So who's been contracting the longest?

[Scrag Meister]

Almost 6 years.

So obviously I have to make everyones coffee/tea/fetch beer if I ever go to a CUK do.

4.5 Years here, so looks like I'll be getting the teas and coffees.

[d000hg]

This leads to anther question, is there an upper age limit that contractors start to become sidelined.

Not if you bag a niche skill... still lots of COBOL people around for example. Or not even niche, but mainstream now that dies out and becomes niche... even C++/MFC/Win32 could go that way pretty soon.

[doodab]

I don't think there is an age limit, their employing your services not you, you will be out the door with cheque in hand a long time before they realise you need an afternoon nap you have tartan rug under the desk and you smell of piss and biscuits

I normally ask about their afternoon nap policy before we discuss rates.

[stek]

We had on old bloke on contract once at one place, he was useless!

Claimed he wrote this developed that (things you'd heard about) but his vi skills were pants!

[Sysman]

We had on old bloke on contract once at one place, he was useless!

Claimed he wrote this developed that (things you'd heard about) but his vi skills were pants!

We had a chap like that, and his claim to fame was a database book he'd written.

Pretty useless technically, but he was such a thoroughly nice chap that we helped him out.

Oh, 26 years here, with a dreadful permie year when things were bad in the early nineties. That year convinced me that I never wanted to work for someone else ever again, and left me so broke that I couldn't afford not to go back to contracting. Remarkably debt free ever since.

[nomadd]

32 years here.

Straight run of 23 years unbroken for me.

My permie boss gave me the benefit of his "wisdom" as I left: "It'll never work out. Contracting never does!"

One day, I'll find out if he was right.

[nomadd]

We had on old bloke on contract once at one place, he was useless!

Claimed he wrote this developed that (things you'd heard about) but his vi skills were pants!

That's what I love most about contracting: The completely stupid interview questions...

EDIT: :%s/permie/wannkers/g

[AtW]

4-6 weeks in total so far.

[Doggy Styles]

23 years.

That's 161 doggy years.

[Sysman]

Straight run of 23 years unbroken for me.

My permie boss gave me the benefit of his "wisdom" as I left: "It'll never work out. Contracting never does!"

One day, I'll find out if he was right.

Yep, I had the same from a previous permie boss when I started.

1. he didn't understand the difference between self employed and contracting through an agency
2. he grossly underestimated what I was making
3. he reckoned I'd go back to permie after a year or two

I kept my gob shut.