I love being my own boss. I often say that I will never work for someone else again. However, Hurricane Ike has forced me to be realistic about my prospects as an independent business person.
My client base is in Southeast Texas. Looking at the pictures of the devastation of the area (see here), I think it will be many weeks before power is even restored. Two-thirds of the power infrastructure in southeast Texas is currently down. Many residential and business buildings have been flooded and won’t be habitable for months. That means those clients won’t be back in business in the near-term. If there aren’t any businesses spending money on outsourced IT, then my personal income is going to be very hard to come by.
So I’ve started trolling the job sites again for the first time in years. I’m a CCNP, have been in IT for 17 years and have extensive project management and technical experience. There are plenty of jobs out there, but do I really want them? Am I ready to pack up my family and move? If I do, I probably won’t go back into business for myself anytime soon. I’ll have to answer to a boss again.
FEMA is supposed to offer something similar to unemployment benefits for those affected by the hurricane. That may be an option to temporarily hold us over until business picks up again. I hate the idea of relying on government programs to survive, but I’ve paid my taxes in the past just like the next guy.
So, this is one of those points when a life-changing decision must be made. Do I want to start over somewhere new? Do I go back to southeast Texas and stick it out (thanks to unemployment benefits) until business picks up again?
(view comments)
