Should I stay or should I go?

**MerrionComputin** · May 8th, 2003, 05:25 PM

The situation is that my current contact ends 23 of this month. It's easy steady work but it's VB5 and no prospect of upgrading my knowledge. Should I instead take a month or two off and learn VB.Net in the hope of picking up a VB.Net contract?

**Nightwalker83** · May 8th, 2003, 05:48 PM

I didn't know businesses were still using vb5?

**hellswraith** · May 8th, 2003, 07:26 PM

I think .Net will give you more leverage in the future, I hardly think people will be jumping over themselves for VB5 programmers....

Why do you have to quit and take a few months off to learn .Net though? Can't you do it in your spare time while still being employed?

**Pc_Madness** · May 8th, 2003, 10:50 PM

Well if he does it in his spare time, he'll still be locked into the original job until the contract expires again, I do believe? So learning it now would be kinda pointless. But if he takes the time off, he can learn VB .Net, and see if there are any better offers.

I although I have no experience in the Programmer job front, I would have to say that taking the time off makes more sense, on the condition that you can still get the job back if there isn't anything out there for a VB .Net fellar.

**swatty** · May 9th, 2003, 05:06 AM

I think that is the problem .
Getting a condition to get back if you got no luck finding something else.
I'd go with HW point of view.
Learn it in your spare time staying over there.

If you find something else while in current job, you can always stop the contract yourself.

**parksie** · May 9th, 2003, 05:35 AM

Originally posted by swatty
If you find something else while in current job, you can always stop the contract yourself.

Not sure that's always possible...

But I'd agree with suggestions to keep at this job, and work on VB.NET in spare time (that said, I'd recommend using C# if you want to use .NET, it's all geared up for that language).

**Merrion** · May 9th, 2003, 06:33 AM

Once you are in a contract you cannot break it - which would mean another 6 months VB5 while the rest of the world is moving on to .NET ...

**JPicasso** · May 9th, 2003, 08:08 AM

The rest of world is movin, sure, but we are not all jumping out of a plane for it.

There are still COBOL programmers out ther that make a nice living.
I would definatly start moving towards it, but I'm not sure 2 months off is going
to give you the boon you need. How many employers are going to
hire you to do .NET programming when all you have on your resume
is "spent two months off hangin out at home doing .NET programming.

Maybe Ireland is differnt, but still.

I think it would be more fun / benificial to try and develop in .NET what you develop
for your next contract ... that way you can honestly put on your experience
"concurrently developed applications in both VB5 and .NET" eh?
:nudge nudge: know what I mean? wink wink, :nudge nudge:

**plenderj** · May 9th, 2003, 09:02 AM

Dunc, all these posts, and still no reference to the song

**kleinma** · May 9th, 2003, 09:18 AM

hey your thread title is a song

happy now??

**Merrion** · May 9th, 2003, 10:11 AM

Dunc, all these posts, and still no reference to the song

It's always tease, tease, tease.....

**fungi** · May 9th, 2003, 10:24 AM

Having even a lamo vb5 job is better than say being lost in the supermarket...

<groan>

**Memnoch1207** · May 9th, 2003, 02:27 PM

I agree with Picasso here...If you did take off 2-3 months and did nothing but program in .NET, do you think it would be enough to land a .NET contract? with no professional experience developing with it? If I were you I would be happy with what you have now, and plan for the future..i.e. start learning .NET in your spare time, no sense in throwing away a perfectly good job, especially when there are programmers out there with more skill and experience (there's always someone better) that are unemployed. Hell, I do mostly web programming (ASP, PHP, databases, etc...) but I am learning other stuff in my spare time so as to broaden my skills and be more marketable to employers. I'm happy where I'm at right now, but learning more so I don't have to be here forever.

**Nightwalker83** · May 9th, 2003, 05:23 PM

Originally posted by Spetnik
Businesses are still using VB3.

Ouch that would hurt.

**Gaffer** · May 13th, 2003, 09:56 AM

Contract market is dire at the moment in the UK. Me and ther contractors are just sitting tight, keeping our heads low, and riding through this stormy patch. 6 months more work may bring you through to calmer waters.

VB5? That 5 is very close to the 6 key when typing your CV

**hellswraith** · May 13th, 2003, 05:56 PM

Just a little question, what is a CV? Is it a resume? What does it stand for. I have seen it used a few times and have always wondered what it is.

**hellswraith** · May 13th, 2003, 05:58 PM

Never mind, found the definition....

CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, which basically means 'The Story of Your Life' or 'The Course of Your Life'

**MerrionComputin** · May 14th, 2003, 01:49 AM

VB5? That 5 is very close to the 6 key when typing your CV

But it is so very far from C#/VB.Net - which are picking up in Ireland these days.

**FATBOYPEE** · May 14th, 2003, 03:01 AM

Originally posted by MerrionComputin
But it is so very far from C#/VB.Net - which are picking up in Ireland these days.

Merrion,

I'd agree with Gaffer in that the contract market, even here in Ireland is still damnably lame. I came back from Amsterdam the end of May last year to an utter famine of contracts, had to go permy and look daily for good contracts, considering even the UK and Europe again in my desperation but even then, finding the rate has crashed and opportunities few and far between.

I got offered 1 contract about five months ago at €275 a day.

I asked them if they'd up it to €290 and they said that they were offereing a clear €50 - €60 a day more than the industry average. I did some checking and found that most contracts were down around the €200 mark IF you could find any !

For my money, €€€ coming thru the door would be preferable to jumping. 6 months on, .NET will be more established but not nearly established enough that you've missed the boat.

Peeman.

**Merrion** · May 14th, 2003, 03:06 AM

That seems to be the sceail, alright.
Also interest in the Printer Monitoring Software is pretty slack so that isn't going to be providing an alternative income just yet...

**FATBOYPEE** · May 14th, 2003, 03:12 AM

Originally posted by Merrion
That seems to be the sceail, alright.
Also interest in the Printer Monitoring Software is pretty slack so that isn't going to be providing an alternative income just yet...

Merrion,

Are you a UK national ? (hopes he's not putting his foot in it).

If you are theres some V.Nice tax breaks for you here you know that don't you ? Make VB5 all the more sweet....

Peeman

**BodwadUK** · May 14th, 2003, 03:36 AM

The jobs market has slim pickings at the moment so take any job you can including VB5 jobs.

Remember nobody will take on somebody with 2 months experiance in a language unless it is a 'Training' position. E.g Crap Pay. Learn VB.net in your spare time and make some apps that look impresive and show off your skills in the language. When you have got this far you can take the programs into interviews and show them that you really do know Vb.net.
This cannot be done in two months so give yourself time Vb.net isnt going to take over that quickly anyway.

Good Luck

**Merrion** · May 14th, 2003, 07:39 AM

Are you a UK national ?

I am - but I'm here 5 years now.

**DeadEyes** · May 14th, 2003, 07:58 AM

Given that state of the market in Ireland I'd say stick with the currrent contract and learn .NET in your spare time,if you have any.
.NET is slowly creeping into job requirements and an experienced developer should have no problem picking it up, but I think it will be awhile before it becomes a major player.

You have to ask yourself can you afford to drop a contract and then find out in a couple of months time that you can't find a decent one to replace it?

**FATBOYPEE** · May 14th, 2003, 07:59 AM

Originally posted by Merrion
I am - but I'm here 5 years now.

So am I (nearly, with the exception of Amsterdam I suppose), question is, did you avail of the remittance based taxation ? If not, I understand you can still do it ?

While I was contracting it saved me shedloads in tax.

Peeman.

**Gaffer** · May 15th, 2003, 05:15 AM

Originally posted by MerrionComputin
But it is so very far from C#/VB.Net - which are picking up in Ireland these days.

Pragmatism, me old mate. **** the methods, get the cash in. Unless Ireland is very different from the London market, VB6 jobs will outweigh .NET for a while yet. I'm not even considering learning .NET until VB6 becomes a non-option employment-wise.

IMHO, the smart money lies in DB procedural languages - get the big 3 under your belt and there will always be work available, with the big bucks too. Depends what industry you work in of course (I'm coming from the Investment Banking aspect...)

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