Advice for A new Would be Contractor!

[boldsoul]

Hi All,

I'm currently considering becoming a contractor. Although I have 16 years of experience in the IT industry the last 8 years have been spent as a Presales Consultant for a large storage vendor.

Because of this any technical skills I had are now very rusty and popular applicatons like Exchange etc I only know from a very high level. I've recently undertaken some voluntary work to try and bring my Windows admin skills back up to scratch and hopefully get some exposure to things like Exchange and active directory etc.

A contractor I worked alongside briefly last week suggested that to try and break into the market I shoould consider going for a contracting role as a Desktop Support Engineer. Would you agree with this, how would agencies react to someone who has no experience as a contractor?

Does anyone have any strategies they would suggest I use given my background?

Thanks.

[MarillionFan]

No.

You need to bring marketable skills and experience to the table.

In a tough Market with none of these you have as much chance as a snowball in an Icelandic volcano

[pmeswani]

Hi All,

I'm currently considering becoming a contractor. Although I have 16 years of experience in the IT industry the last 8 years have been spent as a Presales Consultant for a large storage vendor.

Because of this any technical skills I had are now very rusty and popular applicatons like Exchange etc I only know from a very high level. I've recently undertaken some voluntary work to try and bring my Windows admin skills back up to scratch and hopefully get some exposure to things like Exchange and active directory etc.

A contractor I worked alongside briefly last week suggested that to try and break into the market I shoould consider going for a contracting role as a Desktop Support Engineer. Would you agree with this, how would agencies react to someone who has no experience as a contractor?

Does anyone have any strategies they would suggest I use given my background?

Thanks.

To become a contractor, you need to have skills that matches the clients short term needs. You can't just walk in and say I can do Exchange or Active Directory, but I am a bit rusty. No client will give you the opportunity to gain the experience.

If you have the funds, do something like an MCSE as a starter for 10. Stay Permie for now and hope your employer gives you some experience in your field.

[OwlHoot]

... I'm currently considering becoming a contractor. Although I have 16 years of experience in the IT industry the last 8 years have been spent as a Presales Consultant for a large storage vendor.

If you've been involved with SAN (storage area networks) and backup strategies and monitoring and such like, I'd suggest mugging up on these and becoming a SAN consultant.

The rates for that would be far higher than for a help desk bod, although contract roles might be fewer and further between.

[cojak]

If you've been involved with SAN (storage area networks) and backup strategies and monitoring and such like, I'd suggest mugging up on these and becoming a SAN consultant.

The rates for that would be far higher than for a help desk bod, although contract roles might be fewer and further between.

WHS.

SAN is the way to go for you, my good man. Throw in a bit of Capacity and Availability Management and you're away...

Not to say that'll guarantee you a contract, mind - just try and get that stuff while you're still a permie...

[shaunbhoy]

Does anyone have any strategies they would suggest I use given my background?

Thanks.

Change your name by Deed Poll to something suitably sub-continent, suggest you will take the role for £12 per hour, and profess to have a Degree from the University of Hullabaloo.

HTH

[cojak]

HTH

No, it doesn't really, Shaunbhoy...

[Mich the Tester]

To become a contractor, you need to have skills that matches the clients short term needs. You can't just walk in and say I can do Exchange or Active Directory, but I am a bit rusty. No client will give you the opportunity to gain the experience.

If you have the funds, do something like an MCSE as a starter for 10. Stay Permie for now and hope your employer gives you some experience in your field.

WHS Make sure your skills are up to date and get some certificates in your field; the certificates might not really say much about your ability but they get your CV through the first screening process.

Also, get some interview training and possibly some sales training; as a contractor you live or die on your ability to present yourself at an interview.

[lukemg]

Forget it, you don't appear to have any marketable contract skills. Anyone planning to move into desktop support is looking at a future at £8 an hour humping boxes around, getting looked down at by the security chimps. I wouldn't advise getting MCSE or any other worthless technical cert either, everyone working helpdesk has these. Consider Service Delivery, your customer facing skills might come in useful and some technical knowledge always helps.

[northernladuk]

A contractor I worked alongside briefly last week suggested that to try and break into the market I shoould consider going for a contracting role as a Desktop Support Engineer. Would you agree with this, how would agencies react to someone who has no experience as a contractor?

Thanks.

You want to watch those contractors. They are all lazy scumbags willing to have a laugh with the dumb permies at any opportunity....

how would agencies react to someone who has no experience as a contractor?

Somewhere between laugh/put phone down and feed you some drivel to get you off his back while he places all the more experienced guys in the queue ahead of you I am afraid. They are not your friend believe it or not.