Need some advice on getting into contracts - which certification

[antekm]

Hello to everyone!
I would like to start contracting, it seems like a perfect solution for me (I like to travel, so I would enjoy the freedom of not working as permanent, and of course it pays much better). I have some questions on how to enter this market.
So I will explain my background a little bit first.

I live in Poland now, and I have 4 years of experience in J2EE (+ 4 years during Uni, but AFAIK student experience is not really considered in UK as valid). I know all the typical stuff, eg. Spring, Hibernate, EJB etc. What can be interesting, is good experience in GWT (been working on corporate front end for big polish bank).

Now I'm taking few months break from work - mostly for travelling, but I will have some time on my hands, so I'm considering doing some certification, to improve my chances. And here comes my first dilemma, as I'm thinking about either:
1). J2EE Architect - this would be probably easier to do, as I have already experience in the area, so it wouldn't mean learning everything from scratch. Also learning could be beneficial, as during the process I would have opportunity to summarize and expand my knowledge. But I'm a little bit concerned that it can be considered too general
2). some SOA certifications from IBM - I have no experience in this field, but I'm considering it because this would give me some more specific knowledge (and according to my friend, who is specializing in SOA, there's a growing demand on it - at least in Poland, and he can dictate his conditions to much bigger degree than if he was just general j2ee specialist). I am aware that it would be difficult to find a contract in SOA with just this certification, so I'm thinking on working for some time as permanent to gain some experience.

What do you thing would be more beneficial in short and long run? Is it possible to learn new things on contract, or they rather expect you to have all the required knowledge? Is really specialising in SOA (or some other specific technology) so much better than going for j2ee architect?
Or maybe I should concentrate on GWT (and web-GUI in general)?

Thanks for replies.

[SueEllen]

General rule of thumb is if you don't or won't be able to get experience immediately in the area then don't waste your money doing the certification, as experience is looked for more than a certificate in the UK.

This is due to the number of people from South East Asia who come to the UK with lots of certificates but with the inability to do the job.

Another rule of thumb is unless you are already in the UK you will find that UK agencies won't deal with you or consider you for contract work.

[Old Greg]

Another rule of thumb is unless you are already in the UK you will find that UK agencies won't deal with you or consider you for contract work.

So get a UK SIM card and don't tell them - but be well acquainted with the flight schedules for an interview tomorrow.

[northernladuk]

So get a UK SIM card and don't tell them - but be well acquainted with the flight schedules for an interview tomorrow.

But remember to get a role with a bank in the UK you will have to go through a number of checks probably including a CRB and a background/credit check so will have to be open and honest about everything for this.

[antekm]

Well, to clarify, my plan is to move to UK before applying for anything, so this shouldn't be problem.

And what do you think about SOA in general? Is it worth trying to go in this direction? Or better do this j2ee architect and see what happens?

[northernladuk]

Well, to clarify, my plan is to move to UK before applying for anything, so this shouldn't be problem.

And what do you think about SOA in general? Is it worth trying to go in this direction? Or better do this j2ee architect and see what happens?

As has already been mentioned. If you do not have experience in a certainly technology you will not get work in that area regardless of your certification. As a contractor you are expected to be an expert in your field <cough> and can hit the ground running to bring value to your client.

[antekm]

And what about getting certification, working as permie for some time to catch up with experience, and then going into cotracts (as SOA specialist)? Is it worth the effort?

And what is the value of j2ee architect certification?

[SueEllen]

And what about getting certification, working as permie for some time to catch up with experience, and then going into cotracts (as SOA specialist)? Is it worth the effort?

And what is the value of j2ee architect certification?

Certifications are used by consultancies to sell you to their end client, or as a way to keep permie staff thinking that they are learning something useful.

I would personally get a job then get your employer to pay for any "training" that you need.

While lots of employers don't like to send people on IT training courses they tend to be happier to buy a few books and pay for an exam. You will still have to do a your yearly performance review/career development plan/"whatever they are called" to get this.

[antekm]

So to summarize, is there anything sensible that I can do before coming to UK looking for some contract? Should I do this J2EE Architect?
Can I assume I will be able to find some contract, or should I rather work first for some time as premie?

[northernladuk]

I think someone is looking for the answer they want to hear rather than being open to advice and acting on it even though it isn't what they wanted.