I really didn't mean to turn you off to the idea...just honest about how it has been in my life. There are opportunities everywhere (I'm sure even including La Crosse) and you can do a lot by telecommuting. Many contractors I know work local, I'm one of the few who like the travel and choose short-term contracts around the country. Just like developers, there are many different personalities of management style. I came off of one contract where the client was over my shoulder the entire time and most of what I was doing was debugging legacy code. My current client has allowed me to learn as I develop and, within a basic framework, I have almost total freedom in how I approach my project. You really won't know until you try. If you want to learn the most, become the best and be in better control of your financial viability, then you should definately try it. Did I mention that I usually take about four months off a year and play?

Don't rely on just me and John...there are many different breeds of contractors and you should wait to hear what they have to say...

Renoir