Software Development - Contract Work

Zubes

I have recently graduated from a computer science degree. Contract work seems to be an appealing option, where one can work for a specific length of time and then enjoy the earnings before getting back to the grind. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how contract work works in the software development industry? I'm aware I don't have any industrial experience - how would one remedy this situation? Should I be thinking about a permanent job for a few years? Would obtaining certification for software development languages be advantageous over/with experience? I'd appreciate any advice on this from anyone who has experience or knowledge with this.

Thanks,

mrpink6789

I work with IT Contractors in Software Dev. Honestly i'd advise going in to a Perm role for a few years. It's hard to get a contract for a Grad because generally companies higher contractors to get a specific project done in a few months so they need experienced guys. If you look on Irish Jobs you will see quite a few employers looking for solid grads. I wouldnt bother with agencies as employers hadly use us to get graduates. Best of luck with the hunt!

RangeR

+1

Get a perm role first. Very few companies will take you on as a contractor without having proven yourself in the field.

Zubes

I'll consider going into a permanent position for a few years. If contracting is an option a few years down the line, is there any kind of skills, specialisations, qualifications or even jobs I should look at or concentrate on that would benefit me.

Thanks for the advice!

Hellm0

^^ What everyone else said. Contract work is project work and will almost always be due in before you are told it is(I recently signed up for a 3 month gig only to have the main project get turned into a 3 week clu*ter****).

Get the experiance and learn as much as you can, try to get a job with smaller companies at first to boost your experiance, the reason being in smaller shops you will get exposed to a vastly wider array of requirements in terms of technical skills and due to the universal law of shortstaffedness in small IT shops you will do alot of it!

I find alot of work as a .net developer, handy skill's to have are;

SQL(2000/2005), C#/VB.net, Javascript, XML and alot of design priciples.

If you have your degree I'm sure your familiar with OOP but make sure to be flexible, every company has it's own implimentation and will expect you to write code like them.

mrpink6789

J2EE and .Net development contracts are always busy. WHo knows though in 3-4 years but they would be the safe options.