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Is contracting on your resume really so bad? I recently made the jump from FTE to contracting because I've always wanted to and it's great. The compensation is higher and I can work the way I want to (put in a ton of effort to get something done, get paid for actual time put in and then move on to the next thing or take a break for a while to play with my two young kids).

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In general, yes, it tends to be looked down on, particularly if it's most of your history. Obviously there are exceptions, but as a general rule, people will assume you are contracting because you could not get a full time position. This is more true at big tech firms that don't hire contractors for "core" engineering roles.

Staff augmentation tends to be looked down on. Freelancing tends to be more respected but can make employers nervous about your long term plans.

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