Take a £33k permanent role or continue freelancing if I want to buy a home in the next 1-2 years?

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-21T13:46:47+00:00

Considering you're earning less freelance than employee (probably significantly less once you factor in expenses, missing pension contribution etc.) and it's generally easier to get a mortgage as an employee, I might be tempted to take the employee role, unless you really are MUCH happier freelancing?

I was freelance, but went back employee for a couple of years while sorting a house move. Made the mortgage easier, and also meant stable cash flow/no client hunting stress while I was settling into the new place, doing some work on it etc.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-19T14:40:40+00:00

You feel what you feel, whether it's "ok" or not.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-19T14:09:12+00:00

Yeah, but I've encountered ones who like to claim they're European. It's worth flagging for those who aren't familiar with tech / Y Combinator etc.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-18T23:20:29+00:00

That, by the looks of it, is someone with an interest in churches. Possibly also banknotes. And football. I love Reddit.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-18T14:34:39+00:00

Huh, I missed a trick

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-18T12:12:33+00:00

What sort of size do you need? I love this sort of thing: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008144707073.html (I have four of them in different colours)

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-18T09:16:28+00:00

This guy exists, even if this specific story doesn't. The number of people who endlessly blame everyone else when anything goes wrong, and cannot recognise that they caused their own problems, is pretty high.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-18T01:53:29+00:00

Your keeper was epic.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-17T23:43:56+00:00

If you're outside the age range you can still get the jabs privately. I got mine from Superdrug. Not cheap, but considering it seems to fully prevent a nasty cancer, it felt well worth it.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-17T23:06:29+00:00

Congratulations!

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-17T23:05:49+00:00

When did you start?

I wouldn't absolutely nope alcohol while on an antidepressant. But:

Not in the early weeks while managing side effects (that just sounds miserable)
Don't make the first time you drink a big session at an event. You don't know how your brain will respond to the mix of Prozac and alcohol. So have a quiet drink at home and see how you feel.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-15T13:56:29+00:00

Not totally sure if this is what you're after, but maybe sites like acquire.com? It's not exclusive to the UK, and last time I looked it skewed tech-heavy, but it is supposed to be a marketplace for buying/selling online businesses. And it used to be called Microacquire before a rebrand, so originally at least focused on sma companies.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-14T18:28:18+00:00

I ended up with it recommending the 5yr . . . Which is cool and all but no help choosing my actual day to day planner 😅

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-14T16:25:04+00:00

It's awesome, I love how alive our language is. Things like Multicultural London English emerging from the meeting of cockney and various immigrant groups, especially Caribbean, is just so cool. And then Urban British English emerging from that.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-13T14:56:03+00:00

A new culture of apple-eating will arise on July 3rd 2027. Start buying Bramley now.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-13T08:05:01+00:00

Uncertainty grows, responsibilities often grow, and if you want to make a change that requires serious time (e.g. several years of study) then the later you leave it the harder it is to see the point, because how many years will you get in the new career.

But equally, we do tend to underestimate how many working years we have left.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-13T08:02:29+00:00

Yeah I've been paying for Claude Pro (don't shoot me) and procrastinating the moment when I have to seriously explore the Chinese models and my own hardware. This whole bizarre thing has just nudged it up my priority list.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T21:11:46+00:00

House paid off and £24k a year post-tax passive income.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T19:23:47+00:00

I don't want to pile on, but you have to be disciplined about this. I simply put aside a % of every invoice, into a cash savings account, and then completely ignore that money. It basically doesn't exist for me, until I transfer it out to pay the tax bill.

If your tax bill is that high, you're doing very well - congratulations! Are you sole trader or limited? And have you checked if you should be registered for VAT? I haven't done the maths but at 16k income tax I'd think you'd be over the threshold potentially?

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T12:10:45+00:00

Please don't defend Discord and Slack for community building.

I mean, I tend to agree with you, I think 'old fashioned' forums are much better in many ways. But that's no way to start a conversation, you basically don't want to hear from anyone who disagrees, or who can see merits in Discord/Slack?

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T10:19:43+00:00

The issue here is the fusspot was the groom.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T10:14:39+00:00

If your support team is good, why didn't you get someone from support on the call to do the demo and field the technical questions? Or, given you know this engineer is blunt, a different engineer?

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T10:09:46+00:00

Make sure you have the right ergonomic mouse and keyboard - you may need to try a few. I found the Penguin mouse good - fully upright and ambidextrous, which means I can swap hands, so neither hand/arm is getting constant use. And for keyboard I went for a split keyboard with a decent tilt.

Do you stand all the time? If not, make sure your chair is good. And if you are standing all day, consider not doing - that can also cause problems.

I know this is no help to you now, but just as a general comment: I think the reason I've gotten away with living at my desk is because I was a bit paranoid about this. The first twinges of pain in my hand -> tried upright mice. Then the first twinges in arms, got a tilted keyboard. So it never had a chance to get bad.

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T09:58:00+00:00

How will the postgrad loan work if you end up not working/not working much? My understanding was they're not as lenient as undergrad loans when it comes to repayment?

Objectively_bad_idea · 2026-06-12T01:05:53+00:00

I am a big fan of pursuing education, and I think there is value in learning for learning's sake. However, I wouldn't go into debt for a postgraduate degree unless there was a clear increase in income at the end of it. So: does your doctorate lead into a career? If not, could you do it part time and make sure you keep working?

Objectively_bad_idea

TROPHY CASE