For a new breed of contractors, balancing home and work has become a way of life.  In many homes, it’s a necessity.  In nearly 85 percent of American married couples, both husband and wife work.  But even people without young children – especially those over 40 – are beginning to discover that 70-hour weeks and months on the road do not add up to a satisfying life.  For those fortunate enough to negotiate the right deals, independent contracting can be the answer to a prayer – "Help me find enough time to have a life!"

It’s not easy, but it can be done.  While most contractors who go through agencies are expected to work 40-hour weeks, many now feel freer to take time off as necessary, even if they have to make the time up later.  Many contractors, though, still find themselves agreeing to unreasonable demands for fear of appearing unprofessional.  "It is so easy to say ‘yes’, but if I come to you [as a client], I want you," suggests Glenn Muske, assistant professor/home-based and micro-business specialist at Oklahome State University.  "I’ll probably try to find a way to accommodate you."

Steve Zeal, president of Zeal, Inc., a software development firm that hires contractors for overflow work, says, "It’s becoming much more common for contractors to put restrictions on the work they’ll do as the market heats up."

Barney Kaufman’s new approach to independent contracting began after his wife gave birth to their son.  Both he and his wife, Diane, worked as software engineers [2] for TASC, Inc. in Reston, Virginia.  But Diane is a project manager; it would have been difficult for her to work at home and care for Robby.  So Barney was the one who decided to give up his job.  "There was a lot of surprise up the ladder.  When I put down my reason for leaving as ‘paternity’, they said, ‘we have no such category,’" he says, laughing.

The last laugh will surely be with Kaufman, who has convinced his former employer and several other clients to accept his unconventional approach to business.  He works mainly nights and weekends, primarily by modem from his home office.  He begs indulgence to bring Robbie to meetings when other arrangements cannot be made.  So far, his clients have happily agreed, perhaps because of the skill set – PC LAN, GUI, Web, among others [3] – Kaufman brings to the table.

"Barney possesses a unique capability to support clients, so we were flexible with him.  There has only ever been praise for his work, so how he achieved his results was left up to him," notes Steve Ferrone, Kaufman’s contact at TASC, who has since moved on to another company.  Kaufman also has government security clearances which are important to TASC, a "beltway bandit", as companies who thrive on federal contracts are known in Washington.

When he first went independent in 1995 [4], Kaufman worried about his reputation and his ability to market himself to new clients.  (He does not use an agency.)  He’s discovered that not every potential client he approaches will allow him to work as Robbie dictates.  By summer, he was averaging only 60 hours per month of contracting work, still a nice chunk of change at the rates he charges ($NN.NN an hour, up from $NN last year [5]).  As time passes, though, and clients become more numerous, he worries less.  "I’m able to be here to watch my son grow up.  I saw his first step and I heard his first word – ‘Da-da.’"
 

Barney Kaufman, Mike Mohrbacher, and Debbie Handler have figured out how to have a life and stay aloft financially.  Sure, they're not making as much money as contractors willing to work until they drop, in whatever location, for however long it takes.  But they don't care.

Says author McKenna, "You have to live by what you treasure."

Nancy Shepherdson, who is married to an IT contractor, is a freelance writer based in Glenview, Illinois.  She can be reached at personbiz@aol.com.