Experience prior to contracting

[Manz]

I went straight from uni to a contract and its my first ever job. I'm still in the contract however I'm looking to leave soon and start a new contract. In my time at this contract I was able to expand my knowledge and became certified with various qualifications for my chosen field of work that I'm interested in and would like more contracts in. From my experience having just one contract on your CV while applying for a new one is quite difficult as I don't get responses from agents most of the time. I get the odd call here and there asking if I'm still in a contract or if I would be interested in a role similar to what I'm currently in but a slightly downgraded version of it.

[northernladuk]

I bid thee greetings.

I am currently a second year computer science undergrad looking at just what i'm going to do when i'm finished. Not sold on the "we require your soul" internships that alot of big firms offer nowadays I thought i'd have a look at contracting.

What sort of experience is par for the course before taking the dive into contracting and does anyone know of an individual who has been able to leap straight into it from university? I have had a look at a few contract offerson this website and Hayes and most seem to be looking for 3-5 years of development experience with a particular language. For these roles do most people just work for a private firm to begin with and then move into self-employment/agency work?

Much obliged in advance, Adam.

Ask yourself this. What skills can you bring to a client that he can't get elsewhere? What benefits do you bring him? The answers from a new grad tend to be nothing in both cases so why would he pay top dollar for that?

A lot depends on what you want to do but one thing I do know is what people want to do as soon as they step out of uni is often completely different from what they end up doing 5 to 10 years down the line. You have the rest of your life to build a career now, just becoming a one trick wonder for the rest of your life is a bit of a waste IMO. Without a doubt I would say start a career. You are young, you don't know what opportunities there are in business or what you are capable of so why throw all that away by just aiming at one thing and missing all the opportunities to try them and become the best you can?

I personally don't see what is wrong with the internships. I know quite a few people that have taken these up with the likes of Accenture, CSC and so on that shot up the corporate ladder and were exposed to a wide range skills and opportunities. Many of them they didn't even know existed before they started. These positions might have bad rep but I do believe if you are eager enough and are willing to take the bull by the horns you can make it work very well. If you want to be feed work to just regurgitate then yes, maybe give them a miss. If you are willing keep banging at your boss for new challenges then you will get them.

I would say don't diss the internships when you really have no idea what they are about. I can only imagine you are looking at contracting as you have seen the rates which just won't work.

I am talking about business management in IT btw. Dunno what it is like if you want to just go coding.

[Bacchus]

Your his sockie.

You're

Something I've never been accused of before!

I wondered what that hand was doing up the old back-passage...

[Barrab]

Hi,

That is incredibly comprehensive and extremely helpful - thanks all. As suspected I did think i'd have to spend 2-3 years working for GoliathGeneralProgrammingCompanyInternationalPLC as a junior programmer before going into contracting but this has confirmed it.

People have said that the contracting market is dead at the moment - I just did a quick scan of Hayes to see what they had on offer and there seem to be a plethora of roles - I could find at least 5-10 that were marked as urgent as well. Despite the availability of roles are these snapped up pretty quickly by far more experienced contractors?

[BigRed]

The agencies requirements are:

1. Years of experience in the correct field
2. Previous track record as a contractor
3. Willing to work for half what the agency will receive
4. Someone on the bench
5. Someone who hasn't got other interviews lined up

This is all about the agency getting maximum return for minimum effort, they have to provide someone who can do the job and cover their back by showing that they have done it before. They don't want someone with a contract still running in case they get extended, they don't want someone who might get another offer and start haggling on rates.

[Lockhouse]

Before I went into contracting, I was, (amongst other things); A barman, waiter, garage attendant, pizza chef, warehouse manager, librarian, import clerk, painter and decorator, fireplace technician and building site labourer.

I also did 5 years as a permie programmer.

Not sure which one of the above swung it for me.

[Doggy Styles]

In my case it was being a golf caddy.

You learn how to develop good interpersonal relationships with business people.

Especially when you find their ball after they'd whacked it 200 yards into deep rough. Bring them solutions, not problems.

[Bellona]

Especially when you find their ball after they'd whacked it 200 yards into deep rough.

the older I get, the more perverted and infantile I get, This made me chortle

Sounds like it could be an excerpt from 50 Shades of Grey