Question from newbe - the contracting life

[cntl1]

You haven't really got much of a chance so go and grab a permie job for a while.

To be blunt Agents won't take the risk of putting you forward. they are usually up against other agencies and can only put forward limited candidates. Why would they take a risk on you when other experienced contractors are immediately available with CVs that don't contain a 2 year work gap...

Makes sense and it is good to be reminded the obvious. Having said that, if agents only put forward experienced contractors, how contractors got to be contractors? (catch 22).

I met a couple guys recently for a chat and advice. As ERP/IT Manager, I subcontracted them to do networking jobs for my previous employer, like new servers set-up, basically anything network and server related.

They set up shop together something like 20 years ago and they service local companies on hourly rates and ongoing maintenance contracts. They seem like very happy and content chaps. They don't make a fortune but live a seemingly stress free life with enviable flexibility. I was thinking maybe I should attempt to set up my own shop in a similar fashion and start small but have no clue how realistic that is for a 40 year old custom software guy with ERP and shop floor automation experience. I don't mind starting small but I also don't want to do simple websites for your local coffee shop. This might be even more crazy than attempting to get into contracting, just thinking out loud here.

[eek]

Makes sense and it is good to be reminded the obvious. Having said that, if agents only put forward experienced contractors, how contractors got to be contractors? (catch 22).

I met a couple guys recently for a chat and advice. As ERP/IT Manager, I subcontracted them to do networking jobs for my previous employer, like new servers set-up, basically anything network and server related.

They set up shop together something like 20 years ago and they service local companies on hourly rates and ongoing maintenance contracts. They seem like very happy and content chaps. They don't make a fortune but live a seemingly stress free life with enviable flexibility. I was thinking maybe I should attempt to set up my own shop in a similar fashion and start small but have no clue how realistic that is for a 40 year old custom software guy with ERP and shop floor automation experience. I don't mind starting small but I also don't want to do simple websites for your local coffee shop. This might be even more crazy than attempting to get into contracting, just thinking out loud here.

Most newbie contractors will have a current job they are moving from - someone with 5 years at company x is far less risky than someone who has a CV thatr shows nothing for the past 2 years....

setting up as a freelance consultant isn't for the faint hearted. It's taken me years to get to a position where I can just about do that and that's only because I have years of custom add-ons from my main skillset that I can now sell to others.

[cntl1]

Most newbie contractors will have a current job they are moving from - someone with 5 years at company x is far less risky than someone who has a CV thatr shows nothing for the past 2 years....

setting up as a freelance consultant isn't for the faint hearted. It's taken me years to get to a position where I can just about do that and that's only because I have years of custom add-ons from my main skillset that I can now sell to others.

Thanks. It is helpful to get opinions from folks experienced in this area. That's why I am here - we often don't see things objectively from our own perspective so referring to views of others is a good reality check.

I might argue that, say, 5 years experience is 5 years experience, but I understand it is not myself whom I have to convince but the agents/clients, and most of them would likely see it the same way you do, and probably with good reasons.

But I remain somewhat curious why a seemingly benign break, due to what I see are legit reasons, can be seen as such a potential negative. It is not as if I was trying to find work for two years and and kept on failing.

And I can see one potential positive in all this, i.e. with all this time on my hands I have managed a major step up of my skill-set, something I (and many other perm'ies) would struggle to achieve with a full time job. Or maybe I am just kidding myself that being competent in all this new stuff is some kind of serious advantage.

[stek]

And I can see one potential positive in all this, i.e. with all this time on my hands I have managed a major step up of my skill-set, something I (and many other perm'ies) would struggle to achieve with a full time job. Or maybe I am just kidding myself that being competent in all this new stuff is some kind of serious advantage.

Clients want folks who've done it, in the enterprise, at the coal-face, sorry to piss on your bonfire but reading some books and clicking through online courses isn't the same....

Second nature stuff, not having to look back at your notes, cos you will be expected to have done it time and time again without even thinking.....

I can build an AIX PowerHA cluster in 20 minutes cos I've done it loads of times. If I'd read the IBM Redbook on the same it would take me weeks....

Sorry.

[jamesbrown]

But I remain somewhat curious why a seemingly benign break, due to what I see are legit reasons, can be seen as such a potential negative. It is not as if I was trying to find work for two years and and kept on failing.

If you can afford to do it, the only way you'll know for sure is to try. As they say, better to be lucky than good

That said, don't be under any illusions, and grow a thick skin (i.e. if you're not in a good place, mentally, think about this carefully). The chances are that you won't find something if you're up against tens or hundreds of contractors with a similar skillset and recent, proven, experience of delivering. Put yourself in the position of an agent or client. They want a known quantity, and fast. You'll increase your chances with recent permie experience, and you could potentially use this to extend or specialise your skillset, so that you're more in demand.

[northernladuk]

Hi folks
Just before the big 40, I quit my perm role. I worked for ~8 years as an ERP Manager/Developer, done tons of customisations in T-SQL, C# (.NET and ASP.NET) for a major British manufacturer/engineering company.

8 years on 2 years off is going to put way down just based in experience. It's for the same company as well so you won't have the agility and experienced contractor has.

However, I could not force myself to take on any of these jobs. Not that I don't enjoy software development, I can no longer live the perm lifestyle.

After two years travelling I'm not surprised but without knowing what so you think is cushy about the contracting lifestyle? You've been looking at the rates I'd guess.

So I have had nearly 2 years gap in work (most of it is due to glob-trotting). I am aware that such a gap can make it difficult to find work even for experienced contractors.

Very. With the attack on PS and a quiet market it's not the best of times. We've a thread in here where an experienced guy has gone perm and it's certainly not the first.

So I decided to reach potential customers more directly as independent IT consultant, sending out emails, even knocking on doors of local companies with my card in hand. (I am not too bothered about the size and duration of initial work to be honest.)

Good luck with that.

Thankfully, I did keep myself up to date on the latest MS stack, and I am quite confident with things like MVC5 and 6 (.NET Core, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework, SQL Server and Azure). I am also very flexible location wise, and can even move overseas if needed.

Not really worth much to a client looking for an industry specialist with hands on demonstrable experience.

So, in your collective experience, the wise ones, what are my chances in this market?

Very slim.

But to be honest looking at the responses you've made I think you know your answer and are just looking for one you'd be happy with so... Go fill your boots. Jump in. You'll have no problems.

[jmo21]

But I remain somewhat curious why a seemingly benign break, due to what I see are legit reasons, can be seen as such a potential negative. It is not as if I was trying to find work for two years and and kept on failing.

How do they know that? Because you told them?

Sadly, people lie. And they get 100's of applications for each role.

Currently, the negatives against you are:
- rookie contractor - do you really want to contract or are you really hoping a permie gig turns up? Can you hack contracting?
- a long break - was it really that long by choice?

Agents are looking for reasons to ditch your CV. And that's assuming you get it in front of them in the first X hours (1, 2, 5, whatever) of the job going online.

Do you ask the agent too many questions about the mechanics of contracting? 2 things can happen, you'll scare them off, or they'll rip you off on rate.

[jamesbrown]

But to be honest looking at the responses you've made I think you know your answer and are just looking for one you'd be happy with so... Go fill your boots. Jump in. You'll have no problems.

In general, that's probably a fair read. However, I have some sympathy with the OP. They haven't been unrealistically bullish. Experienced contractors have a vested interest in overstating their knowledge and skills as impossible to acquire, tested in the white heat of battle and not found wanting...honed like a razor...forged....meh...etc. Which is largely true, of course. However, everyone needs to begin somewhere. The OP may get lucky. Unfortunately, on this occasion, I don't rate their chances, as they're probably behind quite a few other n00bs/permies with recent experience. Nevertheless, you can understand why someone might come here asking questions, be advised that their chances are somewhere near to finding the Higgs Boson, and then want to probe a little, given our propensity to overstate how extraordinarily valuable we all are.

[oliverson]

I think it depends on location, and rate, as to whether you'll get a contract. If you're thinking of competing in the London Investment Banking sector for £ 550+ roles then zero chance, but if you're willing to take £ 300-350 in a backwater then there's every chance.

However.

My personal experience (I'm 49 now and started contracting at 36), is that you may find life tough. It's more competitive now than it was when I was your age, very much so, with increased competition from onshore, nearshore and offshore developers, for fewer opportunities and rates that haven't change much the last decade. You're competing now with guys in their late 20' and 30's, many of whom have nothing in their lives other than software development. When they're not working, they are contributing to open source projects, blogging about it, code jamming about it, writing books or doing training videos. For those of us who have a life outside coding, the motivation to compete isn't what it was and I'm actually happy to have an outside life. I think that age-wise, you're probably at a tipping point where you can enjoy a few years but not much more, maybe 5 or something depending on whether the other elephant in the room (HMRC) kills you first. Either way, good luck.

[DimPrawn]

I think it depends on location, and rate, as to whether you'll get a contract. If you're thinking of competing in the London Investment Banking sector for £ 550+ roles then zero chance, but if you're willing to take £ 300-350 in a backwater then there's every chance.

However.

My personal experience (I'm 49 now and started contracting at 36), is that you may find life tough. It's more competitive now than it was when I was your age, very much so, with increased competition from onshore, nearshore and offshore developers, for fewer opportunities and rates that haven't change much the last decade. You're competing now with guys in their late 20' and 30's, many of whom have nothing in their lives other than software development. When they're not working, they are contributing to open source projects, blogging about it, code jamming about it, writing books or doing training videos. For those of us who have a life outside coding, the motivation to compete isn't what it was and I'm actually happy to have an outside life. I think that age-wise, you're probably at a tipping point where you can enjoy a few years but not much more, maybe 5 or something depending on whether the other elephant in the room (HMRC) kills you first. Either way, good luck.

Wow, you keep posting exactly what I'm going to say. At this rate, I think I will be able to retire from CUK if you keep this up.