Good contract, bad tech - what to do?

[heyya99]

I am in a year long contract on a rate I'm happy with as a soft are developer. The problem is, the company is not very cutting edge. In fact I'd call it blunt. They are only starting to work in Agile practices. They might as well not be using agile. They seem to be just gong through the motions. Also, the technologies they use are very old hat.

My issue is, I am afraid that I'm not really learning what I need to learn to keep ahead of the game. With the market being so tight, I'm afraid of being overtaken by others with better gigs.

My dilemma is - do I sit in my decent and secure contract and let my skills regress, or do I leave the contract early (say after 6 months) and find a gig that will enhance my CV. I'm afraid that by the time my contract ends, and I'm back on the market, I might struggle to compete because I've been using old tech.

I know I can keep up to date on my skills at home but it's not the same as getting commercial experience.

[jmo21]

You are already aware it could be an issue for you.

Only you can judge how big that issue could be and it's going to be dependant on your skillset, target working locations, how you generally compare against other contractors and permies with similar skills.

I generally aim at contracts using newer tech for similar reasons.

Staying with older tech that agents/clients struggle to recruit for can be very lucrative though, so don't knock the older tech.

[SueEllen]

Depends.

You could do the contract two ways:
1. Sit quietly, let them do everything badly and leave after 6 months, OR,
2. If you have experience in the methodology that they are trying to implement use your experience while being a bit subtle to get them to do it correctly. (Lots of people take on new ideas if you make them think it was what they thought of in the first place. ) Then leave once you think they have the hang of it. This may be at 6 months or it may not be.

[SimonMac]

You are a contractor, you have been brought in because you are a SME, if they are doing it wrong, suggest ways to improve

[heyya99]

Can contracts even be broken early?

[northernladuk]

Can contracts even be broken early?

Try reading it and you might find out.

[cojak]

Check your contract, it will tell you if you can or not.

[northernladuk]

Check your contract, it will tell you if you can or not.

I still can't get my head around contractors that don't bother reading their contract. It's just ludicrous signing something you have no idea what it says. The fact the OP doesn't even know what to look for makes me want to cry. I can only presume he didn't have it checked for IR35 as well.

[heyya99]

I have read my contract. I know I have to give a month's notice. I just meant the impact of leaving before it's finished. Is it a complete no-no for my own reputation..

[psychocandy]

I have read my contract. I know I have to give a month's notice. I just meant the impact of leaving before it's finished. Is it a complete no-no for my own reputation..

Im sure others will comment soon but this is an area that always causes some differences of opinion.