Niche contractor vs. Permie with Prospects?

[BlasterBates]

Agree with MyUserName, a permie job means you can live near where you work, as there are a lot more permie jobs than contracts.

I also left contracting because it meant you have to travel. I spent most of the time I was contracting commuting long distances.

I think the travelling, the expense and the time you lose are the big factors in weighing up permiedom vs contracting.

[VectraMan]

Agree with MyUserName, a permie job means you can live near where you work, as there are a lot more permie jobs than contracts.

I also left contracting because it meant you have to travel. I spent most of the time I was contracting commuting long distances.

I think the travelling, the expense and the time you lose are the big factors in weighing up permiedom vs contracting.

Last time I was looking all the contracts seemed to be bloody miles away, and really dull sounding roles to boot. I just couldn't get myself motivated to go through all that when there seemed to be a good choice of interesting sounding permie jobs with an easy commute.

[Platypus]

Thanks for the really insightful answers, and thanks for sharing. MUN, you really did the right thing, and you'll look back in years to come and you'll never regret your choice.

I'm a 90% WFH contractor with interesting travel thrown in from time to time. No daily grind for me. The perm role would mean daily travel. My kids are all growed up and my wife fecked off yonks ago, so I have zero restrictions on my time but I don't want to trade an easy 10 seconds commute for hours each day.

After 18 gallons of booze last night and having duly slept on the matter, I've decided to stay in this contract until the bitter end, bank the dosh, enjoy the life and sod the future. I have time enough to reskill where I am now, I just have to stop being such a lazy bunt and get on with it.

Thanks again one and all. Next question, hangover cures ......

P.S. Cloud is no way dead. It's barely started. What you see today is Cloud, Jim, but not as we'll know it.

[vetran]

Are there plan B opportunities in your Niche or skill areas you fancy?

there may be more than one way to skill up or secure your future.

[MyUserName]

After 18 gallons of booze last night and having duly slept on the matter, I've decided to stay in this contract until the bitter end, bank the dosh, enjoy the life and sod the future. I have time enough to reskill where I am now, I just have to stop being such a lazy bunt and get on with it.

Sounds like a good plan!

[rl4engc]

Personally I'd have to be very, very desperate to go back to permiedom. I was permie for 7 years and I've been a contractor for 7 years. As a contractor I've been on the bench for all of two months whilst I re-skilled, this involved training at home from materials available on the interwebs, and 'updating' my CV.

A lot depends on your skillset, I'm pure technical (through choice), and I've found all my clients to be very relaxed and no hassle from permies. I think of a contracting career like a game of frogger. If I need to jump onto a new log, I make sure the skillset from my current gig supports the jump to the new one. This may involve gaining new skills and adding a couple of bullet points to the CV. The gaining of these skills could be researching/developing a new way of doing XYZ for ClientCo, and may have, but probably wasn't requested by ClientCo...

Point is, moving around in Contractordom is very easy, it's all about a recent skillset. in the world of Permies (as I found out during my 2 month break when I was panicking, thinking I'd have to go back to being Permie) they want you to be a "member of the family" and so have all day intensive interviews, online psychometric tests, personality assessments with HR, meet the directors etc. I'm going working for them, not marrying into them.

Other things that have reassured me contracting is the way to go:

- Last permie interview: "So, what made you decide to stop contracting? Were you getting tired of the money?" I ended the interview.
- Potential permie employer, on learning I was a contractor: "Once a contractor, always a contractor.. "
- Shortly before leaving last permie gig to go contracting, a (long-term, 'loyal company man') colleague remarked "Subbie Scum..!". A few months later he'd been made redundant.
- I got my most recent 6 month gig after a 20 minute interview from the disabled bog at previous client in my final week. I started the following week, I'm still here 3 years later.

[Platypus]

I got my most recent 6 month gig after a 20 minute interview from the disabled bog at previous client in my final week. I started the following week, I'm still here 3 years later.

Class!

[original PM]

P.S. Cloud is no way dead. It's barely started. What you see today is Cloud, Jim, but not as we'll know it.

Cloud is not dead

nor it is new however