Taking a gig below usual level for the hell of it

[escapeUK]

Personally 3 months off in the summer sounds better...

I get the impression that a lot of the people on here are terrified to stop working, in case they cant get another gig after a break.

[bless 'em all]

What's this 'for the hell of it'?

Last few months for me.

[d000hg]

Sockpuppet?

No it's true!

[mudskipper]

Don't put it on your CV

[Old Greg]

I know someone that went off to PM some building construction and sometimes goes and drives trucks as a break.

Personally 3 months off in the summer sounds better...

Sockpuppet?

[d000hg]

I wouldn't take a boring gig since being bored is my main dread. I might take a raw coding gig for the enjoyment of getting my hands dirty.

[Notascooby]

I know someone that went off to PM some building construction and sometimes goes and drives trucks as a break.

Personally 3 months off in the summer sounds better...

[portseven]

Wouldn't do it for long - couple of months maybe, as others have said see it as a bit of a holiday.

One gig I did a few years ago, I was lead architect on a EPOS upgrade for a national chain. When it came to rollout, it turned out my daily rate was less than what the rollout engineering firm was charging, so I ended up doing a few of the stores, was great, involved a RAM upgrade along side the new OS and App. So involved hands on PC maintenancte type stuff.

Very enjoyable to take of the lead architect while I was doing that. Interesting seeing both ends of the project from initiation to a working store with the new software stack.

[Support Monkey]

No but i have often thought about applying for jobs well above my knowledge just for the hell of it, if i could blag my way in, and whats the worst that can happen, they sack you,

Actually scrub that, its what i have been doing all my life

[Sysman]

I took a COBOL maintenance job once because it was both local and paid very well.

After 2 years I felt I'd gone stale and wasn't doing anything creative any more.

[alluvial]

Question is why?

Sometimes a no brainer type job can be appealing, but after a while I assume the novelty would wear off, being treated as if you only know the noddy tasks by jumped up PM's.

If you are benched why not offer your services to a local charity or something

Because sometimes it is just more enjoyable. I'm a BA now but only because all the Bobs have taken the roles I used to do and I get paid more anyway. Got contacted to go back to a previous client as a senior developer a couple of years ago. Jumped at the chance of doing a 'proper' job for a bit. Something like a holiday I suppose. Turned into one of my more enjoyable gigs.

And it was on a higher rate.

[SimonMac]

Have been doing Enterprise architecture for the last few years and it's pretty good.

But I quite fancy for a bit of a change taking a short gig doing something 'below my pay grade' like a rollout engineer or printer maintenance

Anyone ever done this just for the hell of it???

Question is why?

Sometimes a no brainer type job can be appealing, but after a while I assume the novelty would wear off, being treated as if you only know the noddy tasks by jumped up PM's.

If you are benched why not offer your services to a local charity or something

[Troll]

It sounds appealing - less responsibilities = less stress as long as you can take the rate hit

The trouble will be dealing with the incompetents who will now be above you

[portseven]

Have been doing Enterprise architecture for the last few years and it's pretty good.

But I quite fancy for a bit of a change taking a short gig doing something 'below my pay grade' like a rollout engineer or printer maintenance

Anyone ever done this just for the hell of it???