Reply to: Do you ever see yourself as a good contractor?

[BoredBloke]

You're not very good at maths though are you.

And you are obviously not very good at English - care to point out where I said that I'd had 4 months off since I started contracting? I said in the past 14 years. The reason I picked 14 years is because before 2000 I had a really bad year and it was the year that forced me out of support into the VBA work I do now.

[speling bee]

You're not very good at maths though are you.

Oh the ironing.

[MarillionFan]

I left uni in 1991 and I've been contracting ever since. I consider myself to be a good contractor and judge this by the amount of time I'm out of work. I think i've only been between contracts for about 4 months in total out of the last 14 years.

You're not very good at maths though are you.

[BoredBloke]

4 months total? That doesn't sound like much fun. I don't do this so I can work more than a permie

I said time out of contract. I take time off within contracts for holidays etc, but I mean 4 months where I've not had a contract in place.

[Bunk]

I left uni in 1991 and I've been contracting ever since. I consider myself to be a good contractor and judge this by the amount of time I'm out of work. I think i've only been between contracts for about 4 months in total out of the last 14 years.

4 months total? That doesn't sound like much fun. I don't do this so I can work more than a permie

[BoredBloke]

I left uni in 1991 and I've been contracting ever since. I consider myself to be a good contractor and judge this by the amount of time I'm out of work. I think i've only been between contracts for about 4 months in total out of the last 14 years.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

That's a good question.

I've done 34 contracts / 4 perms. Three of these contracts turned to perm.

As a contractor I'm top notch. I know exactly what the client wants, can pre-empt it, deliver it and deliver additional value add because I've pre-empted what comes next. As a contractor I make other people look good and so for the money the client gets the kudos and you sit in the background.

On the flip side after a while that becomes grating and so realised I was actually better than the majority of clients I worked for, so now become the client. Irritatingly though, I'm still happy for others to take the kudos. Even mentioned this to by boss who I've worked with before bemoaning the number of times others jump on the bandwagon of successful projects pushing themselves to the front for a scrap of meat. I've come to think of myself as a butcher, without me everyone will become a vegetarian.

FTFY

[MarillionFan]

After over 4 years in contracting I have been lucky enough to work several really good contracts and feel like I have achieved a lot. But I feel I have a mental barrier (no matter how many complements I would receive) as to seeing myself as a good contractor. All the evidence points to me being pretty good at what I do but I never feel that way? I was just wondering if it is just me that feels this or does there come a point where you have 100% confidence in yourself and believe you really are amongst the best at what you do.....

I always look at myself as being either lucky to get a good contract/extension or the work I do as being easy, though perhaps this is just a negative on my side.

Genuine question here.

That's a good question.

I've done 34 contracts / 4 perms. Three of these contracts turned to perm.

As a contractor I'm top notch. I know exactly what the client wants, can pre-empt it, deliver it and deliver additional value add because I've pre-empted what comes next. As a contractor I make other people look good and so for the money the client gets the kudos and you sit in the background.

On the flip side after a while that becomes grating and so realised I was actually better than the majority of clients I worked for, so now become the client. Irritatingly though, I'm still happy for others to take the kudos. Even mentioned this to by boss who I've worked with before bemoaning the number of times others jump on the bandwagon of successful projects pushing themselves to the front for a scrap of meat. I've come to think of myself as a butcher, without me everyone will starve.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

The only good contractor is one that makes me money

So.... do you see yourself as a good agent?

[DodgyAgent]

After over 4 years in contracting I have been lucky enough to work several really good contracts and feel like I have achieved a lot. But I feel I have a mental barrier (no matter how many complements I would receive) as to seeing myself as a good contractor. All the evidence points to me being pretty good at what I do but I never feel that way? I was just wondering if it is just me that feels this or does there come a point where you have 100% confidence in yourself and believe you really are amongst the best at what you do.....

I always look at myself as being either lucky to get a good contract/extension or the work I do as being easy, though perhaps this is just a negative on my side.

Genuine question here.

The only good contractor is one that makes me money

[Brussels Slumdog]

If you started on £250 a day and now you're on £500 then you are a good contractor or if you used to send out your cv to 5 agencies before an interview and now every time you send out your cv you are hired,then you are a good contractor.If you don't send references then you are good.

[suityou01]

How so. This idea of bailing mid contract was promoted by NLUK and EEK and others jumped on the bandwagon. I only ever bailed mid contract on 2 occasions - on both occasions Client co asked for me back. The other times I have completed contracts. Also if you do it in your early years you realise it is not good practice and learn from your mistakes (everybody learns from mistakes). So if you are jumping on the same band wagon then you are a er too....

HTH

So of your 7 contracts, in 4 years, you bailed on 2 of them?

[Churchill]

After over 4 years in contracting I have been lucky enough to work several really good contracts and feel like I have achieved a lot. But I feel I have a mental barrier (no matter how many complements I would receive) as to seeing myself as a good contractor. All the evidence points to me being pretty good at what I do but I never feel that way? I was just wondering if it is just me that feels this or does there come a point where you have 100% confidence in yourself and believe you really are amongst the best at what you do.....

I always look at myself as being either lucky to get a good contract/extension or the work I do as being easy, though perhaps this is just a negative on my side.

Genuine question here.

Come back when you've got 25 years behind the bell and bucket.

[speling bee]

I suffer from Imposter Syndrome. As was highlighted below. Though I suspect that might mean I am pretty good! Who knows?

There you go:

Impostor syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

So are you a good contractor?

I suffer from Imposter Syndrome. As was highlighted below. Though I suspect that might mean I am pretty good! Who knows?