Consulting work, goods, bads, and uglies?

[madcat6183]

Long story short, my job is stale.  Real stale.  And they decided to put a block on us again for all internal positions because we have lost over 50% of our team in the last year to outside and internal transfers so I am basically stuck where I am with no chance to advance.  Not to mention I was told yesterday when my current full time gig is over I will be put back on the floor in my old spot, not happening.

 

So with that said I am considering going to work for a full time W2 consulting company.  I pretty much am opting for the non PTO, higher salary without benefits as my wife can carry me if I want and I can still be W2'd.

 

I would most likely be working for fortune 500 companies only and only executive level accounts as they don't deal with anything small.  It's a full time position and the raise would gross 10K but net about 6K after benefits and using some income to pay for vaca/sick etc.

 

 Can people give me any info?  The companies are all based out of Cbus, I know I may be on the far side, or whatever, but more looking for the what ifs kinda thing.  6 months to perm are 75% of the jobs, and if they don't go perm they usually turn into long term contracts taking it up to 95% staying longer than 18 months.

 

I feel like it would be great for me to get my feet wet and learn more about the IT world.

 

Thanks

[Casper]

Feel free to text me and ask anything you want about consulting.

[madcat6183]

Feel free to text me and ask anything you want about consulting.

Thanks man, I had a feeling you had some experience and knowledge.  

[Strictly Street]

W2 is easier then 1099 when tax time rolls around. Don't forget to factor in your Obama care taxes as well. Your hourly rate has to be high enough to cover your butt.

Chances are you will come out with a much higher hourly rate than you think you should charge if you go 1099. Which is why that is a tricky option.

 

Certs count when your playing the contract option game. Stay up to date.

CCNA is a real good one to have. Microsoft, helpful but not necessarily good bang for the buck when it comes to return on your investment.

 

A+ and Network + are pretty much required to get anything. Think of them as your GED for computers. Of course this does depend on what you are going for. Programming, database are a different game. Developer is also different.

 

There is always work, just depends on how cheap you will work for.

 

Even if they pick you up on a contract to hire figure 3 - 5 years max before your looking again. Usually a lot less. But that will build you a pretty solid skill set over time.

 

Keep up to date.

 

If your just starting out in IT you will end up working the help desk. Remember it is the ninth circle of hell but its only a starting point and hopefully will be over soon.

 

Good luck!

[ReconRat]

Mostly short term gigs, often lots of overtime. Make sure it's paid overtime. Lots of chances to find a full time job with one of the places.

 

edit: My opinion is that A+ and network+ aren't enough, too many people have them. Need more than that.

Edited November 22, 2014 by ReconRat

[Strictly Street]

Mostly short term gigs, often lots of overtime. Make sure it's paid overtime. Lots of chances to find a full time job with one of the places.

 

edit: My opinion is that A+ and network+ aren't enough, too many people have them. Need more than that.

 

 

Agreed, but they are still required minimums. A+ isn't even about IT anymore it's about customer service.

Security+ can be useful at times as well.

 

Of course all the tests are ~$150 a pop to take, pass or fail.

Bang for the buck would be, and I'm looking solely at the test monies here.

CCNA ~$300. 2 tests.

MCSE - From $300 to $750 from 2 to 5 tests. (9 varieties of MCSE)

 

Of course there are others such as ITIL,  Six Sigma and a bunch of others.

 

Most times they want an associates degree too, at a minimum. Of course relevant experience works. Oddly enough they don't seem to care what the degree is in, just that you have one. Same thing for quite a few where they specify a 4 year degree.

 

As to going full time with one of the places. Make sure you understand the contract. Some places forbid you to apply until 'x' amount of time has passed. Others have very open ended contracts but have agreements with the company that you cannot be hired away from them. Also no benefits or paid days off is pretty common. No pay for 4th july, labor day, no sick days etc. Usually they will tell you if it's 'Contract to hire' or not up front. It's also worth asking the question just in case.

[ReconRat]

Agreed with above. The CCNA opens doors, for now. I tried to generate interest in Six Sigma and nobody cared. The days of a decent job without a degree are fading. Except skilled trades, where people can make more money in a lifetime than those with a degree they have to pay back.

 

In times of limited sources of employees, those temp and consulting firms will pay benefits, sick days and holidays. When they can find employees, they won't pay it. I once figured that all the benefits are worth about 10% of a paycheck. Get that 10%, and you can buy your own benefits. Percent would vary per actual annual salary, but 10% for middle to upper middle income.

 

edit: A+ is for getting a job at retail electronics, heh.

Edited November 23, 2014 by ReconRat

[madcat6183]

Thanks all, this is a lot of the ?s I have and have been asking.  Right now, it's like super entry level and basically I want to use them to get more background, courses, certs, etc.  Along with making more than I do now.

 

The paid OT Thing is a must if I am going to be working it, or else the salary increase wouldn't be worth it when we can have paid OT if it's there currently.  Plan as of now is to add me to the wife benefits and take the higher salary so no PTO.  But like mentioned above I want to know if that means no Christmas pay, 4th, pay, NY pay, etc.  Because I can handle the 4 weeks vaca loss and just cancel that with my hourly increase, BUT add in another 7 days and 7 sick days and that is kinda not the advance in pay I want.  So we'll see about that.

 

Now here's another question, I have 2 firms coming at me hard.  1 said I should be interviewing this week, the 2nd has submitted me to 2 positions to try to get interviews for me as well but we haven't talked numbers except what the lowest I would take is.  With that said, the 1st option gave me a figure that I could accept, does that give me true bargaining with the 2nd firm now?  Or will they just say screw it we'll get someone else?

 

Thanks all! 

[Strictly Street]

That depends a lot on what it is your selling and how much of it they an get how easily.

 

Example:

Entry level help desk. They can get those all day long. So you don't have much bargaining power there.

CCIE tell the one what the other will pay and see if they can match or better it.

 

Kind of extreme on the examples but you get the idea.

 

On the other hand, mid level IT people seem to be in rising demand. My guess is that a lot of them dropped out and went elsewhere when wages stagnated. Now, there is a shortage.

With the high end IT people you'll see a lot of H1B visas as they can be hired much cheaper from overseas or even outsourced completely for lower cost to the company.

 

Also keep in mind that IT covers a lot of ground even going into things that aren't really core IT at all, such as HR, Project management etc.

 

Programming, Developer and Database are completely different games as well.

 

So what part are you thinking of getting into?