Professional Career Change while contracting

[amabone]

Hi,
Newbie here so hit me softly.

I am looking for a bit of advice,
I started contracting July 2015 (technical support/Service desk) but looking to go into other avenues like Business Analysts or PMO, I have an idea of both and had done the exams BA Foundation and Prince 2 Foundation too.
My problem is with minimum experience and many other financial lust reasons I do not fancy gaining experience on the two avenues by going permanent.
What chance do I stand getting contracts on any of them? (and yes I can sell myself just a little short until I can walk with my two legs).
Any advice or pointers how to go about much appreciated.

Thanks

[Sausage Surprise]

Hi there,

I am a newbie contractor looking to change from tech support to the likes of Business Analyst or PMO of which I have less (minimum) experience on. However I try to avoid the option of go permie to gain experience on the two before try contracting again. With certainly the juicy monies reason (hit me softly here)
How do I go about this, I take it I can try my chances and sell myself a little short for a while before demanding market rates?

Any advice much appreciated.

Why would any client take on a contractor PMO or BA with minimum experience?

[TheFaQQer]

If you have no experience then how do you show what you can do?

Cut back on the financial lust, and get some experience.

[northernladuk]

We have been interviewing at my clients for the last few months and I'm sick of getting CVs in with people that have had less than 4 years experience before they went contracting or people that have switched roles in their contracting career. They offer me absolutely nothing above and beyond a mediocre permie. Falling in to a new skill set whilst being a contractor means you can follow the process that your client uses but really fail when it comes to have a good grasp in the profession that you are representing. A good example is a BA that's managed to switch in to PM. Just because they have spent a year in PM contracts does not make them a skilled PM. I've seen 9 CVs like this and it's apparent the person is not skilled in the profession they purport to represent. It's been a real eye opener for me and I see now why some people spend so much time on the bench.

Switching skills as you wish to with no chance how to learn to do it properly first means you are going to struggle for gigs for years to come. Switching with no skills at all is most certainly not going to end well and you will be spending a long time in the bench in between gigs for a long time.

Invest some time in a permanent role to gain saleable skills and then come back contracting. Treat it as short term investment to a career that will last much longer.

[WTFH]

So, you've been contracting for 3 months and now you want to do a different role?


If you want a career plan to move towards project management, start by applying for jobs where you are involved in projects, rather than on support.
On these projects, show your skills, demonstrate your ability to do the jobs you want to do.


After a few years of working on projects then apply to manage smaller projects (or work as a junior PM). Build up half a dozen good small projects (min 3 months each, with some at 6 months+). Then start applying for medium sized projects.




If you're wanting to get into business analysis and have qualifications but no business experience, apply to some of the big five (as they used to be called). When I meet their staff, they always seem to have lots of quals but virtually no hands on skills or experience.

[MrMarkyMark]

We have been interviewing at my clients for the last few months and I'm sick of getting CVs in with people that have had less than 4 years experience before they went contracting or people that have switched roles in their contracting career. They offer me absolutely nothing above and beyond a mediocre permie.

This.

Yes, it is totally depressing looking at whats out there.
Thats why I tend to bring people in I know and trust, from over the years.

[Dallas]

+1
Couple of years ago I joined a team as PM to find I was replacing a pants perm BA trying to be PM and a couple of the BA contractors tried and failed to get the PM role.

Not an ounce of planning and leadership skills between that bitter bunch. A different skillset is exactly that - different. If you 'have an idea' of another role doesn't mean you should try and shortcut the people who do have that skillset.

Half a$$ed people are quickly outed.

HTH

[LondonManc]

+1 I've seen analysts who claim to be analysts with qualifications but I wonder why they aren't wearing velcro shoes to be on the safe side.

[jbond007]

We have been interviewing at my clients for the last few months and I'm sick of getting CVs in with people that have had less than 4 years experience before they went contracting or people that have switched roles in their contracting career. They offer me absolutely nothing above and beyond a mediocre permie. Falling in to a new skill set whilst being a contractor means you can follow the process that your client uses but really fail when it comes to have a good grasp in the profession that you are representing. A good example is a BA that's managed to switch in to PM. Just because they have spent a year in PM contracts does not make them a skilled PM. I've seen 9 CVs like this and it's apparent the person is not skilled in the profession they purport to represent. It's been a real eye opener for me and I see now why some people spend so much time on the bench.

Switching skills as you wish to with no chance how to learn to do it properly first means you are going to struggle for gigs for years to come. Switching with no skills at all is most certainly not going to end well and you will be spending a long time in the bench in between gigs for a long time.

Invest some time in a permanent role to gain saleable skills and then come back contracting. Treat it as short term investment to a career that will last much longer.

Are you not using agencies to do first pass through before handing you CV's that meet your criteria ?

[northernladuk]

Are you not using agencies to do first pass through before handing you CV's that meet your criteria ?

We are indeed so I'd hate to see what they get if this is the best of a bad bunch. I'm just surprised at the lack of skills and expertise the 'average' contractor has. I don't know if our situation is a bit out of the ordinary for some reason but if this is the general experience most clients get I'm not surprised contracting is f'ked and clients/agents have issues with us.

I did think your average contractor had 10+ years experience and were experts in their fields but it appears these are few and far between and are always in contract. That said if I'd sat down and thought about it I might have realised this would be the case with the raft of people leaving perm over the last 2 or 3 years to go contracting and especially with the number of people we see on here asking about contracting.

I've been looking at Service Delivery people but I can't believe it's much different for PM'ing. Maybe a few years is OK for coding but it isn't for Service or PM.

Oh and at least 3 of the people we've seen have flowered their CV and it's so bloody obvious it's not true. 2 years experience and they have 'Senior' in the title roles. I don't think so. One guy had been so liberal with his CV it was almost a complete lie and by god it came out in the interview. It was hilarious. We sussed him in the first 5 mins but kept him in for over 40 mins just asking him questions and watching him squirm. It was comical.