I don't know about everyone else but I am struggling this year. I am 24 with almost 5 years hardware break/fix experience. I have worked as a Field Service Engineer for many of the biggest companies around the world and in previous years agencies were always calling me with Contracts. This year everything sucks. I have only had one contract that was meant to last 3 months and it only lasted a month. My umbrella company focused consulting screwed me up with the tax. I paid emergency tax on that contract and because according to them I had requested a P45 at the end of the contract from them, I was not entitled to the tax back from them and would have to claim it back from my next employer, now being my own ltd co.
Anyway. Anyone else want to share the bitter salt? Recently was close to securing another 1 month contract, when I was told I would be interviewed for it. I asked how many other candidates were being interviewed and was told 4 so far. WTF. Why I am competing with 4 other guys for a one months contract. I asked the agency if my expenses and time would be paid, which they replied that it would not, so I just told them that it was not worth my time.
I am not in IT hardware because I think its lucrative, I would have made more money delivering pizzas. I work with computers because I have a passion for cumpiting and networking. The only toys I had when I was a kid were a few broken 386's and a 486, that I got working.
Then is all the posts requiring hardware/field engineers with skill in active directory, sms 2003, exchange server, lotus notes and ghost imaging + any hp or compaq certs beneficial, if thats not enough, Candidates with C?? or n?? security clearence preferred, or willing to undergo clearence. Anyone with defence or MOD experience is highly preferred.
WTF are these agencies looking for, former soldiers that know how to connect a monitor, with knowledge of computing or networking, or maybe they think its cool to disguise a sys admin role as a hardware engineer role. Perhaps they are just looking for people with no computing experience at all, that just have all the security clearence. Maybe I will see Gordon Brown replacing the system board on my dell desktop in a couple of years.
I am fully capable of performing a sys admin role, doing the active directory and exchange server bollo*, but I dont specialise in setting user permissions. I repair laptops, desktops, servers and printers, so why I get turned down for these supposedly field engineer is beyond me. Maybe, I should just make myself a guru techie/IT manager for every contract that I have worked on, and when its time for the interview, confuse the idiot interviewing me with everything that I know. Did that ounce. Some guy interviewing me asked a soft question, what software I would use to protect a network. Answer was Proxycap, or a combination of TORCP with Privoxy, for online gaming a hijacked socks 5 proxy server. Could go into it more, but confused the duck out of him. Did not get the contract, but embaressed him for his lack of networking skills.
Sorry just spitting, the market seems really bad at the moment. If it is this bad next year, I will have to ditch IT for something more profitable. Sorry for ranting. Its not easy when you have a 8k course to pay off and your other half is planning to leave unless you can finance a house rather a cramped studio flat for the family.
Anyway. Anyone else want to share the bitter salt? Recently was close to securing another 1 month contract, when I was told I would be interviewed for it. I asked how many other candidates were being interviewed and was told 4 so far. WTF. Why I am competing with 4 other guys for a one months contract. I asked the agency if my expenses and time would be paid, which they replied that it would not, so I just told them that it was not worth my time.
I am not in IT hardware because I think its lucrative, I would have made more money delivering pizzas. I work with computers because I have a passion for cumpiting and networking. The only toys I had when I was a kid were a few broken 386's and a 486, that I got working.
Then is all the posts requiring hardware/field engineers with skill in active directory, sms 2003, exchange server, lotus notes and ghost imaging + any hp or compaq certs beneficial, if thats not enough, Candidates with C?? or n?? security clearence preferred, or willing to undergo clearence. Anyone with defence or MOD experience is highly preferred.
WTF are these agencies looking for, former soldiers that know how to connect a monitor, with knowledge of computing or networking, or maybe they think its cool to disguise a sys admin role as a hardware engineer role. Perhaps they are just looking for people with no computing experience at all, that just have all the security clearence. Maybe I will see Gordon Brown replacing the system board on my dell desktop in a couple of years.
I am fully capable of performing a sys admin role, doing the active directory and exchange server bollo*, but I dont specialise in setting user permissions. I repair laptops, desktops, servers and printers, so why I get turned down for these supposedly field engineer is beyond me. Maybe, I should just make myself a guru techie/IT manager for every contract that I have worked on, and when its time for the interview, confuse the idiot interviewing me with everything that I know. Did that ounce. Some guy interviewing me asked a soft question, what software I would use to protect a network. Answer was Proxycap, or a combination of TORCP with Privoxy, for online gaming a hijacked socks 5 proxy server. Could go into it more, but confused the duck out of him. Did not get the contract, but embaressed him for his lack of networking skills.
Sorry just spitting, the market seems really bad at the moment. If it is this bad next year, I will have to ditch IT for something more profitable. Sorry for ranting. Its not easy when you have a 8k course to pay off and your other half is planning to leave unless you can finance a house rather a cramped studio flat for the family.
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