Re: AS/400 job market -- MIDRANGE-L

One distressing thing to me has always been the person that can't find a 
job, so print up letterheads and business cards and advertises as a 
"consultant."  I can usually identify the type by their request for a 
minimum contract of 6 months or more.  These people are not consultants, 
they aren't even contractors.  They're just people looking for a job.  The 
real downside is that once they get a contract at high rates they expect 
to then get a full year-round job or contract at those rates.  They just 
don't understand the difference between contract work and a job. 
_______________________
Booth Martin
boothm@earth.goddard.edu
http://www.spy.net/~booth
_______________________




Pike4@ix.netcom.com
Sent by: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
01/26/2000 08:53 AM
Please respond to MIDRANGE-L

 
        To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
        cc: 
        Subject:        Re: AS/400 job market


In the New York City area, the market for RPG developers as consultants is 
atrocious, it's a little better for Admins and network support, but only a 
little. I feel that this is due to the fact that more and more companies 
are not doing development work on the AS/400 platform anymore, but are 
using the AS/400 as a server. 
This is the case where I work, a major media giant. Several new PC based 
systems are being developed and implemented that interface w/ the J.D. 
Edwards database, but are written in Powerbuilder/Sybase on an RS/6000. 
Also keep in mind, that as more companies went to software packages like 
J.D. Edwards, BPCS, JDA, etc..., the need for additional consultants is 
reduced, as the vendor handles most of the mods and support.
As to the future, it is hard to say, but I see more and more AS/400 shops 
going to SAP and/or Oracle. I would suggest to consultants to strongly 
consider and get Full-time employment. This brings up an additional 
difficulty for the consultant whose resume shows primarily consulting 
assignments, because many managers don't care to hire someone like that, 
as they may be concerned that if the market improves, the individual will 
return to consulting. A friend of mine is going through this predicament 
currently. One thing to do there, is to downplay the consulting arena as 
lacking excitement, training, stability, and advancement. 

MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com wrote:
> A few months ago, there was a thread that discussed the lack of work
in the AS/400 consulting marketplace. I've noticed this since last
summer. As consultants came off of contracts, fewer and fewer were
being placed again. This got really bad in the 4th quarter. There were
many reports of consultants leaving the consulting business or even
being laif off. So far January doesn't seem to be reversing this trend.
I think it's due, at least in part, because of the former consultants
taking full time positions, thus reducing the need for consultants. I'd
be interested in hearing from others on thier thoughts, concerns and
expectations on this.

Joe Teff


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