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Question from newbe - the contracting life

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    Question from newbe - the contracting life

    Hi folks

    I am a new guy here, so go easy on me...

    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. I worked on a variety of projects for them, too numerous to list here in detail.

    So at 40 I decided I needed a break and went travelling the globe. I've been back in the UK for several months now and it didn't take long for me to receive firm perm job offers. 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.

    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. 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.)

    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.

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

    #2
    Slim IMHO.

    You would probably be better taking one of the permie offers for a year plus, then try contacting.

    That's not to say you won't get lucky and get a contract.

    All depends on how big your warchest is as to how big a risk it would be.

    Eg if you have enough money to cover your bills for a year, 18 months, I might be inclined to say give it a go, try and get a contract.

    If you have dependants that would be a big factor too.

    This type of thread usually goes a certain way, so we'll see how it goes.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by jmo21 View Post
      This type of thread usually goes a certain way, so we'll see how it goes.
      South?
      'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by jmo21 View Post
        Slim IMHO.

        You would probably be better taking one of the permie offers for a year plus, then try contacting.

        That's not to say you won't get lucky and get a contract.

        All depends on how big your warchest is as to how big a risk it would be.

        Eg if you have enough money to cover your bills for a year, 18 months, I might be inclined to say give it a go, try and get a contract.

        If you have dependants that would be a big factor too.
        Thanks for your honesty. I don't have dependents and can live like this, i.e. on next to nothing, for months, if not years - although I'd rather avoid that since I have a talent for (over)spending money on frequent flying and being grounded for months at a time (such as I am now) is the next thing closest to hell for me.

        This type of thread usually goes a certain way, so we'll see how it goes.
        Which way does it normally go? I guess the way of trying and kill any enthusiasm of naive contract-wannabies with healthy doses of realism in an entertaining manner and seeing who comes through? Not complaining here, sounds like a wise strategy.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
          South?
          I can't go further south. I am as south as south goes. I guess there is good news in that.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by cntl1 View Post
            I can't go further south. I am as south as south goes. I guess there is good news in that.
            What, like Stockport?

            Comment


              #7
              You have to insist.
              Your job now is to apply, apply and apply...

              Don't give up.

              Good luck.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by stek View Post
                What, like Stockport?
                I was thinking more in figurative terms, like where I am in life and the meaning of it all thing. Anyway, I probably should not take this thread too off topic.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by cntl1 View Post
                  Thanks for your honesty. I don't have dependents and can live like this, i.e. on next to nothing, for months, if not years - although I'd rather avoid that since I have a talent for (over)spending money on frequent flying and being grounded for months at a time (such as I am now) is the next thing closest to hell for me.



                  Which way does it normally go? I guess the way of trying and kill any enthusiasm of naive contract-wannabies with healthy doses of realism in an entertaining manner and seeing who comes through? Not complaining here, sounds like a wise strategy.
                  We see a lot of threads like this, usually the advice is similar to mine, followed by the OP getting grumpy and saying that advice is rubbish etc

                  Comment


                    #10
                    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...
                    merely at clientco for the entertainment

                    Comment

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