I contracted for 10 years, then switched to a full-time job at a unicorn. Salary-wise, I calculated my yearly netto for the last contracting year, and submitted it to the HR as the netto salary I want to have. They approved in a blink of an eye.

The main problem with contracting is lack of career path and random, not very interesting projects where the contractor has little say.

The downside of employee life is non-technical meetings, personality trainings and yearly reviews. They make me feel like a kid.

I also miss the luxury of buying VAT-free tax-deducible gadgets.