Need quick advice regarding outsourcing

[Ancalagon44]

Hey guys,

I need some advice quick. I developed a website for my company which is now live and in use. Owing to a resource shortage where I am (I am the only developer in a company of about 30, supposedly an IT company), they are looking to outsource the development of website upgrades. We have had a meeting with this company, and the guys seem competent, but now the CTO of my company has requested that I upload a copy of the website code for them to examine.

They have signed an NDA, but I still worry about doing this. Should I suggest to the CTO that they come here instead for a meeting, in which we can examine the code and I can explain it to them? I dont feel comfortable uploading a copy off site.

Am I being unnecessarily paranoid?

 

[QuietDad]

CTO is the top guy. Being outsourced 4 times in my life, express your concerns to him, upload the site and start working on your resume.

 

[Ancalagon44]

There is enough work for me to do that I am not worried about my job, but I am worried that doing so is not in the best interests of the company, which incidentally I am a contractor for.

 

[Markbnj]

There is enough work for me to do that I am not worried about my job, but I am worried that doing so is not in the best interests of the company, which incidentally I am a contractor for.

It's his call, not yours. You express your concerns and then do what they ask, especially as a contractor.

 

[Ancalagon44]

I uploaded the code.

I didnt express my concerns - I realized that the website is just a presentation layer anyway, so it contains almost no business logic. Its not much use to anyone, in other words.

 

[ringtail]

You are NOT done.

You'd better L I S T E N to the last portion of QuietDad's very good advice.

That CTO over you is stupid. Example of an unprofessional bozo. Maybe it turned out by happenstance that exposure of your code didn't reveal proprietary solutions to problems, but equally likely could have benefited that outsourcing staff with good free schooling.

ESCAPE!!!!

 

[Ancalagon44]

Believe me, I know. He is a bozo, he is the CTO but I am a better programmer than him. Thats not a boast, thats a lament.

The company is about 30 people big, and is an IT company. Guess how many programmers we have, total? One. Me. How many database guys? 3, of which 1 is competent. How many GIS guys? 4, of which 1 or 2 are competent.

A second programmer is joining on the 1st of November, a guy more senior than me, and I actually feel sorry for him. I interviewed him and wished I could have warned him somehow. This is a dead end job. No career progression, and no experience worth having.

I'm here on a 12 month fixed term contract, so, if I dont sign a new contract, end of February I am out of here. Anytime before then, I can give 1 months notice and leave. However, I have two problems with leaving:
1. I've moved around a bit more than I should have, and am worried about what it will look on my CV if I leave before the 12 month period is up.
2. I want to study next year and I require study leave for that. Its not impossible to get elsewhere, its just difficult. Also, the problem is timing.

The course I want to study (MEng) is done mostly via coursework, and most of the courses have their lectures in block release format, where you have a week of solid lectures and then some assignments, and then an exam. My problem is, at least one of the courses I want to do falls smack bang at the end of January. My worry is, if I let them know that I will not be renewing my contract end of Feb, they will probably deny me the ability to take leave end of January - even if the leave is annual leave and not study leave.

I am thinking about talking with another company that I used to work for. They actually made me an offer in February this year which I am kicking myself for not taking. I am thinking about having a chat with them and just seeing what the opportunities are.