Reply to: Will I be marketable with these skills in London?

[nomadd]

Hello, I'm hoping to get some advice on the below questions...

1) Yes
2) Yes. And no.
3) No.

[northernladuk]

I tend to get bored in jobs after a year or two. I'm also quite motivated to learn and improve my skills.

Well contracting isn't really the best place for that. You are brought on to do a specific task that you've got considerable demonstrable skill which means you'll tend to eat rinse repeat. You can gain extra sideline skills occasionally but it's difficult to get enough to make them marketable. You can, but it's certainly not a given.

I feel I'm in a perfect position to take a risk for the possibility of getting more control of what I do and when.

I'm not so sure you are as you don't have enough experience. You'll be up against people that have been contracting 10's of years even if they are dealing with new and emerging technologies.

Weirdly, we talk about all this flexibility but it often doesn't end up like that. We tend to be at the mercy of the client, have less flexibility than the permies and have to deliver to the clients needs. You do have the option to pick and chose gigs but that doesn't tend to start happening until you've been contracting many years.

The worst thing I can think of doing is staying in the same job, doing the same thing year after year.

Well you'll be doing the same thing year after year, just up and down the country.

I'd also rather not deal with office politics and stick to project based work.

It's certainly better for that but new politics open up you being an overpaid scumbag contractor but yes most of the permie tripe does tend to disappear.

My hope is that after a few years of contracting I'll have a whole list of projects and have demonstrable ability to complete them. That should give me more control over what I do and where.

You need the demonstrable ability to do that BEFORE you go contracting to be fair but yeah sounds OK.

I'm giving you the worst case here but I do think some of your expectations are a little flawed.

[LondonManc]

I tend to get bored in jobs after a year or two. I'm also quite motivated to learn and improve my skills. I feel I'm in a perfect position to take a risk for the possibility of getting more control of what I do and when. The worst thing I can think of doing is staying in the same job, doing the same thing year after year. I'd also rather not deal with office politics and stick to project based work.

My hope is that after a few years of contracting I'll have a whole list of projects and have demonstrable ability to complete them. That should give me more control over what I do and where.

With you on the bored in jobs - that's why I went contracting as I prefer project-based work.

Learning and improving technical skills is better done by training - up to you if you'd rather pay for it but be careful whether you can or not.

In terms of office politics, you generally can never truly escape them (it can depend on the environment and number of contractors in the place).

Sounds like you know what you want to do but I would seriously give it six months to see what the landscape is like after the PS smegstorm hits.

[Markf]

Your call then. Clearly the answers weren't what you wanted to hear.

Seriously, up to you if you think four years is enough. Have a look at the contracts out there for your area and see the volume of them and the requirements.



Demand rises and falls. Next to nothing over Christmas and during the six week summer holidays, apart from that it varies in different skillsets and as projects vary. All it matters is that it's busy in your area when you need it to be otherwise you'll think it's quiet.

Tell me, why do you want to go contracting? I hope money isn't a motivator at the moment.

I tend to get bored in jobs after a year or two. I'm also quite motivated to learn and improve my skills. I feel I'm in a perfect position to take a risk for the possibility of getting more control of what I do and when. The worst thing I can think of doing is staying in the same job, doing the same thing year after year. I'd also rather not deal with office politics and stick to project based work.

My hope is that after a few years of contracting I'll have a whole list of projects and have demonstrable ability to complete them. That should give me more control over what I do and where.

[LondonManc]

Thank you for your views and opinions, it's given me some things to think about.

Just to be clear, I have around 8 years experience in IT, and about 4 in what you might call a "senior" position. I have never had trouble finding cloud based jobs, it seems like it's a skill in desperate need at the moment.

You might be right about brexit being a big unknown at the moment, but I'm in a position now where I have no dependants or major financial obligations, so I can afford to be riskier than most would be comfortable with.

Your call then. Clearly the answers weren't what you wanted to hear.

Seriously, up to you if you think four years is enough. Have a look at the contracts out there for your area and see the volume of them and the requirements.

Can anyone answer my specific question:

2) Does demand rise and fall over the course of a year? I'll have a 6 month nest egg by December, and plan to work my notice before starting to look for a contract. Is this wise to do in December/Jan?

I planned to do a rough count of open contracts listed online every week for the next year to get a reasonable idea, but any extra insight someone can give me would be great.

Demand rises and falls. Next to nothing over Christmas and during the six week summer holidays, apart from that it varies in different skillsets and as projects vary. All it matters is that it's busy in your area when you need it to be otherwise you'll think it's quiet.

Tell me, why do you want to go contracting? I hope money isn't a motivator at the moment.

[northernladuk]

January - clients don't hire because they are recovering from Christmas
February - clients don't hire because they take time off for skiing in half term and then a week either telling their colleagues about it or in hospital
March - clients don't hire because they are waiting for the new tax year
April - clients don't hire because they haven't got all the budget they wanted
May - clients don't hire because they are off for half term and then spend a week talking about it.
June - clients don't hire because they are planning summer holidays
July - clients don't hire because they are winding down for the summer holidays
August - clients don't hire because they are on holiday
September - clients don't hire because they are thinking back to their holidays
October - clients don't hire because they are on half-term holidays and then bragging about them
November - clients don't hire because they are planning Christmas parties and holidays
December - clients don't hire because they are partying and then on holiday

Pick your time for looking for a new contract carefully.

[SueEllen]

Can anyone answer my specific question:

2) Does demand rise and fall over the course of a year? I'll have a 6 month nest egg by December, and plan to work my notice before starting to look for a contract. Is this wise to do in December/Jan?

No one can tell it really depends on your flexible to travel.

[Markf]

Thank you for your views and opinions, it's given me some things to think about.

Just to be clear, I have around 8 years experience in IT, and about 4 in what you might call a "senior" position. I have never had trouble finding cloud based jobs, it seems like it's a skill in desperate need at the moment.

You might be right about brexit being a big unknown at the moment, but I'm in a position now where I have no dependants or major financial obligations, so I can afford to be riskier than most would be comfortable with.

Can anyone answer my specific question:

2) Does demand rise and fall over the course of a year? I'll have a 6 month nest egg by December, and plan to work my notice before starting to look for a contract. Is this wise to do in December/Jan?

I planned to do a rough count of open contracts listed online every week for the next year to get a reasonable idea, but any extra insight someone can give me would be great.

[LondonManc]

I agree with NLUK (must take my medication).

Four years is not enough to make you stand out. Stay perm for another four years at least, then you'll have a better idea of what the post-Brexit landscape is, gained more experience and paid-for training as well as being able to talk more confidently about your achievements.

[radish2008]

Its well known too much credit is a red flag as it demonstrates someone who maybe in financial trouble! Martin Lewis: 20 things you must know to boost your credit score - Telegraph

This is nonsense. Employment screening will only show publicly available info and a flag to indicate if you have missed or late payments Lending limits don't fall into that category.

[Cirrus]

Its well known too much credit is a red flag as it demonstrates someone who maybe in financial trouble! Martin Lewis: 20 things you must know to boost your credit score - Telegraph

Sorry - misread your post. I thought you meant too high a credit rating.

[uk contractor]

What makes you say that

Its well known too much credit is a red flag as it demonstrates someone who maybe in financial trouble! Martin Lewis: 20 things you must know to boost your credit score - Telegraph

[eek]

What makes you say that

It's gibberish due to problems he's had in the past....

[Cirrus]

even too high a level of credit can all go against you as a red flag

What makes you say that

[SueEllen]

In regards to background checks you need be able to prove where you have been for around the last 5 years as they do a credit check on you. If you have been outside the UK and/or not on the electoral roll for all that time then you will fail the credit check.