Autocad Drafting over the Internet
Q. I was wondering maybe some companies have draftsmen working entirely out of
their homes. Does anyone know if this sort of thing is done? Does anyone
know anything about it?
A. I guess I fit this situation. I operate a home-based CAD service and have
clients that I do work for
from home as well as from their offices. Some clients require work done
occasionally and others
for a longer period of time. The occasional work I normally do from home
and the longer ones
are usually worked on at their offices. I think on longer contracts the
client prefers to have a CAD
operator at their site since there is quicker access to the project
managers, etc.., and their work
can be reviewed on demand. I have done work via the Internet and it works
great.
Depending on the scope of work required for the project, I believe if the
corresponce between the client and the CAD operator is setup properly, it is
a "win-win" situation. The client requires less office space and maintains
staff only when necessary, and, the CAD operator has his/her own business
with the benefit of certain tax breaks (be sure to research the appropriate
tax rules if you are considering this). On the down side, you can't feel
secure about your income since you are not a full time employee.
I've been self-employed for the last four years and it has been rewarding,
but, I'm considering taking on a full-time position to elevate the knots in
my stomach when work gets scarce. If you can take the ups and downs of
self-employment and a have a nest-egg built up for the slow times (I would
recommend at
least 3-4 months living/operating expenses) then this might be your ball
game.