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Becoming a contractor (Software Developer)

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    Becoming a contractor (Software Developer)

    I started my career in software development with the goal of eventually becoming a contractor. After four years in the industry, I have gained a wide variety of experience in different technologies, while focusing the bulk of my learning on my main stack.

    My primary skillset includes C# .NET Core, Javascript, React, Entity Framework, SQL, and Azure. I am currently working towards my 204 developer certification in Azure. Additionally, I have good knowledge and experience in PHP, Laravel, and Wordpress.

    I have written a business plan and extensively researched both inside and outside IR35, as well as spoken to contractor agents. My plan is to eventually leave my job after securing my first contract and go from there, though I am aware that this will require good timing and can be a scary prospect.

    Currently, I earn around 30k and anticipate charging between £200-400 a day for my first jobs. Determining the appropriate rate to charge has been a challenge, however. I would appreciate any advice on whether this plan seems reasonable for a developer with four years of experience. Furthermore, I would like to know how much I can expect to earn over a year in this current market and whether it is a good time to enter the market?

    #2
    Originally posted by YggdrasilMana View Post
    I started my career in software development with the goal of eventually becoming a contractor. After four years in the industry, I have gained a wide variety of experience in different technologies, while focusing the bulk of my learning on my main stack.

    My primary skillset includes C# .NET Core, Javascript, React, Entity Framework, SQL, and Azure. I am currently working towards my 204 developer certification in Azure. Additionally, I have good knowledge and experience in PHP, Laravel, and Wordpress.

    I have written a business plan and extensively researched both inside and outside IR35, as well as spoken to contractor agents. My plan is to eventually leave my job after securing my first contract and go from there, though I am aware that this will require good timing and can be a scary prospect.

    Currently, I earn around 30k and anticipate charging between £200-400 a day for my first jobs. Determining the appropriate rate to charge has been a challenge, however. I would appreciate any advice on whether this plan seems reasonable for a developer with four years of experience. Furthermore, I would like to know how much I can expect to earn over a year in this current market and whether it is a good time to enter the market?
    Please do not take this the wrong way:

    1. I don't know who you work for or where you work but assuming it is in the UK £30k is at the very bottom end of the market and does not scream 'highly skilled software developer' - graduates at large companies start on more than that, sometimes a lot more than that.

    2. By all means plan how much you need to earn but unless you have some very in demand/niche skills (and you don't) then the client will set the rate.

    Assuming you are good at what you do and are just stuck in a poorly paid position (it happens) my advice would be to look for a job at a more reputable company that pays a lot more. Then maybe think about contracting in a few more years.

    I think you need to determine the current level of your skills and abilities. I have seen many developers who have worked on a single codebase for years and assume they are language/programming experts really struggle in interviews because they have just repeated the patterns that are used in the system they have worked on. The sort of developers who use Array or List for everything with no concept of the runtime complexity of their algorithms.

    My advice would be to create a Leetcode account and attempt some of the easy challenges in C#. If you struggle with these then you are not ready to step up.

    You may be in for a shock - I encountered something similar when I entered my first Topcoder contest about 15 years ago assuming that as a professional developer it would be a cakewalk.

    It wasn't but it motivated me to *really* up my game and I have reaped the rewards since
    Last edited by TheDude; 16 March 2023, 09:27.

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      #3
      Sad state of affairs that a software developer with 4 years experience only gets paid £30K.
      People with no skills, who can barely speak english, can make £700 a week with a bit of overtime these days.

      "My plan is to eventually leave my job after securing my first contract and go from there"
      Thats going to be hard at the moment, you are competing against benched contractors who can start today.

      £200 to £400 a day is perm rates, thats about the only thing you have going, you can undercut most others.

      Market is soft at the moment, high interest rates are killing demand. Not the best time to be starting out as a contractor.
      Last edited by Fraidycat; 16 March 2023, 09:37.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Fraidycat View Post
        Sad state of affairs that software developers with 4 years experience only gets paid £30K.
        I have seen developers with more than four years of experience that can't even write a simple method in an interview.

        Comment


          #5
          After reading your feedback I will add a bit more. I work in public sector so pay is not reflective of my work sadly. I did think about going for a private sector job however I figured if I am going to leave I might as well do what I really want and set up my own contracting business.

          I would put my skills on mid level software developer.
          Last edited by YggdrasilMana; 16 March 2023, 09:35.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by TheDude View Post

            I have seen developers with more than four years of experience that can't even write a simple method in an interview.
            Thats might be interview pressure, i cracked the first time i had to code live in front of 3 people during a zoom interview. I said to myself "screw this", and ended the interview.

            Subsequent interviews i got used to it.
            Last edited by Fraidycat; 16 March 2023, 09:42.

            Comment


              #7
              I appreciate all of your advice, everyone. I will take a look at Leetcode and work on building and improving my skills. My current plan is to transition into contracting within the next 6-12 months, or when an opportunity presents itself.

              That being said, I am also considering exploring private sector work within the next 6 months. I have received several offers that could potentially increase my salary by 10-20k.

              While I am passionate about eventually starting my own business, I am wondering if four years of experience is appropriate, or if it would be better for me to gain more experience in the sector before pursuing this goal. I would appreciate any thoughts or advice on this matter.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by YggdrasilMana View Post
                I appreciate all of your advice, everyone. I will take a look at Leetcode and work on building and improving my skills. My current plan is to transition into contracting within the next 6-12 months, or when an opportunity presents itself.

                That being said, I am also considering exploring private sector work within the next 6 months. I have received several offers that could potentially increase my salary by 10-20k.
                I wouldn't get too hung up on Leetcode but it is a good resource for practicing for interview style code challenges.

                A much better showcase for your skills is a github repo with a few personal projects in it.

                I would strongly advise taking a perm offer of ~£50k if it is on the table now rather than jump into contracting. Without meaning to be rude I suspect you don't have a huge amount of savings on a £30k salary and you can expect to spend weeks/months out of work in between contracting.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by YggdrasilMana View Post
                  I am wondering if four years of experience is appropriate
                  Number of years is not that important, but you have to sound competent on your key skills, and pass any code tests you get given.

                  Much easier to land contracts when demand for contractors is strong and supply is low.

                  Harder when it is the opposite, even 15 years experience wont help much when the market is very weak.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Fraidycat View Post

                    Number of years is not that important, but you have to sound competent on your key skills, and pass any code tests you get given.

                    Much easier to land contracts when demand for contractors is strong and supply is low.

                    Harder when it is the opposite, even 15 years experience wont help much when the market is very weak.
                    Would you say the market is bad now for contract developers?

                    Comment

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