Technical Self-Employment Is A Fat Paycheck Waiting to Be Pocketed by Grant Barrett is a fantastic read.

"As a working-class guy I kind of accepted long ago that I wasn't going to make a fortune or anything like that. What I figured was that if I worked hard, if I became a cop or I joined the phone company or something like that, at least I would have a regular working-class or middle-class life. At least you'd make your 50 grand or 55 grand a year. The government would take out your taxes, but you'd have something left over."