IT Contracting since 1993

[NotAllThere]

Up until 1989 it was great - I was on about £1000pw doing COBOL then the mainframe market shrank by 80% virtually overnight. Lots of contractors were affected. It was really tough for a year - I did piece work for a mate who owned a company working in "micro-computing" and learnt half a dozen PC packages at the same time (dBase, Paradox, etc). Nearly came a cropper financially. After fourteen months of hand to mouth I managed to blag my way into a brokers at London Bridge programming Clipper(!!!). The market really took off in 91/92 and the rest is history.

That reminds me of the apocryphal tale in Freelance Informer, where a COBOL programmer went for a C programming job, assuming that C was just am abbreviation for COBOL. He then went on the C++ (Just C, but more...).

Late 90s were great. SAP contracts abounded - £3000 a week or more.

[Lockhouse]

That reminds me of the apocryphal tale in Freelance Informer, where a COBOL programmer went for a C programming job, assuming that C was just am abbreviation for COBOL. He then went on the C++ (Just C, but more...).

Freelance Informer.....Those were the days.

[canoas]

That reminds me of the apocryphal tale in Freelance Informer, where a COBOL programmer went for a C programming job, assuming that C was just am abbreviation for COBOL. He then went on the C++ (Just C, but more...).

Late 90s were great. SAP contracts abounded - £3000 a week or more.

That reminds me of a Fidessa support chap who sat near me working for a broker firm on £1,000 a day, was ridiculous £5k a week. He use to do long hours 7-7 but heck he was young enough and he always had an hour lunch out somewhere.......in 1999. It was only because he worked for Fidessa in his past job that he was in high demand, another SAP type thing. I remember those SAP guys getting paid loads around 96-2001ish

[BR14]

That reminds me of a Fidessa support chap who sat near me working for a broker firm on £1,000 a day, was ridiculous £5k a week. He use to do long hours 7-7 but heck he was young enough and he always had an hour lunch out somewhere.......in 1999. It was only because he worked for Fidessa in his past job that he was in high demand, another SAP type thing. I remember those SAP guys getting paid loads around 96-2001ish

you still here?

[canoas]

you still here?

long gone............left after 2 years!!

[Speccy]

Just replaced Clipper

Up until 1989 it was great - I was on about £1000pw doing COBOL then the mainframe market shrank by 80% virtually overnight. Lots of contractors were affected. It was really tough for a year - I did piece work for a mate who owned a company working in "micro-computing" and learnt half a dozen PC packages at the same time (dBase, Paradox, etc). Nearly came a cropper financially. After fourteen months of hand to mouth I managed to blag my way into a brokers at London Bridge programming Clipper(!!!). The market really took off in 91/92 and the rest is history.

Where have you been? We have just managed to replace a Clipper credit bureau just before the end of 2019! Now to get rid of the Adabas one!

[Lockhouse]

Where have you been? We have just managed to replace a Clipper credit bureau just before the end of 2019! Now to get rid of the Adabas one!

That's truly incredible.

[Speccy]

That's truly incredible.

But we did get rid of the Fortran one over 2 years ago, so we're not totally prehistoric

[rogerfederer]

Tar-ra and don’t let the door hit yer arse on the way out...

In my usual blunt fashion:
She/he's right.

Folk have been earning £400-450 a day as contractors, with 450 even being above average and median (according to itjobswatch stats), meaning year by year depreciation of money in contracting. Inflation and additional taxes have resulted in severe depreciation of the benefits of contracting. A multicultural society relies on incoming skills as it's obvious the UK doesn't have the skills it desires to keep the high-tech sector ticking alone nicely.

Only those with short term memories and/or not much skin in the game don't realise the extent to which contracting has been degraded as a profession over the decades.

[d000hg]

It's comes to an end! I came over to the London, UK in 1993 from NZ on my big OE, intended to travel around Europe for 2 years and work part time, well 26 years later I am married to an EU citizen (not UK), kids.....and it's sadly coming to an end. I must say the most affluent years in the UK for IT contractors were between 1993 -2001. I can remember my 1st job at Banker Trust for £35ph doing mainframe stuff. It was so ridiculous, people were getting paid £500-£800 sometimes a day for not knowing much 1996-2000 or sometimes doing little, economy was thumping strong, the city was exciting and fun, late night parties. Huge Xmas parties I remember once Swiss Bank hosted Hot Chocolate as their Xmas band with thousands of people. Tax benefits were good as a contractor. Then after 09/11 things suddenly dropped very quickly, most weren't employed but then about 2 years after things started picking up again, then dropped in 2009 in the financial crisis and have never recovered since. Sad but true!

With these stupid IR35 laws it's now for me depart, well that's the plan. To my retreat in Majorca that I've had since 2003. in my 50's now I'm going to do some remote consulting, I have a EU passport as well. I have noticed a lot of NZ/Aus/SA have left the UK. Modern world has changed no longer were the days of backpacking around Europe for a laugh and earning money as an part time accountant or a IT Contractor. They have left for the reason of IR35 and economy has weakened they are not stupid they are not coming here to be earning less money in a expensive city and they are not here to work full time. I can't see UK attracting NZ/Aus to come to the UK for what benefit? when they can go to US or Canada for way more money and way more benefits which is happening at a rapid rate, especially coming here..... now a shaky island. And Boris's points system, up yours mate!

I remember all the good times, yep they were amazing. London has changed a lot and I've spent most of my life here but it's time to get out, I can see things getting a lot worse.

And I must say Tony Blair years were the best, the economy was super strong, not saying I like him at all!

Ciao my friends!

Poor you, having to leave contracting to live in your Mediterranean villa. Glad you managed to somehow squirrel enough away.