State of the Market

[ChimpMaster]

Anyone have experience of Cerner, the healthcare company?

This is for a permie position. They seem super-keen after the first interview but I'm not really getting a good feeling about their consultancy model.

[jayn200]

Anyone have experience of Cerner, the healthcare company?

This is for a permie position. They seem super-keen after the first interview but I'm not really getting a good feeling about their consultancy model.

No idea about them but if they are a consultancy that sucks. Working perm for a consultancy is everything bad from contracting without any of the positive ($$$). Makes no sense to me.

You get all of the stress, you will work crazy hours, you will have to travel, you will have impossible deadlines, you have no job security at all, Client will blame their failures on you, etc.

[edison]

No idea about them but if they are a consultancy that sucks. Working perm for a consultancy is everything bad from contracting without any of the positive ($$$). Makes no sense to me.

You get all of the stress, you will work crazy hours, you will have to travel, you will have impossible deadlines, you have no job security at all, Client will blame their failures on you, etc.

Consulting doesn't suit everybody but to say that it is worse than every aspect of contracting and has no positives is very narrow minded, especially for permanent roles. There is a wide variety of consulting firms and models and how they operate. It can still be very well paid and is a great development path for people earlier in their career.

Depending on which firm you work for, it can open a lot of doors for you for other opportunities. Smaller and medium consultancies can often offer much better exposure to interesting client work and more interaction with senior level client staff.

[eek]

Consulting doesn't suit everybody but to say that it is worse than every aspect of contracting and has no positives is very narrow minded, especially for permanent roles. There is a wide variety of consulting firms and models and how they operate. It can still be very well paid and is a great development path for people earlier in their career.

Depending on which firm you work for, it can open a lot of doors for you for other opportunities. Smaller and medium consultancies can often offer much better exposure to interesting client work and more interaction with senior level client staff.

Your typical contractor career path is:-

Permie Consultancy -> Contractor -> (possibly) small consultancy

Going back to a consultancy at a permie level may or may not be a good thing - it depends on the level you go back in at.

[vwdan]

Your typical contractor career path is:-

Permie Consultancy -> Contractor -> (possibly) small consultancy

Going back to a consultancy at a permie level may or may not be a good thing - it depends on the level you go back in at.

Have to admit, I came in via the consultancy track and most of my contracting has also been via consultancies and I *really* don't want to go back the permie consultancy route. I will if I have to, hopefully at somewhere nice and boutique, but I'd much rather not!

I broadly agree with the original comment that 90% of permie consultancy is all of the irritating bits of contracting with few of the rewards.

[ladymuck]

Your typical contractor career path is:-

Permie Consultancy -> Contractor -> (possibly) small consultancy

Going back to a consultancy at a permie level may or may not be a good thing - it depends on the level you go back in at.

Glad to see mine isn't typical I have never worked for any of the main consultancies.

[Lance]

Glad to see mine isn't typical I have never worked for any of the main consultancies.

I've worked with them on projects. But never for them.

They are vastly expensive, quite good, but only add real value in organisations that are so tulip they don't know they're tulip.
Most normal organisations don't need to spend £50k+ for a man in a sharp suit, with a sharp haircut, to tell them what they already know.

[ChimpMaster]

Your typical contractor career path is:-

Permie Consultancy -> Contractor -> (possibly) small consultancy

Going back to a consultancy at a permie level may or may not be a good thing - it depends on the level you go back in at.

Mine was similar: a consultant for a software company, 20 years ago now. I enjoyed it at the time but eventually grew weary of the constant travel, so I quit when I was told to go to a 1 year project 200 miles from home - after just having got married and moved home. So began my contracting career.

But the contracting career is now over and I need to get a job where I can learn new skills. Cerner sounds interesting in many ways but their product is proprietary so transferable technical skills are few if any. BTW travel is touted at "up to" 40% and I'll be keen on pressing that point in interview.

Small consultancy would be very interesting but it's hard to find such roles unless I suppose you have the latest in-demand skills.

[Old Greg]

Anyone have experience of Cerner, the healthcare company?

This is for a permie position. They seem super-keen after the first interview but I'm not really getting a good feeling about their consultancy model.

I know them very well as a client over many years. PM me if you like.

[ChimpMaster]

I know them very well as a client over many years. PM me if you like.

Thanks OG, have PM'd you.