14 April 2016

About this Presentation

  • Duncan Thomson (@DuncanThom on Twitter)
  • Contractor since Jan 2014 working with SQL Server and .NET
  • Blog coming at BanoffeeSolutions.co.uk with first post on this talk (Currently blank)
  • Slides written using R and Markdown
  • Covers
    • Why Contractors Exist
    • Risks and Rewards
    • Finding Work
    • Becoming a Contractor
    • Self-learning

Why Contractors Exist

  • Cardiff to Exeter to…..Melksham
  • Offer specialist skills
  • Hired in numbers for particular projects
  • Fill a temporary gap
  • Hire them. Fire them (expendable resource)
  • Help upskill a team
  • (UK) Earn higher wage, stay technical

Rewards

  • The Contractor with Seven Mouths
  • More £££
  • Less politics
  • Flexible lifestyle
  • Chance of Varied and Interesting Projects
  • Way to further career without taking management position
  • Interviews often shorter

Risks

  • The MVC contract with no MVC
  • What you do isn't always what you signed up for
  • Less job security
  • May work on stuff you don't want to work on
  • May have to travel
  • If times are tough, harder to find work (2000, 2008)
  • May have more admin (Taxation, Accounts)
  • Taking holiday can seem painful
  • Job may not start straight away

Finding New Work

  • "So we´re looking for someone with Classic ASP"
  • Balance between Location, Money, Technology, People
  • Agencies
  • LinkedIn
  • Networking Events
  • Job Sites
  • Previous Companies and Co-workers
  • Personal Brand (Blog, Talks, Networking)
  • Interview skills

Becoming a Contractor

  • "I´ve been thinking about becoming a contractor for the last 12 years"
  • Long Notice Period
  • Don't have to be amazing. Good is enough
  • Specialisation versus Generalisation
  • Limited Company or Umbrella
  • Work on Communication skills (and being sociable)
  • Have a Cash reserve or plan one

Self-Learning

  • Dark-Matter Developers
  • Podcasts (Coding Blocks, Simple Programmer, The Freelancers´ Show)
  • Local Meetups
  • Tech conferences
  • Private projects
  • Outside Work

Stay-in Touch

  • Tweet your questions to @DuncanThom on Twitter
  • Connect with me at LinkedIn (Duncan Thomson)
  • Blog coming soon at BanoffeeSolutions.co.uk, first post on this talk, second on podcasts.
  • Send me your podcast recommendations!
  • Come along to the Data Science Exeter Meetup (next meeting June 15th in Exeter)
  • Last Questions?