Moving on

[gables]

I can't understand the lack of ambition amongst people and I can't understand how people can get by on a salary like that, but they do. I'm also aware how privileged we are in the scheme of things but we didn't arrive here by accident did we? I guess some people are just driven and others content. Nothing wrong with that.

Now whilst you don't equate working for 30k as ambitious for those that are it might be very ambitious and they're really stretching themselves. Not everyone is driven by having things and maybe 30k is enough.

I'm sure I read somewhere that the happiest people can quite often be the poorest\lower paid.

[Old Greg]

Now whilst you don't equate working for 30k as ambitious for those that are it might be very ambitious and they're really stretching themselves. Not everyone is driven by having things and maybe 30k is enough.

I'm sure I read somewhere that the happiest people can quite often be the poorest\lower paid.

30% more income than you currently receive is what will make you happy.

[coolhandluke]

Don't think I know anyone who would accept 30k a year.....

[Old Greg]

Don't think I know anyone who would accept 30k a year.....

You should broaden your social circle.

[Rabotnik]

Too much real life in this thread

I've only been contracting for 5 years but I already see myself ending up in your situation. I work in Microsoft BI and was on the bench for 3 months. The market is flooded with BI devs now in London and I was lucky to get a contract nearby for a month and then my old manager at the NHS hooked me up with a job there but it's a 2 hour commute from home and paying £50 less than the contract I left previously (the 1 month gig was £130 less per day than my previous rate :O).

While on the bench I was learning a load of Hadoop stuff and doing some certification, but without experience it wasn't enough to land a big data role. I also detest lying, though I know my competition are most likely blagging their way into jobs. I've been involved in hiring at 2 previous companies and the amount of rubbish people put on their CV is ridiculous.

Also concerned about the public sector legislation coming next April

Maybe I'm Not Cut Out To Be A Contractor

[ChimpMaster]

Too much real life in this thread

I've only been contracting for 5 years but I already see myself ending up in your situation. I work in Microsoft BI and was on the bench for 3 months. The market is flooded with BI devs now in London and I was lucky to get a contract nearby for a month and then my old manager at the NHS hooked me up with a job there but it's a 2 hour commute from home and paying £50 less than the contract I left previously (the 1 month gig was £130 less per day than my previous rate :O).

While on the bench I was learning a load of Hadoop stuff and doing some certification, but without experience it wasn't enough to land a big data role. I also detest lying, though I know my competition are most likely blagging their way into jobs. I've been involved in hiring at 2 previous companies and the amount of rubbish people put on their CV is ridiculous.

Also concerned about the public sector legislation coming next April

Maybe I'm Not Cut Out To Be A Contractor

5 years is a good stint so far. Given the way that things are going, hope for another 5 years and plan to save/invest that income so that you don't have to worry too much after that time. I've always seen contracting as a 'bonus' period of my life and have known it won't last forever, so I've always planned for the inevitable i.e. the day when I won't be able to get a contract or at least one that is financially worthwhile.

I reckon 10 years is a good run these days, if you can secure good rates for that duration.

[Rabotnik]

5 years is a good stint so far. Given the way that things are going, hope for another 5 years and plan to save/invest that income so that you don't have to worry too much after that time. I've always seen contracting as a 'bonus' period of my life and have known it won't last forever, so I've always planned for the inevitable i.e. the day when I won't be able to get a contract or at least one that is financially worthwhile.

I reckon 10 years is a good run these days, if you can secure good rates for that duration.

Yeah I also have the attitude of "make hay while the sun shines", since eventually I think contracting for one man bands will be ended by the government or just market saturation. Hopefully my mortgage will be paid off in 2 years so at least I'll have that out the way.

[cntl1]

Not sure about UWP either. Microsoft seem to have lost their way a little. All the momentum is on the web and open source.

I may not be the best person to advise here as I am a former perm just trying to get into contracting. But for your skillset I think the next step could be to go the .NET Core route (with ASP.NET CORE, EF Core, etc.). Yes, I know it's very new but it is open-source and cross-platform and it will mature.

I did research this area and I convinced myself recently that it is likely the future of MS stack and although new, I feel it will have the original .NET stack longevity and it's smart to get on it now. This is where I put my money.

It will also be an easy transition for you, episodically if you've done MVC5.

As I said I am new to contracting, but I got a few perm offers recently and the process of looking for these convinced my how important MS stack is in the corporate world. .NET Core stack will likely increase this importance.

In terms of re-skilling, I found I can no longer sit and read books or long tech posts. But I found watching good quality videos such as those on pluralsight or lynda makes it quite enjoyable to learn new stuff, at least for me.

[cntl1]

As a new guy hoping to break into contracting/consulting at 40, this thread didn't inspire me with much confidence.

Thank God I can live on (near) nothing, for a while.

[eek]

I may not be the best person to advise here as I am a former perm just trying to get into contracting. But for your skillset I think the next step could be to go the .NET Core route (with ASP.NET CORE, EF Core, etc.). Yes, I know it's very new but it is open-source and cross-platform and it will mature.

I did research this area and I convinced myself recently that it is likely the future of MS stack and although new, I feel it will have the original .NET stack longevity and it's smart to get on it now. This is where I put my money.

It will also be an easy transition for you, episodically if you've done MVC5.

As I said I am new to contracting, but I got a few perm offers recently and the process of looking for these convinced my how important MS stack is in the corporate world. .NET Core stack will likely increase this importance.

In terms of re-skilling, I found I can no longer sit and read books or long tech posts. But I found watching good quality videos such as those on pluralsight or lynda makes it quite enjoyable to learn new stuff, at least for me.

ASP.Net Websites will move to .Net core with MVC6 and whatever the latest Entity Framework is - i think that's a given...

I actually expect the real growth is hidden within the Dynamics 365 announcement in July. That creates a new Common Data Model with PowerApps (new), PowerBI and Flex (a simple scripting system) all within Office 365 / Azure - allowing simple apps to be created by virtually anyone with a market place allowing them to be sold to anyone as well....