What certifications do I need to be a contractor?

PCGamer5

I have a tutor who set me up on a career path to become a contractor, and, his knowledge is very valuable to me, and, finding a worthy replacement is difficult.

I have A+, Network+, and Security+, and, I'm pursuing other certs and he got me started teach me how to code an application in Visual Basic before I learn other languages.

Well, let's just say there was an incident he had with my father, so, a replacement may be likely, and, my mom talked to people and they said to go to college, which, I don't really agree with because the certs teach what the colleges don't. And, my tutor doesn't agree with that, either. Besides, once I do become a contractor, I will go back to school part-time.

Are there any other certs I need to acquire? Any other things to learn about?

ande0255

It depends on what types of jobs you'd be contracting for, that is really the only answer without specifying what you'll be doing. Generally I think of a contractor as a one man march band, so I'd say a bit of everything is required, again unless you are specializing in one area.

Hammer80

No offense but that was painful to read, and this is coming from a person that speaks English as a 2nd language. Your use of punctuation is horrid. I agree with your mom go to college and at least take English Composition. Writing is very essential in the business world. I cannot tell you how many times I have received emails from within my company where nothing makes sense, there is no punctuation, and is written on 1st grade level. If you spend enough time on this forum you will notice that no matter how many certifications we all have, anybody that does not have a college degree regrets it big time. This is one of the reasons that Western Governors University is so popular on this forum.

In order to become a contractor you better know your stuff, unless you want work at a $10 an hour tech support job. Being a contractor also come with its own set of challenges such as tax since you would be a 1099 employee instead of W2, this means you are responsible for paying your taxes not the company. A lot of people run into issues with the IRS on this, they get a 1099 job and forget to set aside a certain amount of their paycheck to pay taxes at the end of the year. Lack of Health Insurance may also pose a problem, if you're young this may not seem like a big deal but trust me it is, I had some health issue in my mid 20's and I also work with a guy which on his 19th birthday found out that he had a massive tumor that was consuming his jaw bone.

If your parents are footing the bill for college than go to college, majority of us have to take out student loans and trust me it sucks paying for it 10-20 years down the road. Very few us get this opportunity and it sucks trying to go back once you're in your 30's, married, and have kids.