I've been in and out of the corporate world ever since I graduated from college. Like Liam, some of it has been good and some bad and tasteless. I've worked as a contractor and owned my own businesses. The biggest issue which drew me back into corporate society was benefits ... health, dental, vision, life, 401k, retirement. In some areas of North America, most of your smaller companys just simply do not provide benefits. And to provide them for yourself is just simply not affordable, at the same level. So, here I am, working for the soon-to-be 2nd largest telecommunications company in the world. At least I'm in a small market, so we manage to retain a good share of autonomy ... at least until they catch on. They do provide me with excellent benefits and the state-of-the-art tools with which to do my job. And, in addition, there are lots of perks. I'm quite fortunate to work for an individual who understands my need to travel and see friends. So, right now, I'm okay ... but who knows what can happen in a few months. With buy-outs and mergers, etc., even corporate life is not as stable as it once was ... moonchild