Originally Posted by
JonWB
Whenever a recruitment consultant rings the first thing I say is I don't work Saturday/Sunday/Monday. Not great for aspiring to be a director/partner at my current or future employer, but then I don't want that anyway. I make more money on 4 days per week now, since I have the time to structure my finances such that (a) I pay less tax and (b) I make much better financial investments.
Your post made me chuckle.
For an extended period - I was fortunate enough to be able to be selective just like your post ... so we both know what's possible if there's an irrational demand for services ..... and on some retentions I refused to visit clients at their offices. Sometimes the issues were so dire that it was best not to become emotive about bigger picture issues if you get my drift but focus on the issues in an analystical way rather than an emotive way ...............
I also decided (with the benefit of hindsight one of my better decisions) never to say "no" but to simply price the projects that I didn't fancy at a level that made proceeding absolutely daft economically. It had two effects. The people (or their projects) that I didn't want to work with concluded I was better than I was (or at least irrationally expensive) or even more astonishingly - proceeded
Therein lies the clue for the OP. Often it makes sense to pursue that very narrow bit of the wider area that caught your imagination and interest. So conclude earlier to specialise in something very narrow that you really love and are intrigued by. Something that bugs you and possibly no one else much.
So I'd suggest.
1. (a) Gain as much expertise as possible as a biomedicalengineeringist. (b) Narrow your expertise as your career develops. The narrower the area of expertise the rarer the skills will eventually become.
2. Then, when (a) you become unempoyable or (b) if it makes sense or (c) even more likely if you are fired .... then start your own consultancy business. Keep the overheads low and employ your wife (or husband if appropriate).
3. Travel around the world looking for new business opportunities and put it against tax. Ensure you have a good and arguable paper trail so you can convince the revenue your travel was pucka if they mount an investigation. Your wife (or husband) who is a business partner obviously travels with you.
Working for other people is what you need to do early on. But your travel depends on other people's decisions. Your own business means you decide. One day when you have enough - you tell them all to b**ger off and leave you to your travel without the revenue complication.
Mission accomplished.