This isn't really a rant or anything, because I suppose I've benefited from this myself in its own ways. But, in the contract market especially, I see a lot of job adverts that want you to have experience in whatever field the job is for - banking, investment banking, insurance, oil and gas etc.
My question is - do you guys really think it matters? Maybe my particular field is unique, but I've worked in a lot of different industries and my implementations haven't really changed that much. The customer attitude changes a lot, but if anything, I've found Public Sector and Charities (Big charities that you'd have heard of, anyway) to be the most demanding clients.
I had to push hard to win my last large project because I'd had no experience in the industry and the PM was really concerned about the high pressure nature of the client - as it turns out, it's been one of my most enjoyable projects to date. There's pressure like every project, but I've not found it any worse than anywhere else - if anything, it's been great because everybody has their tulip together and I can get things done.
So, is my niche the odd one? Is it really important to find a programmer, for example, with experience in a particular industry sector?
My question is - do you guys really think it matters? Maybe my particular field is unique, but I've worked in a lot of different industries and my implementations haven't really changed that much. The customer attitude changes a lot, but if anything, I've found Public Sector and Charities (Big charities that you'd have heard of, anyway) to be the most demanding clients.
I had to push hard to win my last large project because I'd had no experience in the industry and the PM was really concerned about the high pressure nature of the client - as it turns out, it's been one of my most enjoyable projects to date. There's pressure like every project, but I've not found it any worse than anywhere else - if anything, it's been great because everybody has their tulip together and I can get things done.
So, is my niche the odd one? Is it really important to find a programmer, for example, with experience in a particular industry sector?
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