8 Pros and Cons of Software Engineer Contract Work You May Not Be Aware Of

From September 2008 to March 2010, contract work increased 2% and part time jobs increased 16%, while temporary, permanent and full-time positions decreased significantly (-19%, -36%, -4% respectively). Read on to discover why software engineer contract work may prove to be a safer, smarter career move for you.
Software engineer contract work offers many benefits over permanent positions, although it has its downfalls. Here are some characteristics of contract work which may help determine whether or not it is a good fit for you:

Contract work pros:

Money – usually the pay will be better than permanent positions since there is less overhead incurred by the employer.

Flexibility – since you are paid on an hourly rate, you are not obliged to go over your set weekly hours. In many cases you are on your own time. Also, taking contract positions allows you to work on several different projects with different companies.

Experience – contract jobs allow you to gain experience and training in several different areas of expertise. This can be a great resume builder, however, you want to avoid being labeled a job-hopper, so show some concentration in specific areas.

Work from home opportunities – many contract employment opportunities are work from home. While some employees feel the need for a structured environment, many love the freedom offered by working from home (and its gas saving benefits!). If you work from home, you may qualify for a tax deduction for a home-based office.

Tax-deductions – contractors can claim tax-deductable business expenses. Make sure to keep record of any money you spend on office supplies, phone calls, and anything else related to job expenses. Also keep a log of the amount of miles that you travel in your car to get to and from your contracting job, as this can be another deductable expense.

Contract work cons:

Less benefits – this isn’t always the case if you find a generous company that is willing to negotiate your contract terms.

Uncertainty – during the economic downturn the average job-seeker was searching primarily for job stability. Now that things have eased up, contract work is gaining back its desirability for those who enjoy its benefits.

Taxes and health insurance – While full-time employees have taxes withheld from their paychecks, contractors must take care of their own taxes. Contractors are responsible for paying self-employment tax, which covers social security and Medicare. Additionally they are responsible for paying estimated taxes, which consists of self-employment and income tax in quarterly installments based upon what they expect to earn in the year.

Contract work can be highly beneficial to some, while not so fitting for others. Since much of software engineer work is project based, many of you in the field should be comfortable with this position type. In many cases software engineer contract work will be the most sensible choice for those in the industry and I highly recommend experiencing it at some point in your career. It can always be used as a gateway into a permanent position and is a great way to test if the company is a good fit for you. Always remember, over 70% of contract jobs turn into permanent positions, so there is a good chance it will open up opportunities down the road (Source: IBISWorld).

Employment agencies are often a good resource for finding contract work. Another option is to use freelancing resources.

How to Fix DLL Error

When you are using your computer, you should be aware of some windows errors which may make your computer perform awfully. DLL error is one kind of the windows errors to which you should pay close attention. If your computer is suffering it, you should try to fix it.What is a DLL?A DLL is a file which collects many small programs, and these programs will be called upon when needed by a larger program or application. In simple word, the DLL allow programs or applications to do certain things.There are a variety of DLL errors, and when it appears on your computer, you can not open certain programs. Some may even create much more other problems.What causes DLL error?This kind of error can take place for a great many reasons. It usually appears when you install or uninstall a software program improperly. When you surf the Internet, this error may also appear because some Trojan and malware can attack your PC and modify the registry. DLL error is frequent when you do not fix registry errors regularly.How to fix DLL error?It is almost impossible to get rid of this error completely by hand because it usually appears unexpectedly, and many users usually do not know their computers are suffering this error until their computers totally break down.But do not worry when you see this error on your computer. You can seek an assistance to help you. Without spending a lot of money or consulting experts, you can use a PC registry cleaner software to fix DLL error. This cleaner can perform an all-around scan of your computer and fix all the corrupted and damaged files.This registry cleaner is easy and convenient to use. With one click, it will list and clear all the PC errors as well as DLL after a two-minute scan. Then you will find your computer run as a new one. Besides this, this cleaner has many other functions. It can help you manage startup programs, Internet Explorer, registry, windows system and memory so that the performance of your computer can be improved.

Tips to Start Your Own IT Business

Every year, thousands of graduates pass out from college. With the rising quantum of opportunities available today, all those looking to start their own IT business can do so more easily now.First of all, it must be understood that not everyone can afford to start multi-million dollar computer related Conglomerates. However, if you are tech-savvy and a risk-taker, you can take advantage of the opportunities available to start your own IT company. The major hurdle with many fresh graduates however lies in identifying business opportunities and making strategies to invest in them. This article shares some of the ideas you can use to start your own IT services business.1. Start a Computer Repair ShopCan you handle complicated hardware? With time, state-of-the-art computers that the big giants are using will start breaking down, and right there will be your opportunity to indirectly reap from their investments. However, you need to understand what type of machines the big businesses are using in order to effectively arm yourself with the right knowledge. Right now, Mac repairs are topping the computer repair industry. It will pay to arm yourself with some basics about Mac repairs.The fact that many businesses are using Macs does not completely rule out investing in PC repairs today too. Remember, there is always the medium level investors to target too.2. Starting an IT consultancy firmThe other small and medium IT-related sector that is set for a booming bloom is the IT support sector. This is by far one of the simplest computer service areas tech-savvy graduates can invest in. A support service requires nothing more than the knowledge you already have. Computer service providers who wish to invest in consultancy firms must ensure that they are constantly keeping themselves up to date with current technology related news.3. IT Outsourcing ServicesApart from laptop repair services and IT support consultancies, starting an outsourcing business is another great idea for younglings who want a taste of the IT business sector. With time, the conglomerates will need out-of-premises employees to handle their data entry or call center jobs. Those who will have positioned themselves for this will have a chance to maximally earn and thrive in the BPO business.While the above might not form an exhaustive list of what you can do to make it big in the IT industry, it surely does help you decide a bit more. With the exponential growth in the IT industry that is witnessed today, you can be sure to make it big provided you take the right steps.

US Health Care Workers Benefit As Medical Scrubs Receive A High-Tech Makeover

There is no question that technology drives the health care industry. Advancements in equipment, drugs and research have paved the way for the elimination of many diseases and the quick and successful treatment of a variety of illnesses and injuries. In turn, we’re living longer than ever before and it’s safe to say we’ve come a long way since blood-letting.And yet with all these advancement’s, there is one glaringly low-tech component to the health care industry. One that impacts between 3 and 4 million health care workers, predominantly nurses, and is so synonymous with the medical profession that even a TV series was named after them.Medical scrubs, so named due to the scrubbing of hands prior to surgery, have been seen throughout hospitals, dental offices and veterinarian clinics for more than 60 years. Prior to the 1940′s most surgeons wore something akin to a butcher’s apron to protect their street clothes while nurses wore head to toe garments which were called “fever uniforms.”But as the industry became more aware of the need for clean, bacteria-free work environments, white “smocks” were introduced to emphasize cleanliness. However, with the bright lights and white walls of most hospitals eye strain became an issue and in the 1950′s and 60′s medical workers turned towards various shades of green to combat eye fatigue and make blood less conspicuous. By the 1970s, scrubs arrived at the design that is still common today: a short-sleeve V-necked shirt and drawstring pants. While most were made of cotton, polyester blends were also introduced.Yet over the past few decades the only real changes to scrubs have come in the way of color and print options and some minor design variations. But with a recent trustees report by the American Medical Association recommending research in to textile transmission of health-care associated infections, it seems clear that medical scrubs will need to move from their low-tech past in to a high-tech future.The past year or so has seen a few forward-thinking manufacturers releasing scrubs infused with antimicrobial technology. While the properties have yet to be developed to the point where all bacteria is killed on contact these early efforts are showing promise. At the very least, those choosing to wear these innovative scrubs are being provided with a host of benefits such as sweat, odor and stain resistance as well as temperature control. Until recently however, these properties would wash out of the garment in short order. But a Tennessee company has recently launched a scrubs line that has solved that problem with a product that is breaking new ground in the $750 million medical apparel industry.Performance Healthcare Products came to the scrubs industry via a line of sleepwear they developed specifically for women battling night sweats. CEO Kirby Best, who was first introduced to sweat-wicking materials as the former driver for the Canada 1 national bobsled team, began exploring how “smart materials” could be incorporated in to the health care industry.”When I first began looking in to the health care industry I was a little shocked to learn of the lack of innovation in the scrubs market,” said Best from his Nashville headquarters. “It just didn’t make much sense. And when we started surveying nurses about was important to them in their uniforms it seemed clear that there was some distance between what they wanted and what they had access to.”Working with one of the largest chemical and textile manufacturers in the world, the Spartanburg, South Carolina headquartered Milliken and Company, Best and his team focused their efforts on a creating a fabric that utilizes the naturally occurring element of silver to provide the long-lasting antimicrobial protection they were after. The application comes in the form of microscopic silver ions which are encased in engineered ceramic “cages” and then embedded into a soft yet durable, breathable fabric. Silver”We knew the technology was strong but the big question mark was if it would hold up,” said Best who was aware that other attempts at providing antimicrobial technology resulted in the active properties washing out quickly. “My team and I spent a lot of time in front of our washing machines.”After rigorous testing and convinced that the technology would be effective for the lifetime of the garment Best went to work on a design and turned to the logical resources to assist him. “I’m not a nurse. And for me to create a design would have been a mistake. For these scrubs to work they had to meet the demands of our audience. That was the whole point of launching a scrubs line. To give professional nurses something they both wanted and needed.”The resulting product was dubbed Performance Scrubs and it has created a new benchmark for ‘smart materials’ in the industry. Best also delivered on his goal to meet his audience’s demands by using recent textile innovations to meld softness with extraordinary durability, two important factors for nurses who are almost always responsible for purchasing and laundering their own scrubs. Performance is also the only scrubs company in the industry that does all their manufacturing in the United States which allows nurses to customize their scrubs with color, piping and design options.Next up for Best is developing a line of scrubs that kills many forms of airborne bacteria. With the American Medical Association reporting that infections spread within a hospital or health care setting are responsible for an estimated 1.7 million infections each year, of which approximately 100,000 of these cases resulting in death, there is an urgent need for additional protection to both the worker and the patient. And with an additional $20 billion cost to the health care industry to combat these infections each year there is certainly a financial incentive for the industry to explore new safety innovations.”We really weren’t aware of the depth of the problem when we began developing our product,” said Best. “But hopefully, the success of our line will lead others to look for ways to keep both workers and patients safe and protected. I mean, that’s the point of health care, isn’t it?