How long after uni did you start contracting?

[NotAllThere]

5 years. Had a quite decent permie job, good training, lots of varied experience across a wide range of technologies. After 3.5 years they offered me 6 months salary to leave (voluntary redundancy). Had two different permie jobs in the next 18 months. The first was dreadful, the second worse. Then I went contracting (1995).

However, even the two terrible jobs did gain me technical (and life) experience which has stood me in good stead since. But I'd probably have done just as well to have gone contracting immediately after redundancy.

On the other hand, I know plenty of decent contractors who did zero, one or two years permie before contracting.

[BoredBloke]

I couldn't get a job when I came out of my MSc course, so I went into contracting straight away.

Me too

[Sockpuppet]

On average how long after uni did you start contracting? I have recently graduated and I am due to start work with a large IT service company as a BA but have always wanted to work for myself and after reading posts on this forum contracting seems very attractive to me. Is around 4 years experience them move into contracting a fairly standard thing to do? What would people say the pros and cons I need to look out for are?

18 months after I left (give or take a month). Then again I'm not an IT contractor.

[Dow Jones]

Advice

On average how long after uni did you start contracting? I have recently graduated and I am due to start work with a large IT service company as a BA but have always wanted to work for myself and after reading posts on this forum contracting seems very attractive to me. Is around 4 years experience them move into contracting a fairly standard thing to do? What would people say the pros and cons I need to look out for are?

How long is a piece of string? It seems a fairly stupid question even from a fairly new graduate. For a start, most contractors that I know of haven't been to University, as they are either self-taught or had a brief spell at college.
What you mean by '4 years experience' is that 'is this enough to give you the confidence you need to do it?'
Again for some (as you've seen) it wasn't this long, others took longer. Contracting is not just a career, it's a new lifestyle, often working away from home, often doing the hardest or worst jobs that nobody else would do, not just about earning more money (again that may arguably not be the case long-term). It seems that you've got a well-paid job with a large co which is ideal for a new starter, first try and learn the ropes, see how you go, how the market is at the time, then decide. What can I say?

[rootsnall]

2 year club here also. I wasn't confident at all but thought I want some of that wonga.

[TheBigYinJames]

often doing the hardest or worst jobs that nobody else would do

A lot of new contractors fail to realise that by the time ClientCo has to call in the contractors, it's usually tulip work that nobody there can do or wants to fix. You end up with your metaphorical hand round lots of metaphorical U-Bends. But it pays well.

[EqualOpportunities]

Does Catering College count?

[thunderlizard]

-1 years. It looked a rosier way to spend the Long Vac than barman or punt guide.

[Charles Foster Kane]

4 years in a permie role after Uni before contracting.

[Dow Jones]

Does Catering College count?