Life on the bench: in my dressing gown

[RichardCranium]

I think I must have given the impression the world has ended. It has not.

There was a point where the cost of moving somewhere cheaper was repaid by the lower rent. Rather than have the war chest disappear and life turn thoroughly miserable, we planned ahead and then stuck to the plan.

Instead of being in a rural idyll that is in the middle of nowhere, we'll be best placed for me to attend professional meetings and interviews.

It is a positive thing we are doing, not a negative one. It is an adventure to somewhere new. We're going to meet new people and see new places. It's a good thing.

So will you be updating your official cuk location details?

Indeedy, once our stuff gets moved.

Than again, I might retire Richard Cranium and start a fresh identity. That might be fun.

[TiroFijo]

I just got back from working 7 years abroad, got laid off so we came back to the UK and are in Scotland. Been here for one month and started looking for a jobby about 3 weeks ago. Have had a few agents call me up for jobs that are suppost to be comming up in Scotland but not seen much on JS for here at all. My area is JEE and eveything that goes with it and I've got over 9 years experience with it. before that I was C and C++.

Seeing a lot of Java banking jobs in London and other Java stuff down that way but not too much further north.

Was lucky in the past and had a contract that lasted 6 years and another that went on for 8 months before getting chopped due to the companies knee jerk reaction to a bad 2nd quarter result - they fired all their contractors with less than one days notice! That was in the USA.

One agent that I spoke to told me about 80% of the CVs that they get are from Indians. This was also the case when I was in the USA.

I had a 4 month bench time in 2001 so hoping that it aint gonna be that long again.

Too be honest I'm quite tired of contracting now and now that I have just turned the wrong side of 40 I really want to be a bit more 'stable' and not having to deal with the bench time, travelling etc. After my last contract was terminated with 5 hours notice along with about 10 others I'm just not that impressed with it anymore. I don't really see an IT carreer beyond say 50 anyhow.

I have just seen a Java contract in Edinburgh on JS for 125/day, and the sad thing is that some mug will apply for it!

I've got a plan B which I'm working on but I need another 5 years of work and long bench times do not help!

I've got a war chest that will last about 1.5 years but would rather not dip in to it too much as I have other plans for it.

[RichardCranium]

Two roles applied for today; I'm a good fit for both. Spoke to both agents before 2pm. Both said they'd ring back within 5 minutes.

It's now been over 215 minutes.

So now I'm going to give up for the day, open a beer and go and cut the grass.

[RichardCranium]

Enough short nights in a row and eventually your body says "Enough!"

Been up about an hour. Listened to a weird Digital Planet on the World Service. They were role-playing terrorists for art.

Played Jewelled for a bit (clicked on that bookmark by accident then got hooked).

S'pose I'd better do something constructive.

Look for jobs or get dressed? Daddy or chips?

It is very, very, very wet outside. And very humid. Think I'll just get in the shower later.

I know, CUK!

[RichardCranium]

Not a bad day. Applied for 6 generic PM gigs, provided some supporting documentation for an ongoing application and got a call from a specialist agency who thought I might be able to do a gig I couldn't really do - but they called me and that's what counts.

Then had a shower and got dressed about 18:45. Possibly a new record; although there have been days when I haven't got dressed at all.

Hosed the bird muck off the path in the rain, then hosed the bird muck of the car, still in the rain. Filthy jobs on a hot day, which is why I waited for it to be raining. It's an ill wind and all that.

[PinkPoshRat]

Is it PM roles that you're going for?

[RichardCranium]

Is it PM roles that you're going for?

Effectively. Although I was VERY techie ten years ago, I have been doing full-time PM work for some years and my skills are outdated and rusty.

[PinkPoshRat]

Me too. We should compare notes on which agency & gigs are the fake ones.

Today I have been contacted about the Home Office and also Balfour Beaty - both are supossedly looking for contract PM's

Ho hum

[RichardCranium]

Me too. We should compare notes on which agency & gigs are the fake ones.

My views on agencies are straightforward: they are all untrustworthy liars, merely to varying degrees.

Life is too short to document the fake gigs. I wouldn't waste my time on them, they are obvious enough after a few days of job searching.

[PinkPoshRat]

I might create a fake cv and post it online - use an old SIM card in my old phone, then wait to see whether the phone rings.

Might keep me amused whilst the Jeremy Kyle show is on?