Better work-life balance is a goal for most professional engineers. Their work is stressful, the hours can be long, and burnout is a common problem. However, there is a way to achieve more freedom and flexibility without sacrificing income or even benefits. That path? Contract work.
A Flexible Schedule – That Puts You in Control
Some engineering professionals believe that contracting is less stable than a traditional full-time job. However, engineers are in high demand for project work. Firms always need to access high-level professionals for specific projects, but they struggle to find the experts they need. They are willing to pay well for both short-term and long-term contracts.
That demand gives you a great deal of control over your schedule. You have the freedom to build in time between projects. Most companies start you off with just a few weeks of vacation per year. When you contract, you can take off a few days, a few weeks or even a few months in between assignments, giving you more freedom and the ability to achieve stronger work-life balance.
The Flexibility to Choose
Contracting puts you in the driver’s seat of your career. You can pick and choose the projects you’d like to work on and the companies you’d like to work for. If there are specific work environments you prefer over others, you can select those. In a traditional, full-time role, you often don’t get to choose what you work on, someone simply assigns you to a team. When you contract, you learn about a project before signing on, so you remain in full control over your professional portfolio.
The Freedom to Grow
Because you can choose the project you want to work on, you can also focus on growing specific skill sets or even developing new skills. No two projects will ever be the same – each provides a new opportunity to learn from your colleagues, try new things and get exposure to new technologies and best practices. Contractors typically increase their breadth and depth of skills at a much faster rate than engineers in traditional roles.
Contracting can also help you grow on a personal level. Working for a variety of companies will help you become more adaptive and flexible on the job, it will help you learn to overcome challenges and obstacles faster, and you’ll learn new strategies for learning quickly. Skills like these will make you a much more effective and well-rounded engineer over time.
Are You Ready for More Career Flexibility?
If you are looking for more freedom and flexibility in your engineering career and you’re ready for the exciting world of contracting, the recruiters at Selectek want to hear from you. Not only do we offer exciting projects across the Southeast, we also offer benefits to qualified contractors. Browse our current engineering job openings or contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.
