contractor burnout ... career break?

[Bagpuss]

I think I've fallen into the mentality of :-

1) This rate is the best I'm going to ever get so max it out while I can.
2) Due to my niche skillset I won't be able to find another contract easily, and certainly not locally.
3) The money I "lose" due to time-off is too much (e.g. a week off is more than a couple of grand in "lost" earnings), so it hurts even when I'm on holiday.
4) I'm getting used to "earning" a certain amount and wouldn't want to have that decrease.
5) I never want my young family to go without in the future so I must make the most of it while I can.
6) Contracting for me, in my field, is a limited game, so I shouldn't waste this opportunity.

It's a horrible feeling, but somehow I feel trapped now. Anyone else the same?

I think most contractors feel the same at some point or another. I try not to live off the income as if it were a wage. I can quite happily get by on 40% of the rate. Should the contract market collapse tomorrow I can live on a permie wage. Once you get used to 100k+ you are trapped.

The whole thing about losing money for having time off is something you shouldn't worry about. I just had 6 months off (OK I only wanted a couple of months off). Soon I completely forgot about all the money I was 'losing', I was much happier. As the old saying goes, no point in being the richest man in the graveyard.

Sounds like you need a proper holiday!

[Spacecadet]

It's a horrible feeling, but somehow I feel trapped now. Anyone else the same?

I felt trapped in permie jobs and the feeling came back when ever I went for permie interviews

If you feel trapped then its barriers you've put around yourself.
Try taking a few impromptu days off over the summer

[rootsnall]

It's a horrible feeling, but somehow I feel trapped now. Anyone else the same?

A bit of that 'horrible feeling' is a good thing as it gets you through the times when you are bored out of your mind and want to walk. Too much of that 'horrible feeling' and you'll end up in an early grave. Something outside your control will come along sooner or later and change things and get you out of the trap. In the meantime take your holidays and try not to worry about it.

[shoes]

It can be difficult sometimes not to think 'taking tomorrow off will cost £500' though.

I usually get to the point where I'm so sick of the relentlessness of the daily grind that it becomes worth the daily rate cost to have the time off. Consider the couple of days money as a proportion of the worth of the contract, it won't dent your profit for the contract as a whole very much.

Take a few days, it's worth it.

[vhadiant]

Sounds like you need a proper holiday!

Yeah. I know the feeling too. I went travelling for 4 months back in 2006. It's great to have a career break at least once in your life.

[Tensai]

I think I've fallen into the mentality of :-

1) This rate is the best I'm going to ever get so max it out while I can.
2) Due to my niche skillset I won't be able to find another contract easily, and certainly not locally.
3) The money I "lose" due to time-off is too much (e.g. a week off is more than a couple of grand in "lost" earnings), so it hurts even when I'm on holiday.
4) I'm getting used to "earning" a certain amount and wouldn't want to have that decrease.
5) I never want my young family to go without in the future so I must make the most of it while I can.
6) Contracting for me, in my field, is a limited game, so I shouldn't waste this opportunity.

It's a horrible feeling, but somehow I feel trapped now. Anyone else the same?

Not originally, but becoming the sole breadwinner with two kids under 3 certainly makes it feel that way....

[ChimpMaster]

Not originally, but becoming the sole breadwinner with two kids under 3 certainly makes it feel that way....

I think it all changed when we had kids too. I certainly wasn't as concerned before then.

[TheBigYinJames]

I think it all changed when we had kids too. I certainly wasn't as concerned before then.

I think single contractors don't realise that the acceptable risks become less acceptable when you have young kids. You certainly get less bolshy about rates and locations. They may argue that's a good reason not to have a family They'd be wrong, though. You have to adapt all thjrough your working life - in about 10 years, my kids will be iold enough that I can start to contemplate daft stuff like just going to work abroad for 6 months etc again.

[rootsnall]

Not originally, but becoming the sole breadwinner with two kids under 3 certainly makes it feel that way....

It certainly concentrates the mind, I used to do 8/9 months max a year, post kids I've now done 4+ years with only the odd week off here and there. My contingency fund has a few years in it and I'm quietly hoping for a slack spell to force me to put my feet up for a few months

Problem is you can't always turn the slack spell back into a boom on demand !

[ChimpMaster]

Problem is you can't always turn the slack spell back into a boom on demand !

And that's the problem.

If you work in a field where there is some degree of consistent demand, then you can almost pick and choose when to work and when to have time off. In a less consistent field, you feel obligated to max out the contract for as long as you can, knowing that your next downtime could be for several months.