Reply to: Looking to get into contracting but not sure about rates?

[henryhooverville]

All the best to you, and good luck in your endeavours

Thanks Danny! Thankfully although it has been quite direct I think a lot of the people here are showing their concern on whether they think it's viable and advise I go back to being a permie to gain experience, which is a really nice sort of concern actually.

I don't think I'll get to charge 450 pd anytime soon but if I do I will count my blessings

[quackhandle]

Dunno. My 19 year old has a lot of views on brexit... And trump.. Year of uni and suddenly they know everything about the world, it's problems and politics :/

Appears to have forgotten how the flush the f***ing toilet though.

My six year old knows enough about the Orange wa*kpuffin - "That man, he's got silly hair!"

qh

[northernladuk]

19 year old talking about Brexit? Sockie Alert!

qh

Dunno. My 19 year old has a lot of views on brexit... And trump.. Year of uni and suddenly they know everything about the world, it's problems and politics :/

Appears to have forgotten how the flush the f***ing toilet though.

[quackhandle]

19 year old talking about Brexit? Sockie Alert!

qh

[DannyWebber10]

It's certainly doable

Hey everyone, thanks a lot for the advice and criticism first of all - I've found I am trying to be a little more professional when dealing with people after reading your reflections.

Thankfully a few recruiters and consultants have picked up my CV, this week I have two interviews lined up for 6 month contracts... oddly enough they are both in the Brighton area!

One other for a law firm in London, 200pd also 6 months but I am not holding out for that as several agencies are involved. Though I have been shortlisted it is way way above what I could charge if I wasn't backed by the consultant on this.

Trying to be concise so forgive me if this comes across the wrong way: clients are pickier than I thought. Looking into it, right now it's mainly senior development roles and I am not senior. I am junior, youthful, a bud far away from blooming. Even the fairly junior stuff requires circa two/three years to sway people and attract attention.

I now really appreciate how difficult it is and how absolutely insane I am. I would go for temp contracts in any case so for the time being I will keep at it. If I am very lucky I will secure something, if I fail I've wasted three months before Christmas and will slap myself... But you may just see me around more if it works out, so 'ello.

Hi OP,

You're certainly not insane, and given the rates you're looking for, I'm sure you will be able to find a contract within the London area fairly quickly.

I moved to London in 2011 to start a contract as a 1st line support bod earning 12 quid an hour.Like I was fresh out of uni with no real experience, but somehow managed to land that job without even having to attend an interview.

Since then I've managed to significantly upskill by taking courses and certifications funded by winning more contracts.

My next contract after the previously mentioned paid 15 pounds an hour. The next paid 150 pounds daily. I am currently earning 450pounds a day as an infrastructure support engineer in the City, and I've only ever had a cumulative downtime period of 12 weeks in the last 5 years.

So my advice to you would be to ignore the naysayers on here(of whom there are many) and focus on self-improvement as you proceed. It sounds like you already have a road map in place which is a good first step. Try and complete at least one certification during each contract, and take the time to assess your progress and plot your next move in between contracts.

All the best to you, and good luck in your endeavours

[boxingbantz]

Got any contractor related queations or is this thread done now?

Seriously, who made you the forum police?

Get over yourself.

[northernladuk]

Got any contractor related queations or is this thread done now?

[henryhooverville]

Binboy Bob

College degree? MSc? You are just talking rubbish now.

College degree was his words, he did get a degree equivalent. MSc - masters in sciences.

Repeat of every other post I've made but this is important in my upskilling so I'll ask: am I wrong? A BSc is a Bachelors Degree in Science, Computer Sciences is the most popular among the IT people I know my age and at uni. But going to uni for 3 years seems less efficient than say working for 4 and racking up exp as well as getting an equivalent qualification.

If I am wrong, please tell me how and why and what you'd suggest instead. That's what I know about the university system, and if you say 3 years full-time in a uni for my (theoretical) BSc then that is contrary to what I've been told for two years.

[northernladuk]

College degree? MSc? You are just talking rubbish now.

[henryhooverville]

And my last word.

Final tip if you do a degree where you can have a BA or BSc, take the BSc.

One of my mates from work said he got a college degree formally but he did the modules on the go. I think that's a better way to do a BSc as I can pick things up as time passes and then acquire the qual, I can also specialize more this way. Like getting 360 creds over a few years and then formally recognizing that as a degree. Birckbeck is good for that I guess, and the Open Uni is always an option... I'll muse on that.

By the time I do an MSc given the above... well the field as a whole will be totally different with AI and the mass of data which companies amass on platforms like Worksite. That tulip will need an AI from what I've seen

[SueEllen]

Hey now I've learnt a lot simply from you all bouncing ideas sharply in my direction.

I never thought is would be easy and if I fail I lose a year and some savings at best.

I haven't wasted your breath or your time; I am much better clued up now than a week ago. And that's thanks to you guys.

And I do have a good though crazy reason for Sweden - a research specialism, not an IT one *shock horror* but I do have interests and I won't sacrifice them just yet becuase I'm still young.

If 99 out 100 are full time and 100% contracters, I will damn well work to be that 1 in 100. I might fail, I might suceed.

You know when you read stuff have a good think about what it actually means, as sometimes the meaning is not initially apparent. Or there are many meanings.

Also lots of people on here don't have Computer Science/IT undergraduate degrees but they have degrees in STEM or business subjects.

Final tip if you do a degree where you can have a BA or BSc, take the BSc.

[henryhooverville]

Hey now I've learnt a lot simply from you all bouncing ideas sharply in my direction.

I never thought is would be easy and if I fail I lose a year and some savings at best.

I haven't wasted your breath or your time; I am much better clued up now than a week ago. And that's thanks to you guys.

And I do have a good though crazy reason for Sweden - a research specialism, not an IT one *shock horror* but I do have interests and I won't sacrifice them just yet becuase I'm still young.

If 99 out 100 are full time and 100% contracters, I will damn well work to be that 1 in 100. I might fail, I might suceed.

[henryhooverville]

Most help desk stuff has been off-shored.

As much as I love my heritage genetically... these damned Indian IT guys

[northernladuk]

To be fair we are wasting our breath.

This.

[SueEllen]

This. A 19 year-old studying History will not be top of the list when it comes to being offered IT contracts. You might be better to get a bar job or something like that.

To be fair we are wasting our breath.

He hasn't yet lived away from home for a significant period paying his own bills but has some weird idea about Swedish women and how easy it will be doing a degree in a foreign country....