Is the Rise of Contract Workers Killing Upward Mobility?
I&#x27;ve done mostly contract work because I liked the freedom when I was younger. Now I notice a lot of people my age have moved on to management or jobs &quot;higher on the ladder&quot; while I stress about the uncertainty of income when contracts end. I assume the lifestyle might suit people who are extraordinarily good networkers, but I feel mostly tired these days. My younger self didn&#x27;t know about the fatigue the responsibility for a family brings.<p>In a fixed career you have a chance to build something up, while in contracting you&#x27;re often back to square one with each new contract. You might have more experience, but you don&#x27;t have the sort of trust and responsibility which you earn if you work long enough in a company or with the same group of people.<p>It&#x27;s hard to find truly permanent jobs these days.<p>I think it&#x27;s also biting companies in the long run, as I notice more and more graveyards of abandoned projects and services running without anybody present who was involved in building or setting up. But those costs don&#x27;t seem as obvious to those in charge who&#x27;d rather not have to hire permanent workers.<p>(I work in software engineering and security.)