War chests

[Turion]

I'm not a code monkey - I'm a Programme Manager having to work as a Project Manager / Development Manager / Business Consultant.

Financing aspirations - have you seen the state of the school system?

contractor living on permie income - my current rate puts me at about 15% less than what I earned as a permie, plus I no longer have any pension contributions, private health, job security etc.

road to ruin - maybe, the alternatives - we thought about emigrating, started looking at New Zealand - see other recent thread on that!

You need to face facts. Living on a permie based wage is especially applicable to PM type roles, less so for skilled CM's.

Due to off-shoring of junior CM roles, many senior CM's left in the UK earn more than the PM's managing them. PM's are plugin replaceable @200/day. A niche skilled client facing CM is not. Not only to PM's and BA's need to cut their cloth, they need to get used to the techies they work with earning way more than them.

[SuperZ]

been benched almost 7 months but have around £310k net cash reserves remaining...I learned my lesson in 2001/2 which was extremely rough for me...

Dude, you`ve got to live a little . Must admit that I save also and live well within my means but for me to make the contracting lifestyle more worthwhile there are some things I like to do that I couldn`t do as a permie. I would struggle with motivation otherwise. If I had my mortgage paid AND had £310k in the bank I`m sure I`d really struggle with motivation.

I do however take my hat off to you for being so commited to putting everything aside - well done . You are in a very strong position and able push your plan B forward.

[MPwannadecentincome]

PM's are plugin replaceable @200/day.

Luckily in the skilled niche area I work in I'm on considerably more than this - provided I can find the work.

[PM-Junkie]

You need to face facts. Living on a permie based wage is especially applicable to PM type roles, less so for skilled CM's.

Due to off-shoring of junior CM roles, many senior CM's left in the UK earn more than the PM's managing them. PM's are plugin replaceable @200/day. A niche skilled client facing CM is not. Not only to PM's and BA's need to cut their cloth, they need to get used to the techies they work with earning way more than them.

I'm curious, do you always talk out of your backside, or only on CUK?

[HeadOfTesting]

Dude, you`ve got to live a little . Must admit that I save also and live well within my means but for me to make the contracting lifestyle more worthwhile there are some things I like to do that I couldn`t do as a permie. I would struggle with motivation otherwise. If I had my mortgage paid AND had £310k in the bank I`m sure I`d really struggle with motivation.

I do however take my hat off to you for being so commited to putting everything aside - well done . You are in a very strong position and able push your plan B forward.

I live plenty

If anything, I regret not being more restrained with some of my spending.

Oh well, there's no sense in looking backwards.

[darmstadt]

No real warchest at all, normally just enought for the next month or so. I have a business account at my bank with a large overdraft facility and I just live on that. The first invoice tends to cover that

[SuperZ]

I

If anything, I regret not being more restrained with some of my spending.

You`re such a joker .

[Peter Loew]

I'm curious, do you always talk out of your backside, or only on CUK?

WHS, PMs @ 200p/d??

I only usually go for 450+ The lowest PM role I've seen was for a local authority for 300p/d.

I said no cause a) rate is way to low for a PM and b) don't want a local authority on my CV c) I'm not desperate, desperately bored yes, but not financially desperate.

That said, I think the role was pretty decent..

[HeadOfTesting]

You`re such a joker .

being totally serious - for example I recently blew £650 on a night out with a friend - that's the kind of stupidity that needs to be brought under control if I'm going to have enough breathing space to fully exploit my plan b ideas

[shrek1895]

I've always tried to air on the side of caution, however, I shot myself in the foot slightly in terms of readily available cash by putting down a 60% deposit when buying a house at the back end of last year.

Got 15k in the company account and about 10k net to fall back on. Reckon it'll keep me going for 6 months, maybe more if no unforseens crop up.

But a change in circumstances (marriage, followed by child, with another on the way) is clipping my wings slightly. Especially with the BI market in the North West throwing nothing up to match my skills within commutting distance of home and her in doors making it known in no uncertain circumstances working away is not an option I may lose my bottle and go permy, which is throwing up quite a few options at the minute for me.