State of IT contracting poll

[DimPrawn]

Please vote how you see your own situation ahead.

[Moscow Mule]

Chop Chop - where's the poll?

[DimPrawn]

Chop Chop - where's the poll?

Sorry, my mind went blank again.

[Jog On]

This is why I like doing support because one thing you can always count on is that computers will behave like tulips but as is more the case the people who use them will always create plenty of work for people like me – come rain or shine.

That being said I intend to go into my new plumbing career next year so option 4 for me.

[oracleslave]

This is why I like doing support .

Surely you and you rate are more under threat from the cheap offshore option than ever before?

[rootsnall]

A sure of DOOM to come when IT bods start talking about plumbing again !

[To BI or not to BI?]

Contract due to expire end of Dec but already renewed to 31st March and very likely to be extended after that. Rate the same but I am already earning a mint, so who's complaining?

[TheFaQQer]

I'm halfway between the first and second choices.

Just started a 6 month contract with central government. Contract ends May, go live is July, roll-out through to March 2009.

So although I don't expect the rate to rise, I should be safe for a while (fingers crossed).

[TheFaQQer]

Plus I'm on the highest rate I've ever been on

[Jog On]

Surely you and you rate are more under threat from the cheap offshore option than ever before?

In theory yes but the nature of the stuff I do means I’m out and around the office doing lots of physical stuff with cables, hotswapping power supplies (HP blades anyone?), doing stuff with blackberries, printer jams, office moves, setting up/fixing presentations and videoconferences – stuff that needs physical presence and that the facilities dept aren’t qualified to do.

About 70% of what I do is done over remote control which could theoretically be outsourced offshore. I suppose a lot depends on how good the infrastructure is at the client and how the need for on site IT support can be reduced.

The client I’m with now have been in this building since 1744 and there is some really ancient technology here and plenty of ‘boots on the ground’ work to be had. I’ve been somewhere where they removed all the on site support in favour of remote support to cut costs and the users were so unbelievably miserable it was a bit of a false economy. I think they’ve gone back to hiring contractors.

Anyway what do I care – I’ll be fixing toilets soon and that definitely can’t be outsourced!