I'm in a really stupid situation right now with money and any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

By: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:18:34 -0800

Have you tried technical temping?

By: Marie Mon Dieu

Marie Mon Dieu — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:04:26 -0800

Yeah, what about Aquent? I've gotten some good gigs from them before and they're all over the place so a possibility when you move as well.

By: Jacqueline

Jacqueline — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:35:31 -0800

http://www.elance.com/

Comments on: Please, help me figure out how to find short-term work that fits a very narrow range of variables.

Question: Please, help me figure out how to find short-term work that fits a very narrow range of variables.

By: The Light Fantastic

By: Marie Mon Dieu

By: Jacqueline