In our Welcome to the Contracting World piece we addressed the many reasons why engineering and other technical specialists embark on the career path of a professional contractor. To some, one of the biggest attractions of being a full time contractor is the constant change. That attraction of change can be from job to job, working with new people, change of pace, new challenges, or for some, change of location.
For many people traveling is a chance to get away, a chance to relax and unwind. For others, traveling can be a burden, or an unnecessary expense. For contractors, traveling is just another element to their career path, their Life on the Road. This type of traveling is typically not as glamorous as the Hollywood box offices make it seem, with the nightlife, the fine dining, the exotic locations, but Life on the Road can be a chance to meet new people, experience a new culture and provide a change of scenery.
As a contractor one of the most important parts of the job is networking. Whether you are networking amongst your peers or networking your skillset, one of the best ways to build your network is to meet new people. One of the best ways to meet new people is to journey to new places. Every place you go for work connects you to more people and more potential opportunity. That contractor you worked with and befriended on your last job may be the ticket to your next assignment. You leave each place with relationships that you would have never had before.
According to Statistics Brain, (http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/) the average attention span of a human is approximately 8 seconds compared to the average attention span of a gold fish which is approximately 9 seconds. If this statistic doesn’t prove anything else, it certainly proves that we are busy and easily distracted. This average attention span certainly can’t be accurate for contractors, whose work assignments can be fast-paced and stimulating. Contractors are hired for their expertise and capability in a particular technical domain. Deadlines loom, there is no time for distraction! There is no time for boredom. Working in a new environment, with a new task, in a new city or town does not allow you the time to get bored.
Whatever your thoughts may be about living and working on the road it is part of the job for technical contractors. They embark on their next assignment no matter the location or challenge and they overcome the hurdles. Life on the Road is part of the domain, and until you live it and experience it like a contractor does, you will never know the exact appeal.
