Subj : Re: Fulltime contracting? Which field? To : comp.programming From : Duane Arnold Date : Mon Aug 15 2005 02:43 pm "Dan" wrote in news:ddq13s$rh9$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk: > Thankyou both for your replies. I think you misunderstood my question > however. I'm not suggesting that I'm going to go into a particular > area of contracting without studying the area first. I just want to > know what the best area is for me to start studying. I.e. If I'm > doing full-time contracting - what's the most likely area where I > would have a constant stream of work available without having months > being unable to find work. > If your expertise is with the MS Windows platform, then I suggest that you go with the .Net technologies. And in your case, you might want to strive for a .Net MCAD and later MSCD making sure you select SQL Server 2000 as one of your electives. As the clients and the firms do look at that MCP, MCAD, or MCSD and it can at least open the door and get you in front of a client for an interview. I just missed a contract because I didn't know SQL Server 2000 well enough to past the 16 or 40 questions test the client wanted me to take although I have worked with SQL as an application developer since SQL Server 6.0, which I will be correcting here shortly in going to get the MCAD I feel I need at this moment and I have been procrastinating in doing it. Hell 80% of the question being asked would never be used by an application developer but someone was able to answer them. I had the contract in the bag up until that point. :) > The reason I'm looking to get out of the games industry if purely > financial. Games programming may be one of the most interesting areas > of programming - but it's also one of the most poorly paid. And most > games companies expect you to work long hours without being paid > overtime. If I went the contracting route, then obviously I would be > paid a lot more, and would get a lot more holidays where I can do my > own thing. Out of curiousity, what's the average hourly rate for an > experienced contractor nowadays? Here in the US, that depends on the market area you're in such as being in a big metropolitan area as opposed to not being in one. The hourly range for a contractor a firm is willing to pay is from $30 to $60 an hour you may be able to get more in some cases dependant upon client needs with no benefits and you had better be willing to adjust up and down the hourly scale accordingly if working with several firms and based on your situation at the time. For an yearly salary with a firm is from $55K to $80K may be more a year dependant upon your location with benefits and you had better be able to adjust there too if working with several firms. You should be willing to travel, don't put all you eggs in one basket with one firm be willing to move to another firm to get your next contract if you have to do it. I suggest that you also save up and put away 3 months or more worth of all your monthly living expenses if you're looking to do hourly work and even for a yearly thing. Here in the US, if working hourly and you hit the bricks looking for your next contract, you can collect Unemployment Benefits between contracts as the company holds the taxes and paid into it. That's a nice little chunk of change coming in between contracts. Duane :) .