tigerX Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 I handed in my notice yesterday - specifically to go freelance (before seeing this thread). By the end of reading the first page I was sweating! - but I'm gonna try anyway!! Dougie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bully712 Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 Good luck Dougie. Hope everything works out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerX Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 Thanks, I think i might just need it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 30, 2005 Author Share Posted November 30, 2005 Yet you still go home at a human hour? I like that! When you're a freelancer its always your problem. yeah, to be fair to my bosses they really dont want people working on doing overtime if it can be avoided. It sounds like your firm needs to hire on another vis person, or two, with you in charge of the department. That would require a raise in pay to go along with the raise in responsibility. I would apply to work with you, but the commute would be a killer. Yup, exactly. i been on the hire'in case for the last 2 years or so. if we hired another 3d bod, that'd mean easier life for me and instant promotion but it aint that easy. first off trying to find a 3d person of suitable high standards isn't easy. been interviewing candidates for the last couple of years and have yet to be happy with their raw tallent even. and the guys who are up to the mark wont come to us for the wage we offer. then one of our cad m's (i dared not use that m word out loud again) expresses a strong interest in being trained up. sounds good - a youngie, good tellent, extremely keen and eager to learn, and best of all - one of us. but now my bosses changed their minds. they prefer to farm out rather than train up. cheaper and faster that way you see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Denby Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 then one of our cad m's (i dared not use that m word out loud again) expresses a strong interest in being trained up. sounds good - a youngie, good tellent, extremely keen and eager to learn, and best of all - one of us.. Yeah, train him up, and then if it goes quiet, it's goodbye Strat we can pay your trainee a lot less! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 30, 2005 Author Share Posted November 30, 2005 dont worry Dibbs, that thought was first to cross my mind. i've got contingency plans for that event if needs be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Denby Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 dont worry Dibbs, that thought was first to cross my mind. i've got contingency plans for that event if needs be. What, poison his coffee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 30, 2005 Author Share Posted November 30, 2005 the coffee's already poisoned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Denby Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 the coffee's already poisoned. Don't get 'em mixed up then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 30, 2005 Author Share Posted November 30, 2005 no, i dont mean his, i mean the office coffee in general!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfa2 Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 I'm curious about your contingency plans STRAT. I've got some people in my office that say they would like to do 3D stuff too. They basically want me to hand them everything I know in a nice little package with a pretty ribbon on top. I've spent the last 10 years trying to figure this stuff out and it kind of rubs me the wrong way, that people want it, but don't want to work for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerX Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 This is exactly why I'm jumping ship now...and taking the knowledge with me. I've been tasked over the last few months with training up the keen Cad 'M' (as you so delicately put it Strat) - even to have him, and i quote, 'sitting behind you through the whole process, telling him '...and now i'm thinking about doing this...'. At least if they re-hire me in to train him I can charge appropriate rates! My wife's take on it "even Jamie Oliver wouldn't tell you his secret ingredient now would he?" Dougie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 I'm curious about your contingency plans STRAT. I've got some people in my office that say they would like to do 3D stuff too. They basically want me to hand them everything I know in a nice little package with a pretty ribbon on top. I've spent the last 10 years trying to figure this stuff out and it kind of rubs me the wrong way, that people want it, but don't want to work for it. i wouldn't sweat it to much. ..most people don't realize how much work it is, or they are turned off when they realize you actually have to work at it. very few are actually willing to put in the time, and get good. most you will find out, don't want to anyway, they just want to be able to say they can do 3d. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Nelson Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 Well I had my own shop for 2 years and it was tough work! Partly because I was fairly new to the rendering scene so I had to constantly learn and educate myself. And it was also tough just because running a business takes a lot of time and hard work if you want to do it right. I was pretty successful in that short time, but I (and my wife) started getting really tired of the crazy hours. So now I'm at AMD and I have nights and weekends to enjoy again. I work with a good bunch of people so it is fun having some human interaction again. Plus it is pretty nice to have a regular salary again even though I probably could have made more on my own. It sure makes budgeting a lot easier. And you don't have to worry about all the small tasks of running a business anymore. So Strat you could always give it a shot on your own, and with all the people you'll meet in business you will never have a problem getting getting a job if you decide you'd rather not be on your own anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skala67 Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 Sorry to be jumping into this thread so late, but I had worked as a project manager for 6 years at various arch firms around the country (US), designing, Construction administration, etc.. and doing ArchVis on the side. One day I finally got so tired of the daily grind that I decided to incorporate and start a visualization company. That was in march of 2005. I only had 3 jobs in the first few months because I was taking the time to hone my skills, learn advanced software, and develop marketing. (I was only able to do this through home equity paying the bills and my wife taking care of the other half) To be honest, I started getting worried and overwhelmed. but then because of the planning and the connections from working within the industry, I have landed 15-18 more jobs just over the past five months, with at least 3 more before the end of the year and many potential projects starting at the new year. Some of these jobs have been multiple image and animation jobs which of course pay more, and I am seeing less small jobs ($1500) which was all I was getting in the beginning and seeing more large jobs ($4000-9000) as I become more integrated into the market. It has really motivated me to work even harder. Im still new in the industry, but so far feel that the risk is well worth it. I pay myself a minimal salary which covers the bills and put the rest of the money into the company account. That way there aren't any surprises at tax time, and it allows me to keep paying myself if the work was to slow down. (which doesnt appear to be a concern in the near future) I see it as a savings account. As far as worrying about slow months, the thing that has worked for me most is to start talking to firms (ones that I already have a relationship with) about projects early in their development stages. This way you are more aware of how much work may be coming your way and also gets you involved earlier in the process and sometimes makes for even more work and more $$$. Persistence is a good thing. ok, i've talked enuf, not sure if i made any sense, but either choice you decide, good luck and i wish you the best. cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doodler Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Hi Strat, how doo Dibbers.. Tough call, stay where you are and work under teh restrictions of your employer and accept there salary. Or move on and risk not getting paid at the end of the month. but ask yourself, how secure is the company your working at? hows the cashflow? there are no guarantees in any job, a compnay can fold in minutes and believe me you will be the last to know.. If I were you id work up to a good freelance client base then once you feel your freelance work will sustain your salary make the jump. BUT dont burn bridges do it amicably, your employer will be you down so they be open to hiring you......only this time at your rates. good luck either way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nats Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Good thread this - I am also thinking about going solo sometime. One thing that hasnt been mentioned is that its so difficult finding the energy and time to work on arch vis after working full time in your "real" job during the day. Its just so easy to take the less risky route and stay employed. And thats not even mentioning the difficulty of working on the computer during the weekends when your family usually expect to go out somewhere! But one solution to this is to change to a temporary part time contract job with an architectural firm for say 3-4 days a week or reduce your hours at your present job and go part time. That way you get a couple of extremely valuable weekday days to spend working up your private clientele. Im thinking of this as a way of converting to self employment at some point. But eventually you just have to take the plunge and just try self employment full time. By then you need to have built up at least a few clients though I would say to remove at least some of the early risk of your venture falling flat. Most important though is a good accountant and some money to tide you over for the early months. Nats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 I started a company with my friend 4 months ago - all is well but the reality of running a business is pretty astonishing. I wouldn't have done it on my own, mainly due to the number of plates that need to be constantly juggled, in short - creating excellent images and administration. The one main benefit I find, is having two heads to tackle any problem is fundamentally invaluable. On my own I might come to the same conclusion but take twice as long to get there. I am stoked to be my own boss but, there are trappings that come to the fore when actually doing it. regards n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I started a company with my friend 4 months ago - all is well but the reality of running a business is pretty astonishing. Would you elaborate, tell some of your experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 but ask yourself, how secure is the company your working at? hows the cashflow? there are no guarantees in any job, a compnay can fold in minutes and believe me you will be the last to know.. If I were you id work up to a good freelance client base then once you feel your freelance work will sustain your salary make the jump. BUT dont burn bridges do it amicably, your employer will be you down so they be open to hiring you......only this time at your rates. good luck either way cash flow and work turnover in the firm i'm with are excellent and safe (as excellent and safe as you can get anyway), and the company is very secure indeed. as far as i can predict, sensibly speaking of course, my job is pretty safe here too. but i've decided on my plan and so far it seems to be working out nicely. it's something i'm not happy to publically talk about over the airwaves, so please pm me if you want any further info. thanks for all the advice fellers, as usually you make all the difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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