State of the Market

[hungry_hog]

I know there are many other factors in play so to blame everything on my age would be hugely disingenuous but I haven't got a new contract since I turned fifty and was once given feedback from an interview that my views on testing were old fashioned. We used to be the wise old head in the room who had seen it and done it all before but I don't think that is a selling point anymore.

I get contractors are never going to get protection from prejudice but it is a problem now I am looking for permanent roles, especially as I am expected to work for another 15 years (and it is quite possible the retirement age could go up again before then).

• Don't put DOB on CV - as well as a possible prejudice, also a security risk as it's used for a lot of online services as a security unlock or at least as one of the pieces of mandatory data (same applies for social media)
• Delete roles over 15 yeas old
• Careful with use of terminology. I had a BA interview with a well known credit card company and I used the term "business requirement doc" - they said they used a tool called Cucumber / BDD. I knew at that point I was dead in the water. For example old languages like Pascal or Fortran might be a bit of a giveaway!
• With above in mind, rely on your youthful ContractorUK kool aid fuelled appearance

Obviously HR will get your DOB at onboarding but by that time you are already hired!

[SussexSeagull]

I have picked up plenty of new bits of tech on more contracting travels over the last 18 years but the problem is I have tended to go somewhere else afterwards that didn't use it and the trail went cold.

To give an example, I had never used Postman before but after spending a couple of hours with a developer learning it I was good to go. Back at my first contract they wanted something done in Winrunner - remember that? - and I picked it up with a modicum of guidance.

Unless you want to go deep into these things they aren't actually that tricky.

Thankfully having used a specific bug tracking software doesn't seem to be such a thing anymore as I have yet to find one that couldn't be mastered in about half a day.

[SchumiStars]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz95n2837vgo

10yrs at least to build. I do like theme parks. Hopefully will bring some investment into the UK.

[SussexSeagull]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz95n2837vgo

10yrs at least to build. I do like theme parks. Hopefully will bring some investment into the UK.

Bedfordshire area again. Very good connections to the motorway and rail networks and not far from London.

[jamesbrown]

Bedfordshire area again. Very good connections to the motorway and rail networks and not far from London.

Plus, East West Rail coming in the next 5-10 years.

[dsc]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz95n2837vgo

10yrs at least to build. I do like theme parks. Hopefully will bring some investment into the UK.

"The first Universal theme park in Europe will be built in the UK, the government has promised."

Promised? so is it 100% done deal or still in the phase of planning?

UK is a bloody theme park, can't manage building houses on a larger scale, but a theme park is a success

[oliverson]

"The first Universal theme park in Europe will be built in the UK, the government has promised."

Promised? so is it 100% done deal or still in the phase of planning?

UK is a bloody theme park, can't manage building houses on a larger scale, but a theme park is a success

Certainly on one hell of a white knuckle ride right now!

[SchumiStars]

Saw this on LI...

[SchumiStars]

https://www.totaljobs.com/job/scrum-...e-job104699198

45-55k perm, London. eDV

I am surprised with the number of jobs requiring DV/eDV now TBH. No idea why the rates are so low but does show what we are up against.

[coolhandluke]

https://www.totaljobs.com/job/scrum-...e-job104699198

45-55k perm, London. eDV

I am surprised with the number of jobs requiring DV/eDV now TBH. No idea why the rates are so low but does show what we are up against.

It will be a public sector role plus it's a scrum master job