Working under an IT consulting firm...

[KrillBee]

Since, posting my resume online at monster.com, I've gotten a fair amount of calls from people, however sadly, most of them are either recruiting firms or consultants interested in maybe hiring me.

Is it worth it to work as a subcontractor either as a 1099 or a W2? I've always personally believed that businesses should avoid using a 'middle man' if they can. Sometimes I get the impression that ,many consulting firms make a living too easily, and they just sit back and hire people to do work for them.

I want to do either a desktop support type of job or a helpdesk position. There is a firm that wants to hire me as an employee (under W2 form), and then move me around from job to job every few months. I've thought about this, but am unsure whether I to be reliant on them to hopefully find good jobs for me.

 

[Soybomb]

To me the biggest issue is do you have any advancement potential with such an arrangement and will they want you to travel more than you want to? You won't be able to develop any long term ties at one place and lets be honest one of the few things that makes work bearable is coworkers you're friends with. On the plus side you'll get to make a lot of new contacts in a hurry and have a chance to wow people at those places that might want to steal you from the consulting company. I would sure try to get out of helpdesk as quickly as possible though.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: Soybomb
To me the biggest issue is do you have any advancement potential with such an arrangement and will they want you to travel more than you want to?

advancement, good point, thatd be tough. i specified i wasnt interested in travel.

You won't be able to develop any long term ties at one place and lets be honest one of the few things that makes work bearable is coworkers you're friends with.

true, it would suck having to constantly keep moving. i hope to find a good job and settle at some point.
one benefit i see is that interviewing a lot can be a good thing too, and interviewing every 3-6 months, gives good practice, so i can pull of a really good interview for the job i want down the road.

On the plus side you'll get to make a lot of new contacts in a hurry and have a chance to wow people at those places that might want to steal you from the consulting company. I would sure try to get out of helpdesk as quickly as possible though.

this one particular place specifies in their contract that im not allowed to be hired at jobs i worked at previously, unless i have stopped working at this consulting firm for at least 12 months.

im not sure how this works, because i know that these people do contract for hire stuff as well. so this is tough to say.

 

[Goosemaster]

money is money.

if you want something else out of it look elsewhere or be prepared to be ther a long time to see whether or not there is an opportunity to move up.

 

[GeekDrew]

I worked for a consulting firm for a brief while... though they were ...err, kind... enough to let me leave to join the people that they are consulting for... so, in the end, my client hired me full time. I have a semi-tolerable job now. I kinda miss the consulting, in some respects; in others, though, I like having a more "steady" job.

<shrug>

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
I worked for a consulting firm for a brief while... though they were ...err, kind... enough to let me leave to join the people that they are consulting for... so, in the end, my client hired me full time. I have a semi-tolerable job now. I kinda miss the consulting, in some respects; in others, though, I like having a more "steady" job.

<shrug>

thats nice of them to let you leave like that and join them a lot of consulting places are stingy and wont let you do that (via contract)
yeah, the steadiness is definately something i want. i cant see myself dating many women, if i cant even guarantee my own income.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
money is money.

if you want something else out of it look elsewhere or be prepared to be ther a long time to see whether or not there is an opportunity to move up.

yea, im just concerned about whether or not the share of the money that consulting firms take is fair.

 

[doze]

Originally posted by: KrillBee

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
money is money.

if you want something else out of it look elsewhere or be prepared to be ther a long time to see whether or not there is an opportunity to move up.

yea, im just concerned about whether or not the share of the money that consulting firms take is fair.

Does not matter what you think as long as their clients think it is fair and you are being paid well. Many people use these firms for qualified temporary labor that they can ditch when they are done with. The company I currently work for requires all non management employees to go thru a temp agencies for the first 90 days so they can easily cut people who don't work out.

Several friends have worked for consulting firms and some had good experience and some bad. The main problem is that when a project ends early then you may not have any work for a few weeks.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: doze

Originally posted by: KrillBee

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
money is money.

if you want something else out of it look elsewhere or be prepared to be ther a long time to see whether or not there is an opportunity to move up.

yea, im just concerned about whether or not the share of the money that consulting firms take is fair.

Does not matter what you think as long as their clients think it is fair and you are being paid well. Many people use these firms for qualified temporary labor that they can ditch when they are done with. The company I currently work for requires all non management employees to go thru a temp agencies for the first 90 days so they can easily cut people who don't work out.

Several friends have worked for consulting firms and some had good experience and some bad. The main problem is that when a project ends early then you may not have any work for a few weeks.

yeah, supposedly the place im looking at right now has unemployment insurrance too, which i thought was pretty cool. ill have to figure out what that means, lol.