From out of the shadows...

[xoggoth]

PS I also like the title of the thread "From out of the shadows! It has a marvellous Lovecraftian ring to it.

[Bwana]

Wow, Xog, thanks for the compliment!


Bwana.

[jenever]

Bwana,

excellent delurk, and a lot of familiar experiences.

For me the answer was to move out of front office and into middle office (mainly risk), and move out of the City and into Amsterdam and Brussels.

Best thing I ever did.

Skills wise databases have held me in good stead (Oracle, Sybase), as well as being prepared to learn about the business.

[milanbenes]

Bwana,

thanks for the mention

toned down, because as Anthony Hopkins rightly points out below the content was unnecessarily frank

Milan.

[Joe Black]

Well wouldn't have quite put it like that Milan, but you're right in a sense.

In the good times lots of permies think all they need is their 6 months VB experience and they can land a contract, and they're probably right.

It's when the market changes that it sorts out the men from the boys so to speak, the people who are really cut out to be a contractor. Because if theres 300 hundred people applying for every position its no good just simply sending off the same old CV month after month and moaning about how you were better off being a permie, or likewise drowning your sorrows with a bottle of vodka each day.

If you want to stay in the market you have to fight for a share of it...and yes if that means finding a 'creative' way to do it, working somewhere further away or whatever, then thats what you have to do.

It seems that sometimes people go into contracting thinking its just the same as being a permie except you get paid more. ITS NOT....

Edit:

Oh, and as Milan quite rightly points out, having a plan B is one of the best things you can do...unless of course you want 30 years from now to be still having to update yours skills from version x.xx because its about to be replaced by version y.yy.....or get a job using SAP

[DimPrawn]

It seems that sometimes people go into contracting thinking its just the same as being a permie except you get paid more. ITS NOT....

I think a certain Dawn Primarolo might disagree with you there.

[Bwana]

<deleted>

[milanbenes]

Bwana,

those of us who have contracted or permied for big fives know that they are only too happy to give a 'consultant' a book on pki on a friday and send them into a client as a security expert on a monday,

I therefore fail to understand why some contractors are so relunctant to give themselves commercial advantage by adopting the same techniques in their business

Milan.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Aye Milan

Whatever is this toned down business ?

Publish and Be Damned is more like it !

[voron]

Bwana, welcome to the bottom of the barrel where I live. If you want to share my Burger King rate (trainee manager) then be my guest.