Is anyone here an IT contractor?

[Beach Hut]

I manage IT contracts which comes under the guise as a Service Manager.

Not much technical knowledge but more commercial which helps to keep the techies focused on delivery.

 

[Cian]

I think the greatest 'threat' to my area - the software development lifecycle - is the highly educated, highly skilled yet stupidly cheap workforce developing in India. Why pay UK prices if you don't have to? That said, in my role of project management, I'm probably less at threat than pure developers, but I'm not kidding myself that I'm not bloody expensive in comparison.

We've found a massive problem with using rent-a-coder services: Unmaintainability of the code. Its generally very hard to get used to someone elses code, but when its written in the standard coding style of a foreign university and commented in broken English or, as happened in our case, Ukrainian - its really a case of guessing what the hell the code is doing. We now have one of our own staff out with the rent-a-coders enforcing a sane coding style and documentation, but its eaten away a fair amount of the savings.

 

[Cian]

Web Design is a good area to get into for beginners's I'd have thought

Its not. You either need to be a very good programmer or a very good graphic designer - neither of which beginners are in general.

 

[Bozza]

We now have one of our own staff out with the rent-a-coders enforcing a sane coding style and documentation, but its eaten away a fair amount of the savings.

Maybe on your current project or development phase, but if you retain this resource you won't have to go through this process again.

 

[Cian]

Maybe on your current project or development phase, but if you retain this resource you won't have to go through this process again.

Problem is we have, as yet, not found any use for these coders once the project gets deployed - its a rewrite of an existing 16 bit VB product in C# and is intended to be maintained by our in house engineers (e.g. me + 4 others in the office and 4 on the road).

 

[bhaexpress]

This statement...



...does not take account of this one...



...since there is an implication in your post that all IT professionals do is make sure machines work and communicate. I guess I am an IT professional yet, when it comes down to it, I don't have much of a clue when it comes to things like building a PC and the finer nuances of operating systems. Beyond that my comms colleagues a few desks away who make sure that when I plug my laptop in it work and make it possible for our Hong Kong office to work on our Bristol based servers are working a black magic as far as I'm concerned.

I think the greatest 'threat' to my area - the software development lifecycle - is the highly educated, highly skilled yet stupidly cheap workforce developing in India. Why pay UK prices if you don't have to? That said, in my role of project management, I'm probably less at threat than pure developers, but I'm not kidding myself that I'm not bloody expensive in comparison.

Granted it's a pretty generalized comment but given my (considerable I think you have to agree) experience within IT there are few areas that I have not been involved in so have have an understanding of virtually all facets on what I would constitute the IT industry. You can also factor in that I doubt that many have seen quite as much change or progress in this industry than me either.

 

[bhaexpress]

We've found a massive problem with using rent-a-coder services: Unmaintainability of the code. Its generally very hard to get used to someone elses code, but when its written in the standard coding style of a foreign university and commented in broken English or, as happened in our case, Ukrainian - its really a case of guessing what the hell the code is doing. We now have one of our own staff out with the rent-a-coders enforcing a sane coding style and documentation, but its eaten away a fair amount of the savings.

Yes but that's always been true and is a lot less common with the current languages now in use than it was back in the day of even things like Cobol not to mention Assembler which was the norm when I started out. Now you have structured methodologies like SSADM if the are applied then this should be less of an issue. The outbreak of ITIL baffles me slightly as it just seems a way of saying use common sense

 

[bhaexpress]

Its not. You either need to be a very good programmer or a very good graphic designer - neither of which beginners are in general.

Very true, there are things like Frontpage out there that even people like me can use !

 

[bhaexpress]

I manage IT contracts which comes under the guise as a Service Manager.

Not much technical knowledge but more commercial which helps to keep the techies focused on delivery.

Actually Beachy some of us 'Techies' have a bit of nuance in this area too but we don't often get the opportunity to show it. What can be annoying is when the expectations of Commercially Oriented staff cannot be met because they don't have sufficient knowledge of the technology employed. Not saying this is always true but I have had the misfortune of working for some really cowboy Outsourcing Firms who are next to clueless.

 

[Beach Hut]

Actually Beachy some of us 'Techies' have a bit of nuance in this area too but we don't often get the opportunity to show it.

Could be but the ones in my company are hopeless commercially

 

[bhaexpress]

Could be but the ones in my company are hopeless commercially

I know that because your lot keep taking over the ones that aren't ! Haven't you now got what was ITNet as part of your portfolio now ? They one of my former employers and frankly pretty inept.

 

[Beach Hut]

I know that because your lot keep taking over the ones that aren't ! Haven't you now got what was ITNet as part of your portfolio now ? They one of my former employers and frankly pretty inept.

Not that I am aware of although I suspect my company will be swallowed up in a year or so

 

[Scoffers]

Its not. You either need to be a very good programmer or a very good graphic designer - neither of which beginners are in general.

Everyone has to start somewhere. There are lots of jobs in the web design marketplace that take on juniors who have picked up some skills from Uni. I have hired many such folks.

Of course, to run your own business, you need to be a true professional as you suggest

 

[bobbyzam]

I am just finishing a Masters in Computer Science at Bath Uni.

Have developed mostly software skills.

Can anyone recommend areas of IT that they know or believe to be rewarding/interesting, or any companies they know are good to work for?

 

[bhaexpress]

I am just finishing a Masters in Computer Science at Bath Uni.

Have developed mostly software skills.

Can anyone recommend areas of IT that they know or believe to be rewarding/interesting, or any companies they know are good to work for?

Some of that depends on your personality. If you're creative you'd be a programmer. If you're good with people you do support. If you're an anorak you'd do Networking If you're full of shit you'd so sales !

To be honest you need to establish yourself in any IT job before you can make that decision as it's quite diverse to the point where different organizations have a very different take on what is required in the different roles within the industry. As a small example some firms are happy to employ semi literate (and not computer literate) Help Desk staff whereas others put a great deal of stock in the same job as it's usually the first point of contact you have with said organization's IT department and can be seen as an indication of how good it is.

Oh, BTW, some people will tell you that any IT based degree is of limited value because you tend to be taught on obsolete equipment and software. I don't subscribe to that notion at all as getting an IT degree shows not only do you have a real interest in the industry (whatever your agenda) but that you're also not stupid.

 

[Titanic]

Some of that depends on your personality. If you're creative you'd be a programmer. If you're good with people you do support. If you're an anorak you'd do Networking If you're full of shit you'd so sales !...

after 21 years as an IBM mainframe Network Systems Programmer, I guess that makes me the full fur-lined Snorkel Parka

 

[Scoffers]

And after 12 years of doing support, I suppose I'm good with people!

 

[bhaexpress]

after 21 years as an IBM mainframe Network Systems Programmer, I guess that makes me the full fur-lined Snorkel Parka

You mean an SNAorkel Parker

 

[Titanic]

You mean an SNAorkel Parker

Ideal for a job in the local NCP... it's always good to have lots of layers!

 

[bhaexpress]

Ideal for a job in the local NCP... it's always good to have lots of layers!

Yes and if I bet your female colleagues use VTAMpons