What should I do?

[insur]

If you have used the technology previously, then you have some knowledge of it, why not use this opportunity to brush up your skills? might lead to a longer contract!

I could get to grips with the stack pretty quick, a couple of nights of reading and I will be up to scratch but then I have to get into the legacy code base as well.

All the contractor devs who wrote this monster have left and there are no docs etc. You can guess the rest.

Plus there are real issues with my skill set, I don't want to work on an old stack. It will mean more work here but what about my next contract!?

[kingcook]

ClientCo have now decided they need me to work on a major project using this stack.

I have told ClientCo that I am weak on this stack and to make the best use of my skills they should assign me work on the stack in which I am strong. This simple sentence seems difficult for them to understand.

I am not included in meetings where these decisions are made and therefore unable to explain my view point directly.

<snip>

But seriously, how would you all deal will this?

Take it like any man would do [while in the prison showers]

[SimonMac]

Long and short of it is if you can't do the job you are being asked to do they will get rid and get someone else in who can.

[alluvial]

If you have used the technology previously, then you have some knowledge of it, why not use this opportunity to brush up your skills? might lead to a longer contract!

WLS

If you have listed a skill on your CV then you should be prepared to accept an assignment that utilises that skill, otherwise leave it off. I've used a lot of different development languages in my time but I don't list them all unless I'm confident I can pick up where I left off or get back up to speed with a bit of judicious googling. This is why I don't list UFO or Assembler on my CV but do have IDEAL/Datacom on there (not that anyone uses it anymore).
If I was in your situation, I wouldn't have said anything other than "Yes Guv" with a quiet "Oh tulip" to myself followed by some frantic use of Google and maybe a visit to Amazon for a premium delivery.
Just use it as an opportunity to get some old skills back to currency that may be useful in the future.

[BA to the Stars]

Long and short of it is if you can't do the job you are being asked to do they will get rid and get someone else in who can.

And his name will be Bob

[kingcook]

ClientCo have now decided they need me to work on a major project using this stack.

I have told ClientCo that I am weak on this stack and to make the best use of my skills they should assign me work on the stack in which I am strong. This simple sentence seems difficult for them to understand.

I am not included in meetings where these decisions are made and therefore unable to explain my view point directly.

<snip>

But seriously, how would you all deal will this?

Ah, I see this post shouldn't be in General.

Show them the part of the contract that says, "the client shall not have control over how the services are performed".

[MarillionFan]

I could get to grips with the stack pretty quick, a couple of nights of reading and I will be up to scratch but then I have to get into the legacy code base as well.

All the contractor devs who wrote this monster have left and there are no docs etc. You can guess the rest.

Plus there are real issues with my skill set, I don't want to work on an old stack. It will mean more work here but what about my next contract!?

Kerchiing kerchiing kerchiing.

See it as an opportunity. I had my first module deployed into our internal Sales Force System last week. I'm actually designing a SQL data warehouse, but I needed a new application to be deployed into our main product & after designing it, documentating it and taking it to the developers, I couldn't get any resource to implement it. Having waited three months , I spent time going through internal training videos I eventually managed to work out how to develop it, had it tested & then had it deployed last week. From the business, they're all using it & I've had no complaints or positive feedback (so that's a result then!). Give it another few months and I'm going to be adding to my list of technical skills.

[northernladuk]

You don't have the contractor balls to deal with your situation at your client, you don't have the contractor nouse to pick something up and deal with it when it gets a bit sticky, hell you can't even post in the right forum...

You sure you are cut out for the marlarky?

I would leave the client if I was you. Plenty more work out there that isn't going to stress you.

Kerchiing kerchiing kerchiing.

See it as an opportunity.

Totally this.... for those that are up to it.

[insur]

WLS

If you have listed a skill on your CV then you should be prepared to accept an assignment that utilises that skill, otherwise leave it off. I've used a lot of different development languages in my time but I don't list them all unless I'm confident I can pick up where I left off or get back up to speed with a bit of judicious googling. This is why I don't list UFO or Assembler on my CV but do have IDEAL/Datacom on there (not that anyone uses it anymore).
If I was in your situation, I wouldn't have said anything other than "Yes Guv" with a quiet "Oh tulip" to myself followed by some frantic use of Google and maybe a visit to Amazon for a premium delivery.
Just use it as an opportunity to get some old skills back to currency that may be useful in the future.

On my CV I have listed the places I have worked and the programming language\stack used. I have clearly stated the dates when each stack was used. I would expect a client to hire me to work in a stack which I have recently used. This was the case here, utill a few days ago when they decided they wanted me to work in an another stack. Yes it is on my CV but I have clearly stated the dates when this was used and it was approx 8 years ago.

Like most places the management just want something done they don't really care about the details etc.

[eek]

You're only mistake is to say you don't really have knowledge on x.

As a consultant (not as a contractor but as a consultant) the only real skill you need is to be 1 page ahead of you're client the next day you see him (i.e. if you don't know it on Monday you read up on monday night and implement it on Tuesday).

And in the land of Bob that is the only thing you need apart from remembering the rule never give them something to attack you on because boy they'll use it to deflect blame from them on to you (its a cultural thing).