Sunday 29 May 2022

"It was really helpful" Join the IT Contracting Academy Groups to get the help you deserve - for free! #cvadvice #cvhelp #resumereview

"It was really helpful" Join the IT Contracting Academy Groups to get the help you deserve - for free! #cvadvice #cvhelp #resumereview
http://dlvr.it/SRGBlJ

Saturday 28 May 2022

One of the biggest things I hated about perm employment... Agree or disagree? Join the IT Contracting Academy Groups for more! #itcontracting #itcontractors #itcareers #itcareer

One of the biggest things I hated about perm employment... Agree or disagree? Join the IT Contracting Academy Groups for more! #itcontracting #itcontractors #itcareers #itcareer
http://dlvr.it/SRD398

Friday 27 May 2022

"To say the CV was transformed is an understatement" Want your CV transformed too? Sign up for the CV Booster service and then get me to make all the changes for you, saving you time & effort I'll even re-word sections that need it to make your CV really pop! Join the IT Contracting Academy Group for more info #cvreview #cvwritingservices #cvwritingservice

"To say the CV was transformed is an understatement" Want your CV transformed too? Sign up for the CV Booster service and then get me to make all the changes for you, saving you time & effort I'll even re-word sections that need it to make your CV really pop! Join the IT Contracting Academy Group for more info #cvreview #cvwritingservices #cvwritingservice
http://dlvr.it/SR9Q7f

http://dlvr.it/SR8MVP

Thursday 26 May 2022

5 Misconceptions About Freelance IT Contracting 1) Contractors are Experts Many wannabe contractors let this misconception stop them dead in their tracks when considering freelancing as a career move. They believe contractors are experts. They would love to start contracting for all of the benefits they envisage (primarily the financial ones initially, although I believe there are more important ones), but they often put contractors on a pedestal and treat them differently, as if they somehow have special powers or abilities. Sometimes this may be borne out of not knowing any contractors personally, not having any contractors close to you who you can consult and ask questions, maybe seeing some good contractors in the workplace and comparing yourself to them, not realising that guy in that other team you think isn’t so great is actually a contractor too… 2) I need more skills & experience The next most cited reason for not taking the leap into the world of contracting if the belief that you need more skills, or you need to work in an industry, area or with certain tools or technologies for longer, and only then will you be ready to take the plunge into the contracting market. I just need to learn X. I just need to spend X more years working on Y. The danger is of course that you will never consider yourself ready. This is exactly what held me back from contracting. 3) I’m not good enough! This ties in with the “needing more skills & experience” misconception of course, but it can run far deeper than that. Often this comes down to an underlying lack of self worth. Perhaps this is because you’ve not been working on projects and activities that excite you, inspire you, or fire you up every morning to jump out of bed and get to do meaningful work, solving meaningful problems. It’s not that you’re depressed or miserable, but maybe the passion and enthusiasm has been sucked from you by your current employer? 4) I need more savings! Some people feel they just don’t have the savings in place to take the perceived risk of quitting their job and going it alone as a freelance IT contractor. I get it, everyone worries about money at some stage in life. Maybe you’re earning a decent enough salary, but then there’s increasing fuel bills, food to buy, cars to run, houses to maintain, mortgages to pay… the list can be endless. What if it takes me 3 months to get a role, how will we survive? What if I only get a 6 month contract and it ends after that? 5) It’s just not worth it any more with regulations like IR35 in play Whilst it’s true that many people left the world of contracting when IR35 kicked in (especially in the private sector recently), there are many positive signs that the situation is improving, and that the contract market is flourishing. Many people returned to perm work, but many did so as a stop-gap until the market corrected itself (which it invariably does), and I believe many will return to contracting over the coming months. But contracting for me is about more than the amount of money you receive versus taxes paid, so it’s not all bad in my opinion. All 5 of these misconceptions can in fact boil down to one common factor… Fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of getting it wrong, fear of messing up, looking bad in the eyes of your family, friends or peers. Fear of making the wrong choices in life, quitting a decent perm role to fly the nest and go it alone in the wilderness, or so it might seem... But unless we face our fears and face the realities (rather than perceptions) of contracting we will always remain stationary, we will stay where we are, often stuck in the hamster wheel of working for someone else. Only then can you make an educated and informed decision on which action to take. And of course, if you change nothing, nothing changes. #itcareers #itcareer #itcontracting Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it please click LIKE and click SHARE to share it with your network. About the Author: David Gerrish has been an IT Contractor since 1996, working all over the UK, Europe and further afield in locations such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Dave's IT Contracting Academy Facebook & LinkedIn groups have thousands of contractors and aspiring contractors as members, making them invaluable communities for IT professionals seeking advice, support and to network with one another.

5 Misconceptions About Freelance IT Contracting 1) Contractors are Experts Many wannabe contractors let this misconception stop them dead in their tracks when considering freelancing as a career move. They believe contractors are experts. They would love to start contracting for all of the benefits they envisage (primarily the financial ones initially, although I believe there are more important ones), but they often put contractors on a pedestal and treat them differently, as if they somehow have special powers or abilities. Sometimes this may be borne out of not knowing any contractors personally, not having any contractors close to you who you can consult and ask questions, maybe seeing some good contractors in the workplace and comparing yourself to them, not realising that guy in that other team you think isn’t so great is actually a contractor too… 2) I need more skills & experience The next most cited reason for not taking the leap into the world of contracting if the belief that you need more skills, or you need to work in an industry, area or with certain tools or technologies for longer, and only then will you be ready to take the plunge into the contracting market. I just need to learn X. I just need to spend X more years working on Y. The danger is of course that you will never consider yourself ready. This is exactly what held me back from contracting. 3) I’m not good enough! This ties in with the “needing more skills & experience” misconception of course, but it can run far deeper than that. Often this comes down to an underlying lack of self worth. Perhaps this is because you’ve not been working on projects and activities that excite you, inspire you, or fire you up every morning to jump out of bed and get to do meaningful work, solving meaningful problems. It’s not that you’re depressed or miserable, but maybe the passion and enthusiasm has been sucked from you by your current employer? 4) I need more savings! Some people feel they just don’t have the savings in place to take the perceived risk of quitting their job and going it alone as a freelance IT contractor. I get it, everyone worries about money at some stage in life. Maybe you’re earning a decent enough salary, but then there’s increasing fuel bills, food to buy, cars to run, houses to maintain, mortgages to pay… the list can be endless. What if it takes me 3 months to get a role, how will we survive? What if I only get a 6 month contract and it ends after that? 5) It’s just not worth it any more with regulations like IR35 in play Whilst it’s true that many people left the world of contracting when IR35 kicked in (especially in the private sector recently), there are many positive signs that the situation is improving, and that the contract market is flourishing. Many people returned to perm work, but many did so as a stop-gap until the market corrected itself (which it invariably does), and I believe many will return to contracting over the coming months. But contracting for me is about more than the amount of money you receive versus taxes paid, so it’s not all bad in my opinion. All 5 of these misconceptions can in fact boil down to one common factor… Fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of getting it wrong, fear of messing up, looking bad in the eyes of your family, friends or peers. Fear of making the wrong choices in life, quitting a decent perm role to fly the nest and go it alone in the wilderness, or so it might seem... But unless we face our fears and face the realities (rather than perceptions) of contracting we will always remain stationary, we will stay where we are, often stuck in the hamster wheel of working for someone else. Only then can you make an educated and informed decision on which action to take. And of course, if you change nothing, nothing changes. #itcareers #itcareer #itcontracting Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it please click LIKE and click SHARE to share it with your network. About the Author: David Gerrish has been an IT Contractor since 1996, working all over the UK, Europe and further afield in locations such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Dave's IT Contracting Academy Facebook & LinkedIn groups have thousands of contractors and aspiring contractors as members, making them invaluable communities for IT professionals seeking advice, support and to network with one another.
http://dlvr.it/SR66sF

Monday 16 May 2022

Sunday 15 May 2022

Remember you can fly You just might need someone to help! And if you want that help ask in the group I do this as a real passion, it gives me so much more reward than I ever imagined Truly grateful for the awesome groups we have Remember you can fly! Have a great day! David Gerrish #freelancers #freelancing #itcontractor #itcontractors

Remember you can fly You just might need someone to help! And if you want that help ask in the group I do this as a real passion, it gives me so much more reward than I ever imagined Truly grateful for the awesome groups we have Remember you can fly! Have a great day! David Gerrish #freelancers #freelancing #itcontractor #itcontractors
http://dlvr.it/SQPNJ3

Friday 13 May 2022

Thursday 12 May 2022

Saturday 7 May 2022

Is contracting still worth it compared to a perm job? Please like & share if you thought this was useful And join our groups if you're a contractor or aspiring contractor (no agencies etc.) #ITContractors #itcontracting #itcontractor #ITCareers #ITCareer

Is contracting still worth it compared to a perm job? Please like & share if you thought this was useful And join our groups if you're a contractor or aspiring contractor (no agencies etc.) #ITContractors #itcontracting #itcontractor #ITCareers #ITCareer
http://dlvr.it/SPwfTT

Monday 2 May 2022

As a Contractor your Network = your Net Worth #linkedintip #linkedintips #itcontracting

As a Contractor your Network = your Net Worth #linkedintip #linkedintips #itcontracting
http://dlvr.it/SPf1rt

DIY "Nobody's going to do your life for you. You have to do it yourself, whether you're rich or poor, out of money or raking it in, the beneficiary of ridiculous fortune or terrible injustice. And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard. No matter what unjust, sad, sucky things befall you. Self-pity is a dead-end road. You make the choice to drive down it. It's up to you to decide to stay parked there or to turn around and drive out." Author Cheryl Strayed on the trap of self-pity via James Clear

DIY "Nobody's going to do your life for you. You have to do it yourself, whether you're rich or poor, out of money or raking it in, the beneficiary of ridiculous fortune or terrible injustice. And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard. No matter what unjust, sad, sucky things befall you. Self-pity is a dead-end road. You make the choice to drive down it. It's up to you to decide to stay parked there or to turn around and drive out." Author Cheryl Strayed on the trap of self-pity via James Clear
http://dlvr.it/SPdYKT