Any advice?
I’m sure there are endless opportunities in Security. Make sure everyone on LinkedIn knows what you can do.
You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but keep meticulous records and carefully save all your documentation. A few years ago I did a small project for $975.00. The IRS entered the 1099 amount as $97,500.00 and now claims I owe $35K more for that tax year. I’m glad I had the original form in my files. (After four months the IRS has not yet admitted that this is their error.)
You don't need to whore yourself out as a contractor to a former employer when you can make much, much more elsewhere.
Consulting is challenging.
If you need to generate a cash flow quickly, work for a staffing firm in IT.
http://www.kellyservices.com/global/it/
Good luck to you.
Learn to code. Any language.
Set up an LLC
BoozAllen
TekSystems
Look at DICE
If you have clearance, there are also job sites for people.
Also, try Haliburton.
Consider getting Amazon Web Services mastery on your resume. Many infrastructure type jobs are going to the cloud.
The problem with consultancy, and I've had three close friends try it, is that you have to network, you have to advertise, you have to sell, you have to do billing, you have to do correspondence, and somewhere in there you actually get to do your job. It may be for you, if you can manage all that, but people form companies for a reason, and that's one of the big ones.
Either way, best of luck to you!
If you want to go independent, make sure you know about “S-corp” (basically, you are an employee of your one employee corporation, paying yourself a fair wage and paying payroll taxes on said wage, but not necessarily all of your company’s income. IANAL).
http://www.sba.gov/content/s-corporation
Really with your certs your should be able to pickup contract gigs with ease if your willing to travel.
The the thing with being and independent consultant is you have to have that marketing sales aspect...
Any work starts with you being the product your selling.. so the shorter the job the more to you spent marketing and selling your self for the next job..
So to be a good independent anything, doctor, lawyer engineer, whatever .. you better be ready to be more sales and marketing of your service and less doing what your service is.. it just the way being a small business seem to work.. I particularly don't like sales. .
So when i came out of perm employment.. I found I prefer to go contract, 6 mo to 2 year gig.. mixed with small consulting gigs between the longer contracts. Did that from 2001 to 2012.. I just took a perm position again last year's
But fyi PCI compliance is hot right now ( that what im in right now) with your background, should be easy for you to get in to as a independent consultant in all aspects...good money to be made
Get your CISA and/or CRISC and go into IS Risk/Compliance/Security. Lots of people needed there.
Otherwise, you should do well with TEKSystems or APEX as a contract employee.
Good God man!. i just look at you FR profile listing you background.. we should be asking you for advice.. if you dont have several 6 figure jod offer on the table ..we are all in trouble.
So if you want to just go independent..be you own business.. you have a killer product in your skills.
Its the generic business and marketing of your skills just like and other professional, doctor, lawyer, dentist, architect, civil engineer, surveyor..ect. ...that would be new.
But again doing PCI (payment card industry) networks certification for business is hot..all businesses have to use credit cards to be competitive so they can’t afford not to be able to use them.
I highly recommend you focus on finding a JOB. As others pointed out, with your qualifications you should be able to land a decent job, with benefits.
Being self employed is not as easy and rewarding as some people think and it’s definitely not for everyone.
Good luck!
Network. First, LinkedIn. Then via that and any local or regional groups. Become visible. Especially with the people who typically make hiring decisions for people with your skills.
Create LLC, work corp-to-corp, 1099, even W-2 if that is what they want. At the end of the day it is less important than the rate.
Rates... 1-1/2 to 2x or more your salaried rate. Remember, no work, no pay. You’ve got the burden of the lapses, of vacations, of health care, etc. Set your rate high, market as expert. What rate? Let 9 of 10 tell you you are too high and the 10th pays. (Do the math, better to work 6 months at $100 per hour, for example, than 12 months at $50)
Finally, make sure you can weather the feast-of-famine cycles that consulting often brings.
If you are glass-half-empty or your spouse is, better give extra thought to the whole endeavor.
Before I retired I was an independent computer consultant. I had twenty years of various mainframe application package knowledge and the hands on management and technical skills to install, maintain, and modify them.
Early on I needed a steady paycheck while my family was growing up. Although I took several contracts on the side for extra income during this period, I always maintained a full-time job. And in every job, I was always promoted into higher management and away from my technical skills which I loved. I was not the best people person and invariably it was up and out after a few years of higher management.
But my technical skills always allowed me to find a new job at equal or higher pay and that’s when I began to concentrate in niche markets and what people were willing to pay for my expertise and level of experience.
As I began to age, I began to notice age and wage discrimination. By this time, my family had grown up so I decided I would call my own shots and become an independent contractor.
Before becoming an independent contractor, I had acquired some of the following knowledge and skills:
I studied the various business organization types and which one best suited me. I chose sole proprietor. I avoided partnerships and corporations. Learn the pros and cons for whichever type you choose and choose carefully.
I knew something about small business accounting and taxation. But I did hire a CPA to setup my books, teach me how to track my expenses, file my taxes, and keep me out of trouble (audits) with the IRS. In other words if you don’t know what you are doing, find someone reliable who can teach you. The added cost is well worth it.
I joined organizations such as the ICCA (Independent Computer Consultants Association), PMI (Project Management Institute), and others related to the application packages like the Cyborg Users group that I specialized in. I joined Toast Masters and took Dale Carnegie courses (several times :) to improve my people skills.
I learned my immediate (local) market - which companies used the applications and the expertise I offered. How much they paid and how often they needed assistance by talking to their Human Resource departments. Many maintain a list of preferred vendors. Find out what it takes to get on their list.
I prepared a no-bullsh*t resume customized to the target company to sell my skills. BE SURE all spelling and grammar are correct. A poorly constructed resume full of typos and bullsh*t will get you out the door quicker than anything.
I learned business etiquette and how to sell yourself in interviews with key company personnel who need and can approve your services. Dress appropriately and display examples of your work if requested. You may even have to take a few people to lunch or golfing after you learn the business angles.
I learned how to negotiate, especially when it comes to the rates. Stay OPEN. Never quote a rate until you have defined what you will be doing, if travel is involved, and other factors which affect your income and expenses. AND get it in writing.
I networked with other local consultants to confirm the going rates and who was hiring them. Sometimes I paid a gratuity to other consultants for tips or leads if I was able to land a contract based on them. Likewise I passed information to them for the same reasons. Sometimes they are too busy or offered opportunities that are too big or too small or too long or two short that would fit your needs. Sometimes there was an opportunity to sub-contract to another contractor, which I avoided.
Some other important things I had to watch for:
When you contract, you are in a binding agreement between two parties. Learn how to read contracts and be sure you can fulfil your part. Some companies have a standard contract and many don’t. Be sure you know the ins and out for both parties. Be sure you have an out if you become sick or unable to complete the contract. AND be sure it specifies what you are hired to do as well as what you will NOT do such as train third world H2B visa guys or travel at your own expense to China.
Be sure you are paid directly and your income is reported as a 1099 contractor and never as a W-4 employee to the IRS. I have seen contractors paid in cash, gold & silver face value, and other forms but I avoided these.
You will have to carry your own insurance and benefits. Learn something about these, especially the SEP which can be of great benefit to you now and later.
Never attempt jobs for which you haven’t the time or expertise. In other words don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Make sure you have the tools to work with. They are tax deductible. Don’t count on the companies supplying these things to you. From pens and paper to technical and user manuals if need be. Reference books are a must.
I preferred to accept contracts for six months or less to avoid the IRS stigma that I was really an employee of one company hiding as an independent contractor. I tried to land contracts with more then one company during the year to remove all doubts.
This info may be outdated for your needs, but was relevant when I was working. Good Luck!
I joined a couple of local chambers of commerce, attended the mixers/meetings and eventually picked up some gigs.
I reached out to contractors I had hired in the past and got a lot of work that way.
Have a website. Watch the Craigslist gigs listings.. not just in your area, but in other big cities. I've gotten a lot of work that way too.
Good luck!
Everyone has given amazing advice. You might want to look into high end (not the job shop) consulting companies, too. I have done it in the past, and some of the companies pay well, have nice benefits and flexibility, and help you to network while you figure out your next steps. I met some super smart people consulting in the past.
Good news, you hit the lottery in life, DOD is willing to pay big bucks for those certs. The CCIE alone is worth over 100K and the CISSP is just gravy. I would update the LinkedIn profile and start talking to the headhunters. If you did want to do the Contractor thing, a friend used to use MBO Partners which is an umbrella company that has some great tax benefits and is a GSA approved firm that can also hold a security clearance for you.