When I was in US, one of our teams had permanent employees as well as contract staff.
It was really interesting to see how some from each group viewed the other.
Some contract staff always talked how good it must be to be permanent employees. They get a stable pay, job security, can return back to your country, have a team to manage, grow professionally.
Some permanent employees felt contract staff had it all. They were independent, can take up any work of their choice, can decide their billing rate, no appraisals, not much process, can move to different cities, can afford to take time off.
And eventually folks who moved to other side were those who were fine with where they were. They had a need / reason to move and they did it. For some it was immediate, for some it took time.
But funny thing is, folks who always felt sorry for being on their side, never took the leap. There was some security that the current situation provided that made them reluctant to move.
I think the best thing to do if we are in that state is to
- Introspect to see what is preventing us to take the step
- Decide to move on or to stay put
- Stop brooding and enjoy the journey
There are no right or wrong moves. Just different paths.