
Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister writes about the
no-win scenario facing today's independent programmers: "In a knowledge economy, programmers rank among our most valuable workers, yet the current legal and regulatory climate makes a career as an independent software developer virtually a dead-end prospect."
Section 1706 of the 1986 Tax Reform Act, the hurdles and costs of obtaining health care for one's own family, a hostile legal climate in search of
accountability for any defects in code - these harsh realities make it "easy to see why software developers would give up on entrepreneurship. For many, the risks simply don't match the potential rewards. Better to keep their heads down, not rock the boat, and
hope they can hang onto their jobs until retirement."
Member since:
2006-01-11
It's not about competency.
I have an incurable chronic medical condition, though it's completely controlled by a rather pricey drug (about $1K per month). Since I'm in the US, this means that I can't work as an independent consultant or even in a very small business.
Health care reform could fix this.