I work at Wells Fargo. Software engineer. Full-time. Forty hours weekly.

And I run Forte Web Designs on the side.

People ask why I don't quit and go full-time with consulting. Fair question. The consulting income is good. Growing. Could probably replace my salary eventually.

But I'm keeping the day job. Here's why.

Financial stability removes desperation.

When your consulting income needs to pay all your bills, you can't afford to be selective. Every potential client becomes essential. You take projects that aren't quite right because you need the money.

I don't have that pressure. My Wells Fargo salary covers everything. Mortgage. Bills. Savings. The consulting money is extra. Nice to have but not necessary.

That freedom changes everything. I can turn down bad-fit projects. Can be honest when automation isn't the solution. Can recommend clients wait until they're ready instead of pushing to close a deal.

My clients get better service because I'm not desperate for their business. Sounds counterintuitive. But it's true.

I stay sharp on enterprise systems.

Wells Fargo runs massive systems. Millions of customers. Complex infrastructure. High security requirements. Regulatory compliance.

Working in that environment teaches you things you can't learn building small business tools. How to design for scale. How to handle edge cases. How to think about security and compliance.

Those lessons transfer to consulting work. Even small businesses benefit from enterprise thinking. Better architecture. Cleaner code. More reliable systems.

If I went full-time consulting, I'd only work on small to medium projects. Valuable work. But I'd lose touch with enterprise-level problems. My skills would narrow.

I get exposure to new technology.

Wells Fargo invests in tools and platforms I'd never justify for consulting projects. Enterprise software. Advanced monitoring. Cutting-edge infrastructure.

I learn those systems. Understand their strengths and limitations. Sometimes find ways to apply concepts to smaller projects.

That cross-pollination works both ways. I learn things in consulting that improve how I work at Wells Fargo. I see problems at Wells Fargo that help me recognize patterns in client work.

Each job makes me better at the other.

I have colleagues and mentors.

Consulting is lonely. You work alone. Make decisions alone. Solve problems alone. No team to bounce ideas off. No senior engineers to learn from.

At Wells Fargo, I'm surrounded by smart people. Engineers who've been doing this for decades. Architects who design systems I'd never encounter in consulting.

I learn from them. Ask questions. Get feedback. That's valuable. More valuable than people realize when they're eager to quit and work for themselves.

When I go full-time consulting someday, I'll lose that. It's a trade-off. For now, I'm keeping it.

I'm building consulting slowly.

If consulting was my only income, I'd need to grow fast. Take on more clients. Build a team. Scale up. That's the only way to make full-time consulting financially viable.

But I don't want that. At least not yet. I like being a solo consultant. Small client base. Deep work on interesting problems. No management overhead.

The day job lets me keep consulting small and sustainable. I can take my time. Choose projects carefully. Maintain quality.

No pressure to scale before I'm ready.

There are downsides.

I'm not pretending this is perfect.

Working two jobs is tiring. Even when one is part-time. Some weeks I'm stretched thin. Juggling deadlines from both. Saying no to personal plans because I have client work.

And there's a ceiling. I can only take so many consulting projects while working full-time. That limits growth. Limits income potential.

If I went all-in, I could probably make more money. Could take on bigger clients. Could hire people and build an agency.

Maybe that's the eventual path. But I'm not in a rush.

This works for me. Might not work for you.

If you hate your day job, quit. Life's too short to be miserable forty hours weekly just for stability.

If you have dependents who rely on your income, maybe you need the security. Maybe you can't afford the risk of full-time consulting.

If you're young with low expenses, now's the time to take risks. Try consulting full-time. Worst case, you can always get another job.

If you're close to retirement, probably not the time to leave a stable job with good benefits.

Everyone's situation is different. There's no universal right answer.

For me, right now, this is right.

I like the variety. Engineering work at Wells Fargo. Consulting work with small businesses. Different problems. Different scales. Keeps things interesting.

I like the stability. Knowing my bills are covered no matter what happens with consulting. No financial stress. No pressure to compromise on project quality for cash flow.

I like the learning. Enterprise experience informing consulting work. Consulting work informing enterprise experience. Getting better at both.

Eventually I might go full-time consulting. When Forte Web Designs is bigger. When I've built enough client base that growth feels natural. When I'm ready for that next chapter.

But there's no deadline. No rush. I'm building this the way I want to build it.

And for now, that includes keeping the day job.