Considering C# Contracting

[Sockpuppet]

Bear in mind with new age discromination laws the DOB doesn't have to be on the CV and refusing to employ because he is 19 could get you into all sorts of tulip.....

They'll just find some other its-really-your-date-of-birth excuse to not hire them.

[dotNetContractor]

I see how you may think I don't have four years exp, however having left school before A Levels this is how I have that many at this age. My dad got me my first job at his software house. So I have been working in commercial projects for the last 4 years (3 different companies). Examples are 'Web Service back end for Health service', 'Quoting/Stock/Manufacturing system', 'project management, mobile (.NET CF) development, warehouse management system'

My project whilst working at my dads company got this case study from microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies...estudyid=52162

Do you think a MCPD certification or something similar may help?

In my current job I am not a junior developer, I have key input into the whole process, and did most of the analysis before the actual project started, designed the DB structure and data layer etc.
I also manage the IT Support lads under me.

I apologise for some of you may not believing what I have to say. But what use would asking for advise be if I didn't give truthful information?

[Sockpuppet]

I see how you may think I don't have four years exp, however having left school before A Levels this is how I have that many at this age. My dad got me my first job at his software house. So I have been working in commercial projects for the last 4 years (3 different companies).

Do you think a MCPD certification or something similar may help?

In my current job I am not a junior developer, I have key input into the whole process, and did most of the analysis before the actual project started, designed the DB structure and data layer etc.
I also manage the IT Support lads under me.

I apologise for some of you may not believing what I have to say. But what use would asking for advise be if I didn't give truthful information?

Serously the lack of a-levels and degrees will hurt you.

You have to think who you are going against for these jobs. They will have these quals and degree / a -levels.

We are trying to look at it from a rec consultant view where they give a CV 30 seconds of attention before they either bin it or phone you back. They are going to think the same as us..how can he have 4 years experiance @ 19.

By all means pass your CV around and don't let us put you off just dont be suprised if you dont get that many phone calls back.

[Cowboy Bob]

I see how you may think I don't have four years exp, however having left school before A Levels this is how I have that many at this age. My dad got me my first job at his software house. So I have been working in commercial projects for the last 4 years (3 different companies).

Well, if you can genuinely prove that you have 4 years experience then I don't see why age should come into it then (though 5 years is the norm for contracting based on what I see on the job boards).

I wouldn't bother with bits of paper to be a contractor (unless you're looking for government work). I don't even look at them - in fact if qualifications are placed too prominantly over experience I tend to bin the CV. I've never met a hiring manager who puts that much weight behind them either. Experience is what counts and whether the hiring manager thinks you can do the work that they want done. It's not quite the same as applying for a permie job in that respect.

[Cowboy Bob]

Serously the lack of a-levels and degrees will hurt you.

I don't see why they make a blind bit of difference. Maybe for permie jobs, but for contract all they want to know is if you can get the job done. At least, that's all I want to know.

Admittedly you do have to get past the braindead pimp who doesn't know his arse from his elbow...

[Sockpuppet]

I don't see why they make a blind bit of difference. Maybe for permie jobs, but for contract all they want to know is if you can get the job done. At least, that's all I want to know.

Admittedly you do have to get past the braindead pimp who doesn't know his arse from his elbow...

Exactly. A lot of roles want "Graduate" calibre.

[Lockhouse]

At 19 you just don't have enough experience - and not just in IT.

[Weltchy]

Have to agree with cowboy. A degree is not a requirement. Experience is the kicker for any contract. If you drop your age from your CV, you may well get a few interview slots.

However, Age Discrimination aside, you will have to be sh*t hot in an interview if you go against any normal contractor who will mostly likely have twice your experience if not more, both workwise and lifewise, will have sat through maybe 30+ interviews and so know how to walk the walk and talk the talk.

However, that said, if your confident in your ability and come across older than your age, go for it!!!!!

[Joe Black]

Re: Considering C# Contracting

I think I'd agree with a lot of the comments here. Given that you're only 19 will be a major negative on getting decent work as few people will believe you have the experience. In this regard I don't think lack of O/A levels/, degree will matter. Simply most people will think you're just too young to have proper experience, and quite possibly see things like "my dad got me my first job" as suggesting that whatever experience you had was some sort of work experience, helping dad at the office sort of stuff.

It's possible of course that you're extremely brilliant etc and, like a mate of mine who did indeed start his first business at 16 and was a European manager for a well known games company not many years later, could do well. But in all honesty it will take a heck of a lot of selling of those skills if you don't want your CV to be chucked in the first 15 seconds.

However the last 3 years which is all post Uni is nothing but large, cv worthy projects. New national warehouses, international projects, large clients etc etc. Which gives me more "experience" than someone with 15 years in the same place doing the same job.

[Sockpuppet]

What? I am (with all the modesty that it demands) better than most logistics project managers out there. Why? Because I and understand the logistics market better than most other people becuase its what I have always done. I'm not a manufacturing person that is now in logistics becuase my own work has fecked off to china. Also being more numerate than god also helps.