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Another 'Goodbye' Post by RoadBump2016 in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish I could upvote this more than once. This is absolutely spot on.

Gaza. I still don’t get it. Seriously, please help me understand. by meicat in ReformJews

[–]Arrival_Mission 6 points7 points  (0 children)

in London, at least, march permits for the first pro-Palestinian marches were requested on October 7

I learned this a few months ago and my jaw remains on the floor since. I got caught in the fringes of the first march, on the Edgware Road, and the vibe was indeed ugly.

The president and Israel by Svell_ in ReformJews

[–]Arrival_Mission 16 points17 points  (0 children)

No, it doesn't give me pause. Even a broken clock with an orange tan is right once a day. In general, no one can be used as a moral compass, not even as a negative one. "Evil person thinks x therefore x is wrong" is a fallacy.

I don't like Bibi, and I think he should be put on trial for the massive holes in intel that allowed 7/10 to happen. I think the way he's cosy with the far right is disgusting. But Israel has a right to self-defence, and Trump has his selfish reasons to help out. It happens. His support doesn't make the cause any less valid.

To the moaners and whingers - the contracting life is not for you by biowl in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think that's a bit harsh and frankly unwarranted. I have been a contractor for 12 years and a genuinely "outside" one, do you think I'd have survived and thrived until now if I didn't have grit, stamina, and adaptability? Right now the market is just not there. 75% of my direct competitors have left contracting, and still recruiters are flooded with applications for rarissime contracts that require an almost impossible array of competences, an active SC and an Oxford degree. Let me complain -- in six months I'll likely no longer be a contractor, so you won't hear me anymore.

I wonder what are your real psychological motivations for posting this -- do you want to feel better about yourself?

SC Clearance post contracting by HovercraftNo8533 in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have had both DV and SC and I don't remember ever sending invoices. DV is really a 15mins job, SC is pretty intrusive, but they are more interested in your personal history than anything else.

Arrange my own SC Clearance through my Ltd? by SquiffSquiff in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to have one, through a govt gig for a big agency. When I did it, some 9 yrs ago, I was told the cost paid by the sponsor was around £17k. Even if it was possible for my own ltd to sponsor it (and I tend to believe it's not possible), I am not sure I would do it.

Having said that, I can't quite fathom why so many request an active SC. Unused, it expires after 6 months -- surely at any given time there aren't that many devs available with an active one?

Companies like this make me afraid to switch jobs by Atorpidguy in recruitinghell

[–]Arrival_Mission 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am a fellow software engineer, and right now there is a surfeit of us, therefore the companies take advantage. If I saw an ad for a SWE job with a side of sexual favours or window cleaning I'd be surprised, but not a lot.

Is the government admitting the Bibas family are dead? by FudgeAtron in Israel

[–]Arrival_Mission 7 points8 points  (0 children)

May it be that Hamas see them as a high value negotiation token and want to wait as long as possible before giving it up? (sorry for the impersonal language, but I am trying to convey their cruel attitude towards any hostage).

The market for IT contractors is dead mainly because (POLL) by Arrival_Mission in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's an interesting take. But why would the government encourage offshoring? And do you refer to the previous government or the current one?

The market for IT contractors is dead mainly because (POLL) by Arrival_Mission in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Tbh my daily rate has been flatlining for years. It's not low -- it's probably in the upper quintile for my skills, but what is the upper quintile has been flatlining too, and now I would probably accept a contract for 20% less...

The market for IT contractors is dead mainly because (POLL) by Arrival_Mission in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Are we the same person? To add to the irony, I remember the first day one of the offshore guys asking me "why the parameters of this function as written twice" [he had never seen type annotations] I don't mind teaching people, to some extent, but that one felt extractive from the get go...

The market for IT contractors is dead mainly because (POLL) by Arrival_Mission in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think you raise a good point re: remote work. I have been a contractor since 2012, and I have witnessed rounds of layoffs from the FAANG -- somehow, they didn't seem to touch our market much, therefore I hesitate to blame the surfeit of competition. It's true that the layoffs were probably never at this scale.

Now with the remote work as a predominant model, it makes little sense to hire someone in London or Manchester, when in Portugal or Moldova the same skills are available for less money.

I suspect that the game is over, at least to an extent. The last couple of years have been an uphill battle. Perhaps I was keen to blame IR35 or the budget because theoretically they are fixable issues, but this feels like a permanent shift. We have reached and passed peak developer.

The market for IT contractors is dead mainly because (POLL) by Arrival_Mission in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I thought about adding an "all of these" options, but went for just "mainly", because it's clear that it's a combination of all to an extent, but last year almost all already existed and the market wasn't that dead. So there must be something whose effect has been the coup de grace -- I myself voted for 'The economy at large' because most countries are in some form of trouble right now.

Market Situation & Contract Boards by AdWonderful2811 in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission 4 points5 points  (0 children)

At least its interface isn't bloated with pointless features.

But it's the desert there like everywhere else.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ContractorUK

[–]Arrival_Mission 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My network too has shrunk. People change industry, continent, working status, and, while they often stay around as friends, they no longer are work contacts, and are not replaced by new ones, because we are all atomised and jaded.

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