Reply to: Do contracts ruin your career?

[SueEllen]

But he has missed the point.

The OP is talking about growing his career from 1 year. IT Contractors do have a career but he had to start from nothing to something with skills he can sell before became that IT contractor.

He probably already has some skills he can sell.

I was in a similar situation to him when I started out but moved to another permanent role becasue the roles I was offered used a very limited part of my skillset.

In the next permanent role I managed to do more training at the company's expense, and learnt more business skills from working with more experienced people who were willing to help me.

One thing that shouldn't be overlooked as a contractor you tend to be pigeon holed into a position there as at the start of your career you need exposure to as much as possible even if it doesn't end up being your specialism.

[Catatonic]

But he has missed the point.

The OP is talking about growing his career from 1 year. IT Contractors do have a career but he had to start from nothing to something with skills he can sell before became that IT contractor. That career is then pretty flat. The OP is not at that position yet so is talking about a career which he can progress to a different level.. if that makes sense.

Saying that I suspect our esteemed OP may not have English as his first language so that is what I read in to it.

EDIT : Didn't spot Rambaughs comments which are good.

I don't believe I have missed the point. I was replying to NotaScooby's post which containing a sweeping statement stating that we (IT contractors) do not have careers. Rambaugh has since clarified this very clearly.

[cojak]

Hello,

I d like to ask because I am not quite sure. I have 1 year experience in IT. I want to continue and build my career. If I go for a 3-6month contract and then try to continue, does this affect my career? You can earn a lot ..but does it have any disadvantages in terms of your career?

Hopefully yes

[Catatonic]

There is probably an important distinction to made between a career in contracting vs. a corporate career.

A contractor can hope to progress in their career by becoming more experienced and/or senior, i.e. move up the ranks in their industry/field which should equate to higher compensation rates. The moves to new roles are usually but not always sideways.

While corporate career progression is typically achieved by 10% merit and 90% empire building, playing politics and a$$ kissing. If you're really good at the latter and given the patience then moving upwards is possible.

I agree these are different ball games.

[northernladuk]

No I'd agree with sentiment

But he has missed the point.

The OP is talking about growing his career from 1 year. IT Contractors do have a career but he had to start from nothing to something with skills he can sell before became that IT contractor. That career is then pretty flat. The OP is not at that position yet so is talking about a career which he can progress to a different level.. if that makes sense.

Saying that I suspect our esteemed OP may not have English as his first language so that is what I read in to it.

EDIT : Didn't spot Rambaughs comments which are good.

[rambaugh]

I tend to disagree. IT contractors have a career in IT, just as, for example, freelance journalists have a career in journalism or have I missed the point?

There is probably an important distinction to made between a career in contracting vs. a corporate career.

A contractor can hope to progress in their career by becoming more experienced and/or senior, i.e. move up the ranks in their industry/field which should equate to higher compensation rates. The moves to new roles are usually but not always sideways.

While corporate career progression is typically achieved by 10% merit and 90% empire building, playing politics and a$$ kissing. If you're really good at the latter and given the patience then moving upwards is possible.

[The Spartan]

I tend to disagree. IT contractors have a career in IT, just as, for example, freelance journalists have a career in journalism or have I missed the point?

No I'd agree with sentiment

[Catatonic]

Career - you'll only get that as a perm, as a contractor, you're responsible for furthering your knowledge, no one but yourself is going to fund training and feedback is given on extensions.

I tend to disagree. IT contractors have a career in IT, just as, for example, freelance journalists have a career in journalism or have I missed the point?

[TheFaQQer]

I worked 1 year in a blue chip doing functional Siebel.

You'll find it hard to get a decent paying role as a Siebel functional with that little experience. Particularly if it wasn't a consultancy - but if you can take a low rate (and there are plenty out there!) to prove your worth then you might move onto something better, but I doubt it.

1. Maybe the dont like contractors for permenant roles? (They may think you did it once, why not repeat it after a few months?)

Depends on the employer. I know that at one stage, Oracle Consulting wound't touch ex-contractors in permie positions - certainly they wouldn't take those that had jumped, done a quick gig and then wanted to jump straight back. I think that some employers would look more favourable on those that can spell complex words like "permanent" correctly, though.

2. Do firms consider contracting as unemployment period?

Not sure I understand the question - if you are contracting, and in a contract then you aren't unemployed. If you are contracting and not in a contract, then if you are employed then you aren't unemployed. If you are unemployed, then it counts as an unemployed period.

3. If it is not to face any difficulties to get again into permanent roles, I would do it. But do HR managers dont like it if it see you were a contractor?

I think the attention to detail might be more constricting than whether you have been a contractor or not.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

1 years experience is nothing. You need at least 4 before you can even consider the idea of contracting and in the current market you would be taking a big risk in doing that as well....

[rambaugh]

I find the more experience you get as a contractor the more contacts and relationships you will have built up over time. And if you are an enterprising sort, with good sales skills and some energy behind you this could allow you to more easily expand out of a one-man shop and in to something more. So in effect you have the opportunity to grow your own company as well as build your own career while you're at it.

[minstrel]

Errrr.....

68 hours per week is 13+ hours per day (assuming 5 day week).

I defo wouldn't want to be working a 7 day/week at 10 hours each day, fook that.

I can see why OP would be pissed off with these hours, but i'd have gone about it a different way (tell them you're not happy with all the extra hours, as last resort wait to be pushed out). I wouldn't just resign.

It was slightly tongue in cheek, but those sort of hours are not uncommon for junior guys in consultancies.

I didn't really want to do those sort of hours when I started out, but it was the accepted norm, at least around project go-lives.

I wonder whether there are more facts to the OPs situation than we are being given.

When a permie resigns, someone in HR normally asks the question why. If OP said it was because they were working 68 hours a week I would have thought they would have done something to address the situation. Unless he wasn't that good and they didn't really want to keep him.

OP certainly needs to think about how he deals with his last job at his next interview.

Interviewer: So why did you leave your last job?
OP: Because I had to work 68 hours per week.
Interviewer: And how did you try to resolve this issue?
OP: I quit.

Most employers contract or permie don't particularly want to take on lazy quitters.

[Wobblyheed]

The simple answer really, is that if you want a career then stay permie and don't darken this forum's doors again!

[psychocandy]

Errrr.....

68 hours per week is 13+ hours per day (assuming 5 day week).

I defo wouldn't want to be working a 7 day/week at 10 hours each day, fook that.

I can see why OP would be pissed off with these hours, but i'd have gone about it a different way (tell them you're not happy with all the extra hours, as last resort wait to be pushed out). I wouldn't just resign.

WHS. Fook that..... Agree though - tell them to stuff the hours and see what happened. Never know might get to work 9-5 for a few months and then get a redundancy payout or something.

You'd have to pay me a LOT of dosh to do that and then I could only do it short term.

Work to live and all that. No way, no way, no way !!!!!

[kingcook]

And 68 hours a week isn't that bad - it's not even 10 hours a day. It's a normal working week for a junior analyst in a big consultancy.

Errrr.....

68 hours per week is 13+ hours per day (assuming 5 day week).

I defo wouldn't want to be working a 7 day/week at 10 hours each day, fook that.

I can see why OP would be pissed off with these hours, but i'd have gone about it a different way (tell them you're not happy with all the extra hours, as last resort wait to be pushed out). I wouldn't just resign.