Travels

Question

I recently left college (graduated in December with BS in Comp Sci). I have been working for a very large company (40,000 + employees) for more than two years. My work is as stable as anyone could hope. However, I am always bored, they cannot keep us (developers) busy. I am considering applying to some local contracting companies and trying out a contract. I was told that I can earn much more money as a contractor and even more if I am willing to travel. I was told that as a contractor I would basically constantly code, would not meet with BS about project charters and stages, and that I would learn more in a year than in 10 years at my current job (I consider this using java 1.4, and our new laptops have windows 2000 on them ... lol). I just want to know what to expect if I decide to go on a contract route, and if the trip is worth it. Since I have no children, and this seems like the best time to do something like this.

What did you do with the contract? How do travel mechanics work as a contractor (for which they paid, do you work 4 hours a day, etc.)? Will I really be basically coding? Will I really gain valuable insight and knowledge of the IT world?

Answer 1

I have been working with migrants for 30 years.

"I was told that as a contractor I would mostly be constantly coding"

False You can complete most of the new development or a lot of maintenance. Depends on the relationship of the contract firm.

"no BS meetings on project charters and phase steps

False The contract firm should release a concert. As a contractor, you write a lot of proposals that are shot down in flames. Internal initiatives are quietly turning into something else. Extraordinary initiatives are turning into ugly ones - contracts are being dismissed - there are lawsuits.

"and that I will learn more in a year than in 10 years at my current job"

True If you pay close attention and take careful notes. More importantly, if you have done your homework outside the workplace. I trained a lot, but I think that 75% of the skills that I use regularly (Java, Python, DB Design, Architecture, Apache config, HTML), I had to learn on my own.

"what to expect if I decide to go on the contract route"

Parts of it are bad. Parts are good. This is the job - that’s why they have to pay you for it.

"if the trip is worth it.

Let me list the benefits: skiing in Anchorage, skiing in Utah, diving in the Florida Keys, flew the whole first-class family to San Diego using Hilton Honors points to stay at Waldorf = Astoria.

Let me list the problems — children who are in serious trouble at school. Lack of family time due to travel. Unlimited air traffic tension, including all TSA safety theaters throughout.

Answer 2

I can’t talk about your situation, in particular, but my company recently ceased all of our contractors as part of our reductions, and many other companies did the same. Most companies hire a freeze where they will not take on new employees at all, contractors or not. My friends, who worked as contractors, all lost their jobs, and as a rule, they find it difficult to find new positions.

If you are already in a stable job, I would say that now is not the best time to abandon it and try to switch to the life of a contractor.

You have shown interest in learning new technologies, therefore, if your company does not make you busy and you “always miss”, why do not you use this time to find out what you are interested in?

Answer 3

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

You are stuck in a large company with all the major business management bureaucracy and the strict work roles that go with it. If you arrange for a big company to guess what you get? However, you can choose who you contract for (if they are happy to contract with someone with two years of experience). It sounds to me as if you really want to work in a small company developing software in a more flexible way, and this is a more risky move!

Please note that with the contract you go from project to project and each time you must pick up client systems (code, models, databases, workflows, etc.) from new ones, often with very little help. If the systems are ripe in any way, then there will be a lot of steepness to sift - if you are lucky, this will be documented! Therefore, every time you have a problem, you will need to call or find them (a difficult task in itself) to get the necessary knowledge.

Answer 4

Almost everywhere, wherever I am, we hired contractors to work on old, old things that our employees forgot or otherwise did not want to work. No one is going to hire you to teach you something, you won long enough, so they will only hire you for your current skills. Quite a lot of contractors complain that they need to constantly update their skills at their own expense.

You will also have less time for meetings (well ... maybe not, you will be there to say what they expect from you), but you will also have to manage your own customer accounts and invoices, and then pursue the payment.

So, don't think contracting is a magical route to cheerfully encode the latest technology. This is probably the opposite. What you want is another job.

Answer 5

I have been involved in contracting / consulting for over a year now and really enjoy it. Some of the benefits:

• good money.
• project changes often reduce boredom.
• works with home rules.
• because you are an expensive resource compared to other employees, the number of administrative fluffs and senseless meetings is minimal. The client wants you to spend as much time as possible working on what you have been contracted for.
• I gather new knowledge much faster than when I was a normal employee. I believe that he is often associated with changing projects and works with a number of people.

I strongly disagree with the fact that contractors receive boxing and must teach themselves new skills in due time. This may be true for some domains, but my experience was the exact opposite. One thing that I noticed is that if you work well with the project, you will be asked to look at other projects, even if you do not have experience with this technology. Reliability, as competent and honest, is much more important for most employers than the "5-year experience with J2EE" in your resume.

However, these are not all rainbows and butterflies. Some of the disadvantages are:

• obtaining a mortgage will be very difficult due to the lack of permanent employment.
• whenever a recession occurs, you will be the first against the wall.
• If you work on a fixed-cost basis, you will need to evaluate the project very well or risk unpaid overtime work.
• using multiple clients at the same time can be a terrible mess if you do not have excellent time management skills.

All in all, I really enjoy it, and for me, the pros far outweigh the cons. I think that I will only come back to becoming a normal employee if I had a family and I can not guarantee that you will remain without work for a long period of time.

Answer 6

As a contractor, it seems to me that you are less likely to attend meetings. But you spend a lot of time undermining customer requirements and waiting for answers to things. Since you are not in the daily flow of the organization, you have to work hard to understand what is happening.