I dont have a boss.  Its that simple.  I dont live for that paycheck, and the perceived "Security" it gives.

Also, University Professors are failures in their field.
They are also retired from their field, and wish to kill some time.

Either way, they are not on top of their field.

There are exceptions.......but the majority are how I describe them.

Bunch of angry libs, upset at everything that isnt of their order.

@ Alan

My clients "Demands" are not absolute.  I work off a predetermined contract.  I have time-lines and goals that are set by me, and agreed upon by a client.  After that, its all about meeting the goals.  Thats all I have to answer to.

"Dependent on others?"   Im more "Dependent" on my workers, or my suppliers.  Its not a short-term barter scenario Im in.
Im not "Dependent" on my clients.  They are "dependent" on me.

I dont think you understand the concept: Contractor.

Thats the master plan

Then, I can thank congress for bailing out the bank that made the loan to the LLC that I just bilked......

Or, I can make sure the LLC has no officers, except me 

indeed. An employee choses his bos as well. You chose your clients. Both make demands towards their clients/bosses and visa versa. That's how our survivalist economy works: the best fitting survives best...

No matter if you are a contractor or not, you need to perform to a certian standard expected by those paying the money... in fact possibly more so. You have a contract and in it will be terms on what you will do and to what standard... if you don't then those who were going to pay, or foolishly paid up front, can get upset and not pay/demand their money back. Or maybe next time go to someone else and give them the money, tell all their friends about the bad workmanship or whatever... you lose buissness you lose money. Your income is based on your reputation and the paying consumers perception of your work. You therefore have responsibilities back to the consumer.

If somehow you have managed to find a job where you have no responsibilities for actually doing a good standard of work, get money and not lose customers... then good for you, become a politician... it sounds like what they do.

As for my lecturers, I think you need to do ENG 101 again. The one I was talking about was the top when he was teaching me, i can't vouch for now because he probably has retired... it was a few years back afterall. When he was teaching he was still considered the top of his field. I know this is hard to comprehend for you, being so tied up with wanting to be right and all, but you need to realise that continuing toi argue your point is just going to make you look sillier than you already are... give up, we win..

Oh as for me, I have only really just started thats true, I am not the top of my field, but then I wasn't the top of my class anyway, somewhere near the bottom is a better description... I blame high school personally, i breezed through that and once I made it to uni and had to actually try I was found wanting a bit in my work ethic... of course I have turned that around somewhat, desire to make money and all.. because despite what you think I am not a socialist, I am a liberal, but the one that likes freedoms and lack of government intervention. I also think that middle aged fathers who think they know everything are about as bad as teenage girls...

"I would hope a worker is able to shop his skills to multiple bosses.  I also hope he is not trapped in a Union field that Puts ceilings on his ability to earn a fair wage."

I'm not going to start a discussion about unions, as that will require another thread and I'll be leaving on a vacation tomorrow

"I dont Choose my Clients, Alan.  My clients choose me.  When they choose me, I become the boss of their project.
All they have to do is hand me the check, and we move on to the next phase.
In between phases, if they breech the contract.....I have the option of walking.  Its something I rarely do, as I said before.  It is bad business to walk, but its also something you must do to survive.  Cant have an overbearing owner.  You learn to pick these types out when you do the intitial meet though."

Yes, they chose you, and because of that, they have certain demands, pretty much like a solicitor gets chosen by his boss. When they chose a particular employee, he became boss of that position too (it might be a project). The bosses too pay the employee.
In between phases, a boss has to meet certain agreements too, or the employee walks. Not much difference there is there? In both cases (employee or your situation) the bosses/clients can redraw the position/project. In the first case, you're unemployed and in the 2nd you lose a paying client. I took your comment and paralelled it (by replacing you with an employee). You can twist it and turn it, but from a macro vision it's all the same

@ Fool

Why do I even bother with you ?  What contractor does work w/o being paid first ?
If you dont know that concept of business, Contracting..... why bother commenting ?
Do you think the project gets finished, then I get paid ?
Do you think Boeing, or Airbus builds the planes, then gets paid for them ?
Do you think Trump builds a building, then gets paid after its done ?

Obviously, my company does not meet the time line/goal or budget then obviously, I (the Company) am not fulfilling my side of the contract.
In a contract, all material and from what manufacturer are specified. 

". . .no responsibilities for actually doing a good standard of work."
>>Thats breach of contract

ENG101...rofl.... Oh yea.  Im sure I need that.  Yea, your "professor" is god.  I know.  I look silly oh....ahem... Sillier ??
Sillier ..... Nice.  Not one post w/o some insult.........thats why I even wonder why I bother.

"I also think that middle aged fathers who think they know everything are about as bad as teenage girls..."
That's why you are a still a child.  And, my prophecy will one day come true.
You will one day have children, and be judged by children who think they have it all figured out.

"I am not the top of my field, but then I wasn't the top of my class anyway, somewhere near the bottom is a better description... I blame high school personally. . ."

hehe.... No shit.  Like it took a genius to figure that out.  Im no genius.
I agree totally.  You act like you were at the bottom of your class.

@ Alan

I dont know what to say.   Can you kick a boss out of the shop/office ?  No.  He is the project manager.  The CEO is the top, he is the boss.

No "Client" Alan, "Client" can walk on my job site.  Even when its his property.  He is not allowed on my job site w/o my OK.
A boss can walk on the floor of his shop or office.  He pays the workers.
I pay my workers on the job site.  Not the client.
I pay for the supplies, material, tools on the job site, not the client.
The "Client" gives up his rights to be on the job site, when he signs the "Contract."

I own the Contract.....not the client.

I dont know how many ways to explain this.   If you dont understand the concept of what a "Contractor" is....then why bother trying to tell me ?   Why dont you ask me, and I can help you understand......as Im trying to do here.

There is no phase of the "Contract" that I am not prepaid for.  You dont do work, or fund payroll, or purchase material,  w/o the funding already in place.

Can the client pull the funding ??  ROFL>.....sure, then I walk off the site.  And if the client decides to fund the project again.....It costs additional to get me back on site again.  Why?  because it costs money to vacate, and set up again.  Because the client breached the contract once, and it will take a bit more of a funding cushion to get me to accept the contract again.

Do you have a question ??  Or do you wish to tell me my field again ?

EDIT:  Pull the funding.....I mean, not fund the next phase.  Also, the Material for the job is left on site if I walk....again ... walking off a site is very rare.

One more thing.  A owner after a phase can walk on a site, and claim I am not meeting my obligation, and then not fund the next phase.  True...... I have been sued ONCE in 15 years.   I won that suit, and won a counter claim.  The Client was in Breach, ..... and, I won the counter suit.  I received all the material from the site, and a portion of the next round of funding to compensate me for my troubles.  We came to an agreement, and I finished the job for him.   WHY ??  Because Im a nice guy, and he was just stubborn....or....he was trying to get over.  He would have been out a lot of money If I took the material and the penalty.  I made a deal ...what was I to do w/the material ??  Store it until used ?  Better to use it there where intended, and finish the job.  Let him keep the penalty, and put it toward the next phase.   He wins, I win.
The job got done, and we are actually cordial today, and to boot, he has gotten me more work from others.

Thats good business.

50% up 50% when finished ??? 
You little twat.  What do you think Im doing, painting your mothers kitchen ?
Installing a Water heater ??
You are a FOOL ! ! !

Im gay ??  hehe.

Punk boy.  Run along kid, you bother me.

Ya see.  I wonder why I even bothered.
Punk.

BW: it doesn't really matter what you actually do, given the fact I was tlaking in generalisations to begin with anyway, i was trying to be more specific for you given the fact your intellect is severley lacking... In any case it doesn't matter how much or when you get paid, because if you get paid you have a responsibility to do the job. Also someone has to have chosen you at some point to do the job, whihc means you have to have met certian criteria they consider to be important to the job they want done. No matter who writes the contract it is still a 2-way system, unless you are in a monopoly, then maybe things are different... but then its not really great right wing economics then is it? Its more left wing.... and since you are right wing that measn you must have competition, and thus muyst met certian standards and thus have expectations to live up to, much like any other employee.

Just face it BW, you belong to the man, he tells you what to do... the "man" owns you!

Acolyte: it was sort of my point that the free market doesn't exisit in the US, and apparently BW's ideas of it are way off as well...