SANS Orlando Fall 2023: Keynote - Employee, Contractor, Consultant: Which Work Model is Best for You?

We are lucky in Infosec. It may not be an easy field to get into, but once in infosec there is plenty of work available and many work models. Most start out as a full time employee. You have a job and work for one organization. You can also be a contractor. Most contractors have one contract with one client at a time, and the terms of remuneration are different than a full time employee and generally one has more freedom. You can also be an independent consultant, which is very different from a contractor although there is overlap. Consultants generally have multiple clients, the ability to earn more money, and far more freedom but not the alleged stability of a longer term contract or full time job. And of course there are also hybrid models as well. In this talk we discuss these work models and their strengths and weaknesses. Which is ideal for you? You may have a different opinion afterwards!