Hello, Failure

Of all the enemies of literature, success is the most insidious

Thursday, September 11, 2003

Failure of the Day: The Pouring, It's Started

As if you couldn't see this coming. What do you do when more that one of your freelance clients wants you to work on the same day? Trying to balance my full-time contract, which starts on Monday, with Virage, which wants me to come in on Tuesday. All the while keeping the fact that I've got other employment from OTSI, in case the main place doesn't extend my contract into next year and OTSI survives through xmas. And the third job I interviewed for? She asked for a reference to call this morning. What the hell am I supposed to do if I get an offer from job #3?

1. A! is my priority. I signed the contract already. But it's only for three months.
2. Virage is good, and I'd love to keep them as a back up to fill gaps, but it's not steady.
3. OTSI might have full-time work for me at some point, but nobody knows for sure.
4. The proofing contract I'm waiting to hear about will be very few hours at first, but if successful after the start up, could pan out.

So…how to keep as many back-ups and options open as possible without pissing off the people who I already work for? Man! This independent contractor business is complicated! I'm not sure if this is a common quandary of if I got myself into a pickle through poor planning and timing of jobs.

Here's what I think. I need to call Virage and tell them that I have been offered a three-month, full-time contract elsewhere that I really need to take. I'm still interested in pinch-hitting for them, but it will have to wait until after the first of the year, if they still have a need then. If they don't, too bad for me, but I can't prioritize an every-now-and-again job (that pays $5 an hour less) over three months at least steady.

OK. I feel better. I'm just not used to dealing with employers on this level, I think. I'm accustomed to just saying thank you when somebody offers me a job. It's weird to be the boss, even if it only is of my own billable hours.

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