Forums for the Business Analyst

 
  Modern Analyst Forums  Careers  Career Advice &...  Contractor vs. Permanent positions
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
New Post 7/24/2008 5:45 AM
User is offline Tony Markos
493 posts
5th Level Poster


Re: Contractor vs. Permanent positions 

Irene:

Thanks for sharing your observations on how contractors are often treated! 

Why have I been working alot as a contractor?   A relatively recent article on DICE.com stated that, if an IT person is beyound a "certain age" and comes into the job market, basically, all he\she can expect is a series of contract jobs.   I have found this to be true.   This one of those "new realities" I guess,  especially with companies who are doing alot of overseas outsourcing.

How can a contractor improve him\jher self to get the more "meaty" assignments?   

A big part of what is needed is proper focus.    One needs to rigorously focus on the essentials in a world full of people who are focused on secondary issues.   In my own case, I am seemlying one of about 3 people in the world with significant data flow diagramming experience on larger scale projects.    Data flow diagrams uniquely address large-scale integration problems.    Properly used, they are a very powerful tool.    However, they require a very fervent personality type because they require asking alot of hard questions.  So proper focus and passion for what one is doing make an individual stand out and get the higher-level assignments.

Does one need to be a perm in order to get good information (so as to accomplish significant tasks)?

Knowledge of essential procedure (essential requirements) is turf, and often a key to obtaining such knowledge is to be an insider (a perm).  In order to be a contractor  (i.e., an outsider) and get this essential information, the contractor needs to have alot of management support.   Mangement can make side deals with perms in order to persude them to open up and give up some of their  "secrets".  Sounds kind of paradoxial:  On one hand, management avoids developing informal relationships with me, but on the other hand, they go out of their way to enable me to have access to key information.  But frankly, I much more value having he second more that the first.  

Tony

 
New Post 7/24/2008 5:47 PM
User is offline Jarett Hailes
155 posts
6th Level Poster




Re: Contractor vs. Permanent positions 

Adrian - great point on contracting vs. consulting.  I agree with you wholeheartedly!

 
New Post 7/28/2008 10:43 AM
User is offline Irene
31 posts
9th Level Poster


Re: Contractor vs. Permanent positions 
Modified By Irene  on 7/28/2008 12:44:17 PM)

Tony, Larimar and Adrian,

Thank you guys very much for your insights into contractors and perms. I got a lot of information that helps me understand the company environment better. Thank you also for the sharing of your experience on this.

Sincerely,  - Irene

 
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
  Modern Analyst Forums  Careers  Career Advice &...  Contractor vs. Permanent positions

Community Blog - Latest Posts

Fabricio Laguna talks Business Analysis and AI
I recently connected with Fabricio Laguna, aka The Brazilian BA. Fabricio is a passionate and pioneering business analyst from Brazil. During our conversation, we had a thought-provoking discussion on how artificial intelligence stands to shape the field of business analysis in the years ahead. While AI promises to transform many aspects of busines...
Business Architecture, Ontology and More with Terry Roach
It's been a privilege meeting Terry Roach, a visionary in the field of enterprise architecture and business architecture. Terry's insights into the evolution of business models, the importance of ontology in architecture, and the potential of AI to shape our future were not only thought-provoking but also a reflection of his extensive exper...
Today I had the pleasure of chatting to Jignesh Jamnadas, Chief Operations Officer at Mosaic, about his Blueprints for Success. As a Senior Finance and Operations Executive, Jigs (as he is known to many) has a holistic understanding of all facets of business and a flair for managing both people and processes. Having worked with Jigs, I was struc...

 



Upcoming Live Webinars




 

Copyright 2006-2024 by Modern Analyst Media LLC