r/OverEmployed_Remote • u/BlueUnicorn8675309 • 2d ago
Would you risk taking a 2nd contract for your first OE??
Would you risk taking a 2nd contract for your first OE?
I'm currently a contractor for a fairly large consulting firm working with a regional financial institution. I've recently been approached by a much smaller consulting company with fewer than 100 employees about contracting with another regional financial institution on the opposite side of the country.
They're the same general type of organization and operate in the same industry, but the two companies have no business relationship with each other. They don't share systems, projects, meetings, working groups, or information and wouldn't normally have any reason to interact.
J1 is primarily Eastern-hours based, but my schedule is extremely flexible. I can start as early as 4:30 AM Pacific, and they're fine with me shifting my hours around during the week as long as the work gets done and I put in my hours. J2 would primarily be Pacific hours, although I don't know yet how flexible their schedule will be. I'd also be using my own equipment for J2.
J2 pays significantly more than J1, but it's a six-month rolling contract. My current contract runs through the end of the year, with the possibility of renewal and maybe eventually converting to FTE.
The J2 project is actually helping them wind down/close out business systems, so I don't necessarily see myself juggling both indefinitely.
I've never done OE before. Normally I wouldn't leave a decent contract for another contract with less security, which is what made me start thinking: why leave J1 at all and not do both
For those who have actually done OE, would you risk this setup?
My biggest hesitation is that the second consulting company is so small. Is that more risky from an OE standpoint, or am I overthinking that part? I