First Contract! ... Bit like a wet party popper going off ...

[stek]

A colleague of mine span up a little app that would tot up the billable time per second when in a meeting or making a cup of tea etc.

I had a ksh script called ‘poo_timer.ksh’ showed how much I’d earned thratching.....

[northernladyuk]

Proper contractor can do that in their heads. Should be second nature.

Depends how many clients you're billing simultaneously.

[MrButton]

I had a ksh script called ‘poo_timer.ksh’ showed how much I’d earned thratching.....

Give this a go:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/poop...196998280?mt=8

I knocked it together while learning a bit of swift and XCUI

Feature requests are welcome.

[pauldee]

Part of what I enjoy about contracting is seeing how different each workplace can be. You get to see the good and the bad.

[gables]

Part of what I enjoy about contracting is seeing how different each workplace can be. You get to see the good and the bad.

This was the main reason I went contracting in the first place (1993) having said that I was at my last client for 5 years

[Snarf]

Ive been contracting since 2014.

In that time Ive accepted contracts doing work that had I been a permie would have made me start job hunting, its the nature of the beast, in my experience companies don't want contractors in positions of seniority so if that's what your looking for permie is the way to go.

If you are worried that the work isn't challenging you enough then that's probably more on you than your client... you accepted the role, either you didn't get enough info on what they wanted from you or (as I expect - and is reasonable) you accepted it because its your first role and you wanted to get going asap.

Look on the bright side, your net income will be up (at least double I'd have thought) and you're only there for a few months, then you can find something else.

[mattfx]

Thanks for the constructive post Snarf. I don't really care about seniority, being in charge, or any of that malarky. I am a techy and I enjoy doing techy things :-)

You are right, I did go in to this role thinking it was a little bit of a downgrade in terms of skills required you again you're right, I did want out of my old place before my notice period increased from one, to three months, so was on a timescale.

Net income is up, by approximately 40-50% so nowhere near double, my permy salary was actually quite decent. If it had doubled I'd probably feel a lot better about things!

On the upside as a result of the comments left here I had a think about my position, what I was (or wasn't) doing and had a chat with the IT Manager - we now both have a far clearer understanding of how this is going to work and what I am going to deliver I'm currently sorting out all of the Active Directory replication topology as we speak, so i'm a much happier bunny!

[TwoWolves]

This was the main reason I went contracting in the first place (1993) having said that I was at my last client for 5 years

Wow, I started in '93 too. It's been a long road but I can usually tell you everything wrong with a company within the first week now. About 30% of ex-client Co. are extinct.

[cojak]

Wow, I started in '93 too. It's been a long road but I can usually tell you everything wrong with a company within the first week now. About 30% of ex-client Co. are extinct.

And I thought it was just me! [emoji16]

[lukemg]

Ah 93, classic year, 14th April started at BASS breweries in Cape Hill, Birmingham on first contract.
We are talking Freelance Informer (scanning for agency details), faxing CV's, bottles of wine and hampers turning up from the agencies periodically and usually some proper sort taking you out for lunch or dinner the odd time....
Got the gig 2 weeks after some agency wonk said I had zero chance of scoring a contract and should grab the first perm job I saw.
Astonished at what I was getting paid I expected to be found out at any time and requested to leave.