The trials of a seasoned contractor

[psychocandy]

I DARE them to say anything.

We need a photo cojak to give an opinion on how old you look :-)

[BrilloPad]

We need a photo cojak to give an opinion on how old you look :-)

Cojak has turned up at some meet-ups. The one I met her at(2011?) was around the time she became mod. I bet she has aged alot since then.....

[tsmith]

I disagree, and based on another thread where there’s talk about IT departments lagging behind and not wanting to upgrade, it would appear that other posters disagree too.

I’m currently at a site where they were interested in my most recent clients, but were more keen to discuss previous clients that were in the same market sector, and others that were using the same (5+ year old) version of the software.

Many factors to generalise - just my experience - Im not a developer so the 'old version of software skills' required conversation never happens.

The "previous clients in same sector" conversation is as much a fishing trip on what others were doing

Agree with other poster agencies tend to be more recent experience focussed as opposed to 'client side' businesses.

I had a conversation with a BA in my last contract who was saying he had to 'niche down' to get consistent contracts. Just being a generic BA doesnt work - he had to be a "fashion industry supply chain BA".

[eek]

Many factors to generalise - just my experience - Im not a developer so the 'old version of software skills' required conversation never happens.

The "previous clients in same sector" conversation is as much a fishing trip on what others were doing

Agree with other poster agencies tend to be more recent experience focussed as opposed to 'client side' businesses.

I had a conversation with a BA in my last contract who was saying he had to 'niche down' to get consistent contracts. Just being a generic BA doesnt work - he had to be a "fashion industry supply chain BA".

People are paying for expertise - a fashion industry supply chain BA is worth £x a day more from day 1 than a generic BA. Give me the person with previous experience every day.

[tsmith]

People are paying for expertise - a fashion industry supply chain BA is worth £x a day more from day 1 than a generic BA. Give me the person with previous experience every day.

Day rates for BAs/PMs tend to be lower than devs as supply demand imbalance isnt as acute as developers- my point is about actually being able to secure work in the first place in these market conditions - unless you have specific recent experience of the role in question - and perhaps other roles going back a couple of years too- youre likely not going to get it as theres somebody available whos a closer match.

[Old Greg]

Many factors to generalise - just my experience - Im not a developer so the 'old version of software skills' required conversation never happens.

The "previous clients in same sector" conversation is as much a fishing trip on what others were doing

Agree with other poster agencies tend to be more recent experience focussed as opposed to 'client side' businesses.

I had a conversation with a BA in my last contract who was saying he had to 'niche down' to get consistent contracts. Just being a generic BA doesnt work - he had to be a "fashion industry supply chain BA".

I don't know the fashion industry but generic PMs and BAs arriving new into healthcare typically fare badly.

[eek]

Day rates for BAs/PMs tend to be lower than devs as supply demand imbalance isnt as acute as developers- my point is about actually being able to secure work in the first place in these market conditions - unless you have specific recent experience of the role in question - and perhaps other roles going back a couple of years too- youre likely not going to get it as theres somebody available whos a closer match.

Yes because a BA needs to hit the ground running.

All projects need someone who knows the industry, knows how the company actually works and knows how the technology works.

Ideally you want a BA who understands the company but at a minimum I need someone who understands the industry so as I start prototyping there is someone close by telling me what else I need to do.

In those situations a generic BA is useless I may as well do it myself..

[tsmith]

Yes because a BA needs to hit the ground running.

All projects need someone who knows the industry, knows how the company actually works and knows how the technology works.

Ideally you want a BA who understands the company but at a minimum I need someone who understands the industry so as I start prototyping there is someone close by telling me what else I need to do.

In those situations a generic BA is useless I may as well do it myself..

True but what I mean is - when the supply and demand imbalance wasnt as severe - you could get away with not being a perfect fit for a role - now very unlikely.