Your First Contracting Gig

[lukemg]

Where was it?
Bass Ltd, huge brewery, cape hill, brum

What were you doing?
2nd line monkey support work (when this was considered a skill - 93/94)

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
They had had another chap in for a week who annoyed everyone he met so they got rid of him the day I started (they kept me in another office till he left, told him budget had gone). Just in case I was the same, I was on a days notice for 2 weeks.
Had to live away but money had doubled to 700/week (I know but this is years ago) so lived with it. Shift was easy, kept my head down, got on with everyone (boss offered to lend me a few hundred notes if my money was delayed in coming through !)

What did you learn?
Equal priority is they want you to get on with everyone and be able to do the job. I concentrate on being the perfect chap on the team, I am on time, nice to people, I don't moan about the place, I don't go sick, I don't have time off to look after kids, dentists etc etc. I am LOW maintenance and it works. Skills required have always been basic and no more than the permies.

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
Had to setup co, get business account, do paperwork (before t'internet) after I had started the job, had a mate who's dad was an accountant. Got done for 20% by the agency but it went smooth apart from that.

What were you doing before that first contract?
4 years permie on network/PC support role (on my own = you learn a lot but not about team working)

[paulb567]

Where was it?
Large pharmaceuticals company

What were you doing?
Straight forward software development.

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
Easy. The work was relaxed. Working with a mixture of permies and contractors all of who pulled their weight on the project.

What did you learn?
How to surf the internet for 7 hours a day and get paid for it.

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
No. The contract was loads easier than my previous permy jobs.

What were you doing before that first contract?
2.5 years of permy development after leaving uni.

[DS23]

>Where was it?
Global Manufacturing Corporation

>What were you doing?
Functional Consultancy

>How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
It was a piece of cake. Work was the same as I had been doing for years.

>What did you learn?
1. That in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king.
2. How to chill in the face of politics and garbage management decisions with an internalised kerching sound.
3. I had a poor sense of smell.

>Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
I should have smelt some fishy flavoured coffee at 2 months in when the payment schedule was ignored but I had seen some money and I wanted more of the same. I should have sniffed the aroma of ammonia again at month 4 and jumped to a different agent (or just walked away) but I kept hanging on thinking it would all come good. At month 7 I should have been snorting the stuff but instead I stuck my head in the sand and just withheld invoices and expenses because the end client made encouraging noises of support. Then at about 10 months the Agent went bankrupt and I knew the stench was real. I was covered in it! The end client legal dept put a stop to all the pleasant noises of support and I was looking at losing 60K. I had to buy myself out of the contract so that I could start a new one and present the withheld invoices through another agent. It was a freaking disaster of a first contract.

>What were you doing before that first contract?
PM for a Global Manufacturing Corporation.

[TheMonkey]

Where was it?
Large design agency for large ex-BT mobile phone company.

What were you doing?
Sales tools

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
No problems. Some cash flow problems but otherwise ok.

What did you learn?
Sod all apart from how to avoid politics like the plague.

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
Dealing with S3 payroll.

What were you doing before that first contract?
Architect at quite well known Microsoft Gold Partner.

[bogeyman]

Where was it?
Major oil company

What were you doing?
Moving a mainframe site in the UK back to US

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
Easily - was previously an employee of said oil co. I resigned and they begged me to come back on contract knowing full well they had nobody else who could remotely do the job.

What did you learn?
How much people fawn on you when you earn more than them. Esp. managers.

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
Not sure I understand this one! If you mean that I realised I had a valuable commercial skill, then yes - I 'smelled the coffee'.

What were you doing before that first contract?
Working as a sysprog manager.

[css_jay99]

Where was it? -- Bank of America

What were you doing? -- oracle/ sqlserver Database design sql pl/sql, loading packgages, ETL, Datawarehouse, kissing ass

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract? -- Not too bad cos I was working for an old university room mate

What did you learn? - compliance, too much meetings, learnt that i was wasted there but learnt sql server, kissing ass

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?

What were you doing before that first contract? -- 7yrs permie within RBS

[lilelvis2000]

Lets seee.....Oh yeah Nortel in Ottawa. Migrating Application from Mac to Windows. Turned out quite nice. Learned that people who take the MCP? know diddly. Prior I was permie at Cognos.

[wendigo100]

Where was it?
Small computer company in Borehamwood

What were you doing?
Writing pointless manuals.

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
Easy. I'd just been made redundant.

What did you learn?
Lots about X25/X3/X28/X29 etc (well, this was late eighties/early nineties), and assembler programming

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
After three years there I had trouble getting my second contract and had to take one in Birmingham.

What were you doing before that first contract?
Permy systems development for a radar company

[n5gooner]

Where was it?
Mellon Bank

What were you doing?
designing DR builds and testing

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
Easy. Setup my own support company, employed two support monkies, went of to a contract.

What did you learn?
how other peoples ideas can really screw a company when it comes to DR.

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
Not so far, never had a break when I didn't want one, and just got a renewal for a further 3 months where I am now.

What were you doing before that first contract?
Setting up my owen firm, then Bank of America for 5 years, then Bridge, then JP Morgan.....and they ask how you get into banking!!!!

[XLMonkey]

Where was it? Ministry of Defence

What were you doing? Project Management (actual role was keeping the project permies sane in an environment that had gone completely mad)

How did you cope with the shift from perm to contract?
Barely noticed the difference

What did you learn?
1. Setting up a company is easy peasy. There is really nothing to
it. Read the guides, set up a limited company. Ignore umbrellas and
composites, if you are serious about doing it, they just cost you
money for no real benefit.
2. It is meaningless to ask the question "are there any good
agencies?". It is irrelevant. All contract opportunities are
advertised on one of three job sites (Jobserve.com, jobsite.co.uk,
totaljobs.com).
3. There are only good agents. They move agencies like butterflies.
I have about 3 agents who have regularly passed relevant
opportunities on to me, even though they have moved company twice or
more in the past 12 months.
4. There is no such thing as a contract that is inside IR35. Period.
Again, read the manual and operate like a professional, there will
not be a problem.
5. Do not go contracting until you have cleared all non-mortgage debt
and put aside c. 6 months of living costs. I had a reasonable cushion, but
even so there were a few squeaky moments along the way.

Was there a point where you had to smell strong contractor coffee?
I keep smelling it, and it's a nice Morrocan blend with just a hint of cinnamon... Lovely

What were you doing before that first contract?
working for a management consultancy