I find fulltime jobs to be full of these kinds of things.

Salary negotiation and all that goes into it, described in part by the OP.

Once a yearly salary is set, the employer's incentive is to make you work longer than 8 hours a day (and many companies encourage a culture of "come early, leave late, for reputation points"). Demanding overtime pay through hinting at legal threats isn't going make your relationship better.

Having to be comfortable selecting an appropriate number of "allowances" on w2 forms if you know you prefer to pay taxes later in the year even if the allowances do not represent havingb actual children etc.

Commitment for minimum 1-2 years, asking for time off within the first year can be hairy.

Giving no indication that you have other things going on in your life, that your full focus is on the company's mission.

Pretending to be busy 8 hours a day at work even if you finished everything, because you don't want to keep asking for something more to do, and make everyone else look bad

A lot of fulltime jobs are about socializing and having a mix of fun and productivity at a workplace with a group thrown together. While that may be what you want, keep in mind it will happen more than 8 hours a day for over 2 years in a "good fit" job.

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Compare all this to consulting. It's less of a marriage. So:

Salary negotiations are more about quoting your rates, and having done different projects in the past you are under no obligation to play by their game of "5% increase".

They pay for your time hourly not daily so they value it.

You are in full control of your tax withholding, working with your accountant, instead of waiting for a refund (and not earning interest).

Clients are HAPPY if you leave 3-4 months later if the project has been completed successfully. It's about results, not appearances. You can take vacations between projects and still get recommendations from the (much more numerous) past clients. Did I mention that they are more numerous so you also have greater choice in who will give a reference?

As a consultant everyone understands you may have other clients where you use the same skills. Non-compete agreemeents are usually not enforceable when you are doing similar things for all clients - but exercise your ethical judgment. The point is you have the option and so your loyalty is valuable and there is mutual respect there.

You don't have to pretend you are working when your job is done, and make others "look bad". There are no such expectations. For me, the need to lie and pretend in a futime job was the most uncomfortable thing, even more than the commute. Did I mention the commute? Consulting jobs are less insistent on "face time" than they are about results, so you have more flexibility. You can attend conferences and events that benefit you as a professional in your industry, instead of genersting friction with your employer for how often you attend things not directly related to the company's mission. And so you can develop yourself as an individual and as a professional in your industry.

Most consultants will flit from location to location, staying 3-4 months or working from home. You get to see a lot more people and environments. If you choose to stay in touch with 1 or 2 you can do it. The fact that you won't be their "fulltime friend" is just a testament to how grown people can't fully choose who to socialize with if they are in a fulltime environment. Better to get drinks or get together on the weekend with them, just like you still probably do with people who you once worked with.

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For me, the biggest draw is being able to enter into contracts based on mutual respect and the luxury of being honest in my commitments.

In short, just like marriage, fulltime jobs set much high expectations for commitment, and therefore you had better be sure that you and your contributions will be valued IN the relationship, when deciding IF to begin one. You have a choice. You can be placed by recruiters as a consultant also. The W2 arrangement with a consulting company is not about full-time employment, only about tax withholding and how they typically prefer to process the payments.

Not saying consulting is all roses, of course. But if you have a recruiter placing you anyway, consider it as the default (like dating) and FTE only if you're really sold on a marriage and feel it's going to work out.

Finally, I think the progression for many people is:

Employee -> Consultant -> Agency -> Entrepreneur -> Shareholder