When the self-confidence goes...

[mace]

Don't give up yet

Market's been in freefall for 1 year rather than 6 months but there are genuine signs of greenshoots based on:-

1. jobstats
2. stock market
3. hearsay

Let's see how it is in September. If everybody else was in work and only you had been benched for 6 months then you might think of a career change but there are some very good people out there who've been unemployed for some time.

[HairyArsedBloke]

Been in this position before (6 months on the bench) but suspect if I can't get work soon, will never work in IT again. Last two contracts were extended, so I know I can still just about cut the mustard, but if I never get past the gatekeepers it all becomes academic.

So do I:
a) go bankrupt, and learn to sit in the park all day.
b) Go sky-diving off Beachy head without parachute
c) Drive a car into Glasgow airport
d) Learn to carry bags at the local posh hotel

Defo option a) - the (gay)lord will provide for all your needs in our glorious socialist republic.

[xoggoth]

I think this stuff about being on the bench ruining one's prospects is overstated. I had over two years with little work and then got two contracts without even looking. Possibly having a small software business helped even though profits were trivial.

[AlfredJPruffock]

d) Learn to carry bags at the local posh hotel

Ain't you the contractor who used to set the paces ?
Invoicing Eight grand a Month and a Day at the Races
I don't suppose you would remember me,
But I used work on a project with you back in 2003

I've got a good job
And I'm newly born.
You should see me dressed up in my uniform.
I work in hotel, all gilt and flash.
Remember that Posh Bank whose computers we crashed ??

Bell Boy! I got to get running now.
Bell Boy! Keep my lip buttoned down.
Bell Boy! Carry this bl00dy baggage out.
Bell Boy! Always running at someone's bleedin' heel.

You know how I feel -
always running at someone's heel.

Some nights I still sleep on the beach.

Remember when IT Jobs were in reach.
I wander in early to work,
Spend my day licking boots for my perks.

[Platypus]

7/10

[BrilloPad]

Have you thought about learning new skills?

[MrMark]

Have you thought about learning new skills?

Are you sure you work in the IT contract game? Like many on here I've learnt new skills (both in IT and also a couple of foreign languages). End of the day it's always x years' experience that counts. The gatekeepers have no way of judging your competence (in many cases they don't even know what's being talked about) so they have to go down their checklist.

Anyway, beginning to feel like my brain's full up Must start going over basic skills again....

[Dark Black]

Have you thought about learning new skills?

I get fed up with it tbh - so many of the newer "technologies" are unnecessary and mostly appear for "business" reasons rather than engineering ones.

They also tend to cause "dumbing down" of developer pool.

There's not much a decent software engineer can't sort using C++/C/Java/assembler.

Cue flame war from the C# script kids..

[original PM]

You have to just keep plugging away

it's no different to a permie trying to find a job - the more jobs you apply for the more chances you have of getting one

it may be however you need to look down the permy route and get some experience - maybe even some paid training if you are lucky and then try and get back to contracting when things pick up.

maybe look at a 3-5 year plan ??

[mace]

Have you thought about learning new skills?

At the job centre, they encourage the unemployed to learn IT skills. I reckon in about 5 years time it'll dawn on them that the IT market has gone down the pan. Perhaps they'll then start skilling the unemployed up in things like wind turbine construction as green energy is the new saviour of the UK, just ask the Isle of Wight workers.