EDIT: Wow.. I have no idea how this post made it to this thread.. something got out of sync. I'm not sure what thread I was in when I made this response.

Quote Originally Posted by Seshiro

This coming semester I'm actually going to learn some c++ i think, (
I'm studying to become a level designer for games) So perhaps with what i gain from there along with my preexisting web knowledge i could get back into making websites again. as you said it really all depends on my drive.

As of late i have been working retail which is about as exciting as pouring lemon juice in my eye. I'll definitely take a look at my options and see what i can come up with

as a final note while i'v got you're attention key clone rocks and i love it keep up the excellent work.
I did retail work while I was in school, and aside from the fantastic discounts at Best Buy, that job sucked. A few coworkers are part-time interns in college making $16/hr - I would have killed to be making that much and be building experience in a field I enjoy while I was in school. Keyclone is right though about finding your own cash. Although my current company is too great of an opportunity to consider leaving, I developed Access databases for small businesses as a contractor in college, usually charging $50/hr. That was a fairly low pay for that sort of work - my teacher at the time was contracting her Access database work for $125/hr. Contract work (for any discpline) has pros and cons..
Pros:
  • Work your own hours. (That doesn't necessarily mean you'll be working less than 60 hours a week though!)
  • Growth is limitless. (If the work is too much for you to handle, consider hiring employees. Congrats - you're a business owner, but be prepared for all the issues that come along..)
  • (Usually) Higher hourly wage. Depending on the field, it can be MUCH higher, but usually not guaranteed after the contract work is done. Not many companies are willing to pay $125/hr for someone to maintain a database after the initial development and polishing work is done.
  • Tax deductions for home-office. I didn't go this far, but I believe even partial rent/utilities/furniture/computer/car/gas/insurance can be included if you dedicate a room to your office but have to travel to clients for work/meetings.


Cons:
  • No steady/guaranteed paycheck. Depending on your market size, it *can* be difficult to build up a reputation and maintain solid contracts.
  • No company benefits. No 401k. No health/dental/vision insurance. No travel expense reimbursement. No profit sharing. No pension.
  • Paying your taxes - since you're not paying taxes during the year, expect to pay 20-40% of the money you've collected during the year to the government by April 15th!
  • Solely responsible for customer satisfaction - some are FAR more demanding and picky than reasonable, but you'll have to deal with that to uphold a reputation for your work. Remember - you're being hired to do something they can't do, and that usually means that they can't even convey exactly what they want in the first place. Be prepared to have to re-do work to suit them after they change their mind for the 19th time. Sometimes you end up NOT working your own hours since you've got 100 hours of work to do in a week to make all your cusomers happy.