I'll endorse everything oldgregg said here PLUS one critical factor: be competent.
You shouldn't expect to jump into the pool with the big dogs unless you can swim. Good talk is one thing, but if you can't back it up with genuine competency (unless you're working solo) you'll be found out fast and nobody will like you. At all. And you can forget about referrals after that.
I've worked large contract jobs for several years and love it. There are a few of us who follow each other around in my industry and we can spot the fakes pretty quickly. If you can really deliver on the goods--i.e., you're as productive as 5 or 6 average programmers and can communicate effectively--you'll be able to ask for what you want and get it most of the time.
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I'll endorse everything oldgregg said here PLUS one critical factor: be competent.
You shouldn't expect to jump into the pool with the big dogs unless you can swim. Good talk is one thing, but if you can't back it up with genuine competency (unless you're working solo) you'll be found out fast and nobody will like you. At all. And you can forget about referrals after that.
I've worked large contract jobs for several years and love it. There are a few of us who follow each other around in my industry and we can spot the fakes pretty quickly. If you can really deliver on the goods--i.e., you're as productive as 5 or 6 average programmers and can communicate effectively--you'll be able to ask for what you want and get it most of the time.