Days -> Weeks -> Months

[russell]

Microsoft .Net in investment banking, London. I specialis in WPF, MVVM, PRISM, RX.

Right, strange .NET is usually plentiful. Guess the bobs are taking over in London. Think it will pick up in April, chin up!

[nomadd]

Right, strange .NET is usually plentiful. Guess the bobs are taking over in London. Think it will pick up in April, chin up!

This^

I really can't see someone with good C#, WPF (etc.) and good Investment Bnaking skills being off the market for too long in London. Once the new budgets come through in April/May, it shouldn't take too long to find something.

[MarillionFan]

The market is dead - I've not seen it like this in the whole of my 15 year IT career. Yes there is still work out there, but not nearly as much as the past few years, and at lower rates of pay.

I don't want to believe it, but the truth is obvious to anyone who cares to look: the IT industry has been in terminal decline for the past 10 years. We have no support from our government - in fact it woudl appear that they are vehemently against the UK's IT industry. Businesses are offshoring/onshoring at leisure and the long term detrimental effect on the country is being shoved under the carpet.

I've had a great 5 or 6 years contracting, but I know it's not going to be easy after this, and I've been making plans to drop out of the game altogether. Shame though, because I really enjoy what I do (and I have no plan B to work on!).

I disagree.

The market looks very bouyant to me for my skill sets. I no longer program I never kept up with the changing technologies but I moved over into Business Analysis/ Project Management/Technical architecture. I sit nicely between the business and IT & any outsourced bobs. No way will you be able to compete technically, but in terms of understanding the business / requirements etc there will always be onshore work.

[VirtualMonkey]

I disagree.

The market looks very bouyant to me for my skill sets. I no longer program I never kept up with the changing technologies but I moved over into Business Analysis/ Project Management/Technical architecture. I sit nicely between the business and IT & any outsourced bobs. No way will you be able to compete technically, but in terms of understanding the business / requirements etc there will always be onshore work.

WMFS
I purposely moved myself away from 3rd line support roles into architecture to hedge against the gradual loss of will to keep up with the details of new tech. Always going to be a market for those who can translate the business requirements into something the bobs can understand....and then make sure they deliver it in a way that actually works rather than what they would otherwise try to deliver.

[russell]

I disagree.

The market looks very bouyant to me for my skill sets. I no longer program I never kept up with the changing technologies but I moved over into Business Analysis/ Project Management/Technical architecture. I sit nicely between the business and IT & any outsourced bobs. No way will you be able to compete technically, but in terms of understanding the business / requirements etc there will always be onshore work.

I kind of disagree with the whole bob thing, clients always have a mix, they never want to go full-bobed , they like to have some experienced home grown guys.

However starting out as a technical guy, would not be great right now.

[quackhandle]

Yep. I've had one offer evaporate too.

What happened to the good times? Distant memory. 2012 will be the worst year yet. At least in 2008/9 interviews were plentiful.

I couldn't find an interview in 2009 for love nor money. I have found my field (SQL) quite buoyant for permie roles so far but thats when your on a gig, I know they'll all dry up as soon as I finish current gig. If I don't get anything over the summer then it will be time well spent with the family and 18mnth old son.

Good luck, remember to keep busy, get out and get some fresh air, get a dog, take up running. Just don't sit in with Jeremy Kyle for company, that will drive anyone to lunacy.

qh

[norrahe]

I certainly picked the wrong time to move country.
Interim roles especially English speaking ones are few and far between in cloggers.
The market in the UK is pretty bouyant for my specialism, not been on the bench that long, if it's longer than 6 weeks then I may have to consider taking summat back in blighty and doing the weekly commute from cloggers.

[Coalman]

I disagree.

The market looks very bouyant to me for my skill sets. I no longer program I never kept up with the changing technologies but I moved over into Business Analysis/ Project Management/Technical architecture. I sit nicely between the business and IT & any outsourced bobs. No way will you be able to compete technically, but in terms of understanding the business / requirements etc there will always be onshore work.

Bloody hell - I'm agreeing with MF. No, ah, ah - nurse where s my meds?

[redgiant]

I’m not finding the market dead in my fields either - Business Analysis, Project Management, Process Improvement and Collaboration Tech.

Current contract is up at Easter so have been sending the monkeys out to find new contracts and have had a few promising ones come back.

[eek]

I disagree.

The market looks very bouyant to me for my skill sets. I no longer program I never kept up with the changing technologies but I moved over into Business Analysis/ Project Management/Technical architecture. I sit nicely between the business and IT & any outsourced bobs. No way will you be able to compete technically, but in terms of understanding the business / requirements etc there will always be onshore work.

WMFS

The market is going to move to managing offshore work and interfacing between the business and the end provider.

Unless you can find a technical niche where you can sit very close to the end user the only way to keep in this game is by becoming an independent validation / interface between an end business and bob co.