>>Yes, you observe rightly. We all serve customers. The employee's customer is the employer.
>>
>>A friend told me he thought it would be great to work as an independent (like me), so that he could be his own boss. I smiled and told him it is just the opposite; the consultant serves many bosses--one or more for each client.
>>This creates stress when there are conflicting time demands, and you must sacrifice ohter parts of your life to make time to please your clients.
>Larry, boy did "I Hear That!"
>
>When I complete a contract, I usually take a month or two off to:
>a) Relax,
>b) Spend time with my wife and daughters,
>c) Bone up on the latest tools.
>
>I have been contracting since 1984 and it is a very different way of life -
>I LOVE IT and so do my wife and daughters. But then again, I was always interested in running a business - as a kid, every summer I was out selling something.

Sounds peachy. Too bad the most I can aim for is to work for a consulting company, given my non-existent managerial experience. Yes, I remember being FORCED to take up to a month off due to lack of contracts. I was paid by the hour, so no contracts, no dollars. It only happened once, but one too many times for me. The very same reason that has you on the consulting world drove me out of it.

Regards,

Crescencio