Anyone here moved from salaried roles to contracting specifically for robotics UI work? I’ve been shipping bespoke operator consoles and HMI dashboards for ROS 2 systems — most recently a Qt/QML panel for a UR5 with a depth-camera grasp pipeline — and the inbound is almost all 3–6 month briefs for custom interfaces and workflow glue. Is this a temporary hiring pattern or a signal to formalize a small studio focused on rapid, craft UI for robots and price per project?
It sounds like you’re riding the contractor wave right now, which can be good if you enjoy flexibility, but don’t forget about the unpredictability that comes with it. Have you considered how you’ll manage benefits? Sometimes it’s like surfing — great fun, but you can wipe out if you’re not careful.
Jumping into contracting for ROS 2 work can be lucrative, especially if you’re comfortable with quick turnarounds like those 3–6 month briefs you mentioned. Just make sure you’ve got a solid buffer for downtime between gigs. Have you thought about how you’d handle income fluctuations, especially with projects like custom interfaces for depth cameras?
Contracting for custom UIs can definitely be rewarding, especially with those quick 3–6 month projects… Just be prepared for the gaps between gigs! Have you thought about building a portfolio website to showcase your work?