My contracting prospects?

[MrMarkyMark]

Same.

I earned sweet FA as a perm, around £18K.
I just kept my head down and used the experience gained to land my first contract at £350 PD.

[SussexSeagull]

That said, we have had a few years of entire large projects being resourced by contractors which probably allowed less experienced people in.

I personally think that might be changing at the moment so would urge caution.

[freddy1777]

If the skills you have are in demand then you'll be able to secure a contract with your limited experience. I'm not convinced that there is a massive demand for Java developers which cannot be filled by the current market at the moment or in two years time.

I was programming Java when you were two. There are plenty of Java developers out there with 15 - 20 years experience. It's an old language.

You'd have more success learning some other up-and-coming skills that us old-farts haven't. That way you can be the XXX specialist who also does Java, rather than just a still-junior Java developer.

How do you identify the skill XXX? Unfortunately you cannot easily.

PS : I thought all the kids were programming in Typescript, REACT and Node these days?

Yeah this is what I am thinking about, java is probably not the right choice for me. Not many kids do now Typescript, REACT and Node and I don't know any of it.... What language & skill would you recommend to learn? Is android a good option? I have some experience with it as well

[LondonManc]

Yeah this is what I am thinking about, java is probably not the right choice for me. Not many kids do now Typescript, REACT and Node and I don't know any of it.... What language & skill would you recommend to learn? Is android a good option? I have some experience with it as well

To be brutally honest, this post shows why you're a long way off being a successful contractor. If you're not aware now of current best skills and pick one, what are you going to be in two years? Someone with two years experience in one skill. Sounds obvious, but take a look at the contract adverts for jobs with your skills. You'll be up against seasoned contractors with a broader, deeper skillset as well as many more years of commercial awareness.

Stick in your perm job and you'll find different doors open along the way. It's not about getting the first contract, it's about the time between that and the second one; with only two years in one skill under your belt, that time could be considerable.

On to another question: why do you want to go contracting?

[mrtuk]

Yeah this is what I am thinking about, java is probably not the right choice for me. Not many kids do now Typescript, REACT and Node and I don't know any of it.... What language & skill would you recommend to learn? Is android a good option? I have some experience with it as well

How about trying to get some experience in blockchain (so implementation rather than specific language) - this seems to be at very early adoption stages at the moment, so you'll be in at the start of something if it takes off.