[TriEmbed] In Need of Job Advice

Mon Oct 24 15:33:51 CDT 2016

I have to totally agree and reinforce the points that Carl has made.  I too
have 22 years of contract programmer experience spread over a 30-year span.

I would like to add to Carl's points some lessons learned from some other
time-and-billing professions (like accountants and lawyers) when working on
a 1099:

   - Fill out a timesheet every week, and get your client's signature
on it *every
   week* like clockwork (don't be late, and don't delay because you are
   busy, don't accept they're being too busy).  This can also be used as legal
   proof that you have performed work.  Include any expense receipts to get
   them approved as well.  (This also applies to work on a W2 basis)
   - Apply a 2-week (or half-month) rule: invoice the client after two
   weeks of effort (ie. 2 timesheets).
   - Note that the client will typically collect all invoices and pay on a
   monthly cycle anyway.
   - Be willing to stop work if they haven't paid within 45 days of your
   oldest outstanding invoice.  Remember that that's 60 days without pay
   following the above guidelines.
   - this is the scariest part, because you're essentially not working
   again, but you can't waste time giving away your effort for free when you
   could be getting paid for it.

- sgh

On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 10:50 PM, Carl Nobile via TriEmbed <
triembed at triembed.org> wrote:

> Nathan,
>
> I'm in my 60s and run into this crap all the time. Some good bullet points
> about working for small companies and startups that you should consider
> before taking a position.
>
>    1. Don't rush into anything. Even with my experience I have to keep
>    reminding myself of this.
>    2. If on a 1099 contract do NOT take a position unless they are
>    willing to pay for more than a 40 hour week. This is the whole idea of
>    1099s and one of it's many advantages, don't bend on this one or you will
>    be working 100 hour weeks and getting very little for it.
>    3. If on a W2 contract find out if they want a lot of overtime, this
>    is up to you, remember on a W2 they will never pay more than 40 hours a
>    week.
>    4. Ask what the companies funding is like and how long are they funded
>    for. Less than six months DON'T take the job.
>    5. If the work is remote (I do this all the time) and if the company
>    is in a different time zone, be sure they will not expect you to work their
>    hours, unless you think it's okay to do that, but always ask.
>    6. Read and reread the contract before you sign. If it is full of
>    incomprehensible legal terms get suspicious. Look online for some of these
>    so you know what to expect.
>    7. Don't even consider that a promises of anything has any value.
>    Promises are like vaporware, they never come to be. If it's not in the
>    contract you will never see it.
>    8. On 1099s I always bill after the end of the month (Yup, this is
>    normal, no money for a month). Give them terms in your invoice "Payment
>    must be received within 10 days of receipt" The number of days is your
>    choice and don't be afraid of charging a penalty fee if late--you're in
>    business.
>    9. Please please please never work for more than 45 days with no pay
>    on a 1099 and three weeks on a W2.
>
> This is a lesson we all learn when working contract positions, so don't
> kill yourself over it.
>
> ~Carl
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 7:38 PM, Nathan Yinger <npyinger at ncsu.edu> wrote:
>
>> What a mess...this kind of thing is why I hate jobs...
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 7:26 PM, Carl Nobile <carl.nobile at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Nobody can afford to be picky, however, you still have to be somewhat
>>> picky or you end up with doing a lot of work and never seeing anything for
>>> it.
>>>
>>> No contract means you have NO recourse, I agree with Jon, find an exit
>>> strategy you probably will not ever see any money from this position.
>>>
>>> Tell them you will be stopping any work for them until they sign the
>>> contract AND are up-to-date with your payments.
>>>
>>> ~Carl
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 7:08 PM, Jon Wolfe via TriEmbed <
>>> triembed at triembed.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> First,  this isn't  a private communication,  so just make sure you be
>>>> careful of what you write.
>>>>
>>>> Second, if you haven't been paid since august, and they are giving you
>>>> the run around, trust me, it's intentional, or severe dysfunction , and I'd
>>>> look at an exit strategy asap.
>>>>
>>>> As far as getting paid for what youve done so far, a lot of that
>>>> depends on the specifics of your agreement.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -------- Original message --------
>>>> From: Nathan Yinger via TriEmbed <triembed at triembed.org>
>>>> Date: 10/21/16 7:00 PM (GMT-05:00)
>>>> To: Triangle Linux Users Group General Discussion <trilug at trilug.org>,
>>>> TriEmbed <triembed at triembed.org>
>>>> Subject: [TriEmbed] In Need of Job Advice
>>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> So I started my first job at a tech company in August, and I'm trying
>>>> to figure out how long it should take to finalize a contract/get paid. It
>>>> seems to be taking a very long time. The people who are supposed to sign my
>>>> contract are always out of the office or busy, and they said they were
>>>> finally going to pay me this week, but they didn't. Just how long does this
>>>> normally take?
>>>>
>>>> Thank you,
>>>> ~Nathan Yinger
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Triangle, NC Embedded Computing mailing list
>>>> TriEmbed at triembed.org
>>>> http://mail.triembed.org/mailman/listinfo/triembed_triembed.org
>>>> TriEmbed web site: http://TriEmbed.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -------------------
>>> Carl J. Nobile (Software Engineer)
>>> carl.nobile at gmail.com
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -------------------
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
> Carl J. Nobile (Software Engineer)
> carl.nobile at gmail.com
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Triangle, NC Embedded Computing mailing list
> TriEmbed at triembed.org
> http://mail.triembed.org/mailman/listinfo/triembed_triembed.org
> TriEmbed web site: http://TriEmbed.org
>
>

-- 
Scott G. Hall
Raleigh, NC, USA
scottghall1 at gmail.com
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