Sexy contract that pays less?

[tomtomagain]

Lucky me! Still find exciting bits in IT, unlike some other stuff I have done in my early years

Me too. It's working in large, faceless, bureaucratic and overly-outsourced organisations that I find utterly tedious.

[perplexed]

Me too. It's working in large, faceless, bureaucratic and overly-outsourced organisations that I find utterly tedious.

Eh, suppose I should clarify....

Personal code, projects I do at home in my own time are enjoyable - when wife and kids don't distract me too much that is. I control the technologies used, etc.

Work on the other hand often involves dealing with the remnants of incompetency, ie using completely inappropriate tech stacks, handrolling SQL when use of something like JPA backed by Hibernate is entirely more relevant for the problem domain. Higher ups at end clients hearing latest buzzword, wanting it used despite adding no benefit over the cost involved.

Things like that make my little inner puppy die a little.

[mickey]

On consideration ... I am dubious that there are any "sexy" roles at all!

So what makes this role special? New skills? step up in responsibility? Big name? New industry?

ClientCo = hedge fund.

[tomtomagain]

ClientCo = hedge fund.

Surely 25% more then???

[mickey]

Surely 25% more then???

They are stingy then.

Exclusivity premium?

[tomtomagain]

So what, if anything, have you decided to do?

[mickey]

So what, if anything, have you decided to do?

I like the other gig

[boulderman]

Go with your gut

For 9 years I've had multiple offers for every role (some of them perm offers), I've gone for lower amounts mostly even if they are also further away because...well one place called their staff "units" and I didn't fancy my longevity chances...most recently, 2 contracts, one paying double the other but 120 miles away (compared to 20) it is a role I'd like - learn new (not necessarily cutting edge technology), it's a longer contract (if they don't serve a day's notice...I've only ever done it to a firm), and despite being away from my partner for a few days a week which she isn't happy about) I'd built a warchest and hope the trend of future job offers occur again.

(I have 3 more final stage interviews this week, one in 9 hours), despite the £££ expense I've put in for the 'wasted' interviews they can see my ability and if offered ask if I can start in a number of months.

The warchest can pay for learning if I need to adapt.

(Gut didn't work on my most recent job as they were making a loss...the 2 month contract offer or the "unit" place didn't answer my calls)

[I just need to test it]

My personal choice is the sexy one, though it depends what you get off on, of course.

Back in 2003 my CV had stagnated. I was getting the same tedious roles, being drawn ever further up a creek. New versions of SAP (my tool of "choice") had been released, containing new tools/sub-modules, and I wasn't allowed near them because I hadn't used them.

In an effort to improve my marketability I paid to go on several SAP training courses. These run to about 2K a week. Add in hotel costs, loss of revenue, my oh my.... But the worst thing (the WORST thing) about training courses is that after twenty minutes of day one I'm staring out of the window, counting pigeons, or waiting for the (admittedly excellent) SAP lunches.

And attending courses doesn't, of course, guarantee any work in those areas.

I knew I needed a better way of developing my skillset. So along came this role where the money was 20% down but they made it clear they expected me to turn my hand to whatever came up.

From day one I was no longer a miserable SAP programmer. They hit me with all manner of stuff I'd never touched before. It was effectively a seven month training course for which I got paid. My CV was genuinely rejuvenated. And I got paid. Admittedly not very well. But given the trajectory my CV had been taking it was the best financial decision I've taken in the last 12 years.

Did I mention I got paid to learn?



Paid, I tell you.

[mickey]

I think two concepts got mixed up in this thread. "Sexy/trendy jobs" and "stuff I'm good at/love doing". Did I mention these may not overlap?

In my previous life I've done stuff that was seen as sexy and I disliked, and eventually it went out of fashion.