>>935738CTH = Contract To Hire
DailyWTF = a website with stories about fucked up code
Industry = software development
Full Time = yes, more operations than development now though
Why not be a contractor? Because I excel at programming and I work well with people who actually use software. They need a feature, I write it, they find a bug, I fix it. That should be all there is to it, HOWEVER...
Very Serious People like to keep programmers away from the end-user (and, often, in a very narrow silo within your skill set). So you never know what they really need or what their real problem is, let alone have the authority to do anything about either. The boss knows nothing about programming or the work that programs are supposed to facilitate yet is directing everything. Obey without question or security will see you out.
Outshining others is a great way to get your contract cut short. The only time it works is if your boss isn't stupid. Unfortunately, your boss usually is. Why do companies hire contractors? Because some dummy (boss) thought firing in-house support was a great idea (nope). Because some dummy (boss) hired slugs that can't keep up or is burying an alright team in stupidity. Because some dummy (boss), rather than reconsider foolish projects to avoid failure, instead lines up a scapegoat for its inevitable occurrence. Even if it's a benign stupidity, the employees perceive you as a threat and sabotage you 200 different ways and a stupid boss will buy it hook, line, and sinker.
