![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thelaughingmuseI've been a contractor in tech for the majority of my career. I've had few FTE roles - not because I disdain them, but because
Tech companies (mostly) keep contractors off of not-yet-public projects, and don't often invest any kind of resources in training the contractor beyond what is needed to get the job done. This means that, unless you consciously figure out where you want to go next / what you want to work on next, you're likely to just flow along taking jobs that are offered to you. This definitely can get the bills paid...for a while. But it's a strategy with a limited shelf life. You can coast for about 3-4 years in tech (I've certainly done that), but after that point you'll need to learn what's new, what's hot, what's interesting to you...and take steps to start working on that Next Thing. (As of June 2022, for example, it's cybersecurity. More and more jobs in this subfield, and supporting this subfield, are opening up.)
Even if you're a contractor, talk to your boss and tell them: "I want to work on X." Have a couple of options of things that the team works on, that you want to work on, so that your boss can have a better chance to get you onto something that's going to take you in a direction you want to go. Your boss may not put you on the first several things you ask about (this happened to me at a company whose name rhymes with Bugle.) But if you stop asking, you won't be able to learn anything new. If you keep asking, your interest in other projects will keep you memorable. You'll eventually find yourself being given, if not the projects you asked about, adjacent work. Those little projects will count more than boot camps or certifications, because nothing beats hands-on experience in the field.
- when I jobsearch, I search for both contract and FTE roles
- FTE roles often have longer interview processes
- the first acceptable offer I receive, I take
- once I accept an offer and sign an offer letter, I stay with that place for at least 6-12 months (6 minimum for contract, 12 minimum for FTE) unless a red flag not only pops up, but repeatedly smacks me in the face
- I prefer longer engagements, but they don't often end up that way
Tech companies (mostly) keep contractors off of not-yet-public projects, and don't often invest any kind of resources in training the contractor beyond what is needed to get the job done. This means that, unless you consciously figure out where you want to go next / what you want to work on next, you're likely to just flow along taking jobs that are offered to you. This definitely can get the bills paid...for a while. But it's a strategy with a limited shelf life. You can coast for about 3-4 years in tech (I've certainly done that), but after that point you'll need to learn what's new, what's hot, what's interesting to you...and take steps to start working on that Next Thing. (As of June 2022, for example, it's cybersecurity. More and more jobs in this subfield, and supporting this subfield, are opening up.)
Even if you're a contractor, talk to your boss and tell them: "I want to work on X." Have a couple of options of things that the team works on, that you want to work on, so that your boss can have a better chance to get you onto something that's going to take you in a direction you want to go. Your boss may not put you on the first several things you ask about (this happened to me at a company whose name rhymes with Bugle.) But if you stop asking, you won't be able to learn anything new. If you keep asking, your interest in other projects will keep you memorable. You'll eventually find yourself being given, if not the projects you asked about, adjacent work. Those little projects will count more than boot camps or certifications, because nothing beats hands-on experience in the field.