Oldie Newbie needs Skills advice

[Bdpoop]

Hi.

This looks like a great forum and some interesting threads!

This is my first post and I applogise in advance if its a bit lengthy. The general gist is that I need some advice on upskilling.

To give you a brief background I have worked in ICT for over 25 years, the last 13 running my own business mainly working hands on in the Print and Design industry providing infrastructure solutions but very much more involved in and advisory / consultancy role in the latter years to many diverse SME businesses.

Generally my areas of expertise have been networks and infrastructure and supplying complete solutions to businesses but I have also been involved with some web based projects and software development but not at a technical level.

Most of the advisory stuff was public sector based and has now all gone and the Print and Design industry is on its backside and most of that work where I had specialist hands on skills has dried up.

I find myself back on the tools so to speak but scrabbling for bits of work and small jobs locally and only just about scratching a living.

I have also spent a considerable amount of time out of the country so feel I need to look at updating my skill set and perhaps going in a new direction. As an added consideration I would like to do something web based rather than onsite.

I have a very good opportunity in that I have the possibility of gaining 100% funding towards some training.

I am not sure if I should concentrate on what I know (infrastructure, networks etc) or try and get more clued up on the new cloud based technologies and perhaps even web development.

Basically I want to remain self employed but get stuck back into something that I can enjoy and really get to grips with but that is also something that is in demand where I can make some money.

I would love to carry on as a consultant / advisor but I just cannot get the work anymore. I know very little about contracting as well to be honest. For years the work just fell into my lap due to old contacts, my old employers and the public sector stuff I had.

I still have a handful of customers for bread and butter support work but its so few I would not rule out going contracting anywhere in the country for any length of time. I just dont know where to start or what I could do.

I started life as a support exec in the late 80's, Programmer, IT Manager then finally Senior IT Development Manager for an international Franchise before going on my own in 2001.

All a bit vague but would welcome any thoughts and suggestions on where I should upskill and how if its possible for me I go about getting into contracting.

I am 48. So an old man in terms of this profession!

Again. Sorry for such a long first post.


EDIT: Is there a better location for this thread as General seems to be errr, a bit General?

[Bdpoop]

Bump?

[Bacchus]

Hi BD Poop

I think the problem you have here is that you aren't really asking a specific question that anyone can answer.

There are a lot of knowledgeable people who are happy and willing to help, and also quite a few pratts who can, on occasions, be quite funny.

Unfortunately "General" generally seems to mean "Open Season" - it's more of a free for all - so you are opening yourself up to a bit of abuse by posting on here, but you seem to be articulate and experienced so a bit of general advice would be to decide what sort of role you want to go for, reinvent yourself, and MTFU, HTH, BIDI

[northernladuk]

Read the welcome/FAQ forums. You might find a couple of threads in there about changing skills etc that might help.

Training alone won't help if you want to go contracting. You need demonstrable experience and prove to the client that you are the best in the market and can deliver him savings through your expertise. They don't want people with some qualifications that will pick it up as they go along. You might be better getting a permie job that will help give you the training. Certs might help here as company's want go getters that are willing to help themselves. Once you have solid skills then you can go contracting. Training courses alone will not cut it.

I hope that was something along the lines you wanted cause I really couldn't be bothered to read all that.

[northernladuk]

Saying that there are two courses that are essential if you want to become a contractor...

Call me Spatacus: the world's only gladiator school | Mail Online

Radiator Bleeding Course

[greenlake]

Saying that there are two courses that are essential if you want to become a contractor...

....or simply follow these five steps (just make sure you're going in the right direction)....

[northernladuk]

....or simply follow these five steps (just make sure you're going in the right direction)....

I think admin should use this as the rep levels

[alreadypacked]

You should also look on the job sites and see what is in demand, search for recent publications and see what is trending. You are out of touch, if you did some reading you would have some ideas and would not be so general.

Welcome to our world, things are moving so fast, you should be looking to upskill on every project. If you can't push yourself to keep learning new thing, you should go pack to permi land, the dark side is not for you.

HTH

[Bdpoop]

Thanks very much for the replies. Yeah it was a bit lengthy and not very specific. Actually I have Microsoft certification in Bleeding raidiators so if thats all I need then where do I sign up?

Its a bit old though. I got it at the same time as when I did my Windows 95 Certified Idiot course and Novell 4.1 Admin course. I dont suppose much has changed though in Radiator technology but you may tell me otherwise.

To be honest I dont know if I want to go contracting and I certainly dont want to go back to a perminent job. IVe been on my own for 13 years now, made a shed load of cash pre recession and when all the well paid work dried up instead of looking for work I bought a huge motorhome and went touring Europe on and off for 4 years.

Im still ticking over but I think maybe some training in Cloud technologies, Google Apps, 365 and maybe hosted exchange might be the direction to go in.

Didnt think it would do any harm posting on here. You are all clearly crackers though so I might hang around a bit.

Cheers
BD

[lukemg]

Appreciate you don't really know what to do but some vague assessment that cloud based stuff is probably the future is not likely to help much.
People getting those jobs are the ones who have already implemented elsewhere.
Sounds like your networking is still valid, I would get accreditation in that is it CCNA or something ? Then you have experience + certs = better chances.
Regrettably, this does leave you doing what you already know but the thing about contracting is that this happens a lot until the clouds of tedium darken overhead with the only relief being the quantity of coin sloshing into your lap...