How do you handle bench time & holidays?

[MPwannadecentincome]

so what if you go on holiday whilst on the bench, take the laptop with you so you can still browse the job boards etc or drop into an internet cafe - just plan the day to allow yourself time to enjoy the holiday as well!

[TheFaQQer]

This might in fact be the problem for me, because the skillset I have is dead and I've been a little lackadaisical towards I.T. in general over the past 3 years.

Project Management, then?

[minestrone]

I've decided to learn either C++ or Java. Which do people think has the best long term prospects?

Java by a mile, C++ is a dead language now, of course I will now get attacked by sandal wearing bearded C++ programmers for that statement.

Anyway I tend to get up and do some exercise for an hour or so, get cleaned up and do TV + internet or piano until lunch time, then I try to get out and do something. Cinema, take the camera out, go to courts on a Monday to see the Glasgow scum get dragged in after a weekend in the cells .

I was off for 5 months in the summer there but the weather was so bad it was pointless, hoping for something better this year as I am benched in a few weeks.

Looking forward to the ashes and afternoon bevies with my benched mate who lives close by.

[bren586]

But what happens when you're on the bench? Do you then think "Oh crikey now I need to save money because I don't know when the next contract is coming along". So you spend your time worrying about lack of income and trying to find the next contract. So you can't relax.

During the last down turn my contract was terminated on quite short notice - I was expecting another 4 or 5 months but all the money was pulled from projects.

This left me with some modest savings but I went from working to not working with out any thought on what I was going to do.

I did brush up on a few skills but nothing structured and to be honest I just wasted the time I had off. And all the way through my time out I was watching my bank balance dwindle.

This time it will be different.

I have been saving seriously for the last 18 months so bank account(s) are looking very healthy. I have paid off everything. And I have a plan for my time off which is linked to my financial plan.

This means that I can spend money with out being stressed and at the end of the time out of contract I hope that my only regret is that the time was too short