

Ask HN: Will being self-employed hurt my employability? - selfemployedq

I&#x27;m considering becoming self-employed for a stint to bootstrap an idea that has gotten a lot of positive feedback from individuals who have tried it. Essentially, planning on picking up contract work and using that to fund the development of the idea. Should I be concerned about this hurting my future full time employability if it doesn&#x27;t work out?
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jsfour
Let me start by saying that I've founded and sold 2 companies one for a big
return and one that was a soft landing. The first co I started when I was
working full time at a job.

To answer your question:

Since you are self employed you can put whatever you want on your resume --ie
you can call yourself the VP of Development, dish washer, or whatever. In
fact, I have a friend that called himself VP of Business Development for his
company in the early days.

So I don't think it will hurt much from a political perspective. You just need
to be able to tilt the narrative to your favor if things go wrong.

ie: "I left XYZ company because I wanted to try to solve this very important
problem. I starred the company, got investors, hired a team, delivered product
to customers, and we ran into some market difficulties so shut it down and am
now looking for a job"

The one thing that will change, however, is you. When you pass through the
looking glass & start your own company, you will fundamentally change. You
will develop skills in many area and you will know what it feels like to work
on something that you really love that is really difficult. This is what makes
it the hard to work a job after a project. Because you know what that feels
like and you will want to feel it again. So you will be VERY picky.

Also, there is the power law to consider. If you start a co, the skills you
acquire will compound over time. Quickly they will become the biggest asset
you have and you will realize that.

My #1 advice for you is to stop thinking about what will happen in a downside
and look at what will happen in an upside. The more you think about how a new
venture can screw you, the more likely it will.

If you want to chat more DM me on twitter @jsfour

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JSeymourATL
> The one thing that will change, however, is you.

Very true. I might add, your approach to solving client problems will likely
grow more sophisticated. Mid-tier corporate managers and HR flunkies might not
get you, but true decision-makers will.

While you're ramping-up your contract business, here's a good read on
consulting> [http://www.summitconsulting.com/store/ultimate-consultant-
in...](http://www.summitconsulting.com/store/ultimate-consultant-info.php)

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ColinCera
The short answer is that you're right to ask the question because it _could_
hurt you badly.

A lot depends on your specific situation. How accomplished and in demand are
you right now? Do you have a network of people who would hire you in a
heartbeat or at least enthusiastically recommend you and actively help you
find a job? If you are in demand (i.e., frequently turning down overtures from
recruiters) and/or you're very confident that if you lost your job tomorrow
that you could find another equally good job in a matter of a couple weeks or
less, then going out on your own for awhile probably won't have any negative
impact.

On the other hand, if the above does _not_ describe your current career
situation, then I'd think hard about it. There are _many_ recruiters and
hiring managers who look at self-employment as barely better than
unemployment. That's outrageously stupid, but it's reality. I personally know
half a dozen people who experienced _significant_ setbacks to their careers
after leaving their jobs to try self-employment or work on their own startups.
(But, again, a lot depends on how hireable you are currently, where you live,
etc.)

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gregcohn
Assuming you are technical, even a failure is probably a net positive to your
career prospects. This is particularly true if you are very early in your
career, or are later in your career and have been involved with some well-
known or successful companies along the way so far.

I view entrepreneurial experience as a positive that tends to correlate with
intrinsic motivation, follow-through, and analytical risk-taking.

Obviously YMMV, and a lot depends on how you execute. If you have a crappy
idea and throw years of your life away with no demonstrable progress,
obviously it's not going to be easy to tell a story about. But a failure
reasonably well done will be a good learning experience -- and obviously even
a modest success has lots of upside.

The biggest real issue is opportunity cost, factoring in not just income but
the potential to be part of something epically successful and all the
experiences, halo effects, and relationships that come from that.

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rpxl
I do not think self-employment damages your employability so long as you have
something to talk about at interviews. Self-employment is still employment.
Any employer that is going to be successful in talent acquisition among the
younger generations will know this.

The tech industry illustrates this regularly with company cultures that
embrace diverse career backgrounds.

Of course i think your field will probably determine how much my statement
applies. For my field in software, independent contracting is a common feature
in ones work history especially for the younger generations. I would look at
your peers in your industry and domain for clues.

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justintocci
...becoming self-employed...future employability...

Bwahahahhahaha.... Wait, sorry. Ok, has working for clients hurt my future
employability?

Who cares? I wouldn't take a job now if they offered to pay me!

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brogrammer90
Yes it will. But only at the companies where you wouldn't want to work at
anyway. Enterprise companies with cushy layers of middle management love 'B'
and 'C' players.

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tomcam
It never hurt me, back when I was applying for honest jobs (self employed
now). Whether or not I worked for other people, I was always doing things I
knew would advance my career.

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Meltdown
As long as you have a skill set that the market wants... you won't have any
problems.

