[DJKapeesh]

I have a question which requires some solid opinions of people who know about or have experienced something similar.

Asking for a person in the technical IT/ Information Systems field and I deal with ERP systems or big business systems.

I joined a company 2.5 years taking a step back to get into a great company that understood I was looking for advancement internally. Long story short company sold off the divisions I needed for career grows and I have been imo stuck here.

I have 2 possible jobs now opening to me and I don't know if either are worth the effort or risk

1 beings a 6 month - 11 month contract paying 40% more money than my current position. Putting me in the ball park of 110+ but I am wanting some sort of promise that the contract will be extended or turn permanent?

Second being consulting again. This I really want to do, especially with the no travel format. Problem is the company wants me to relocate across the country to either North East or California.
Pay is about minor increase with 30% bonus paid part quarterly
How much should I ask for relocate?
I need help, how do I ship my dogs? What company to use for cars?

Option 3 is stay and do nothing, maybe keep applying
Problem is location doesn't provide many job opportunities in this field

[CTinline-six]

I'm in the IT field as well, and I'd avoid contract. I did that for around a year and a half right after college until I got a permanent position at another company. It sucked hoping that I'd get renewed for another 6 months when the contract was close to ending. In my case, the people I worked for loved my work ethic and skill, but the state agency I was contracted for was very bad at managing money, so the uncertainty of renewal was always there.

The second position sounds more promising and a better place to work, but you have to decide if the location where you currently live is important enough to you to stay and keep looking.

[Taskmaster]

Unless there is family and friends holding you back, I would look at the consulting work and move. You can use the experience you gain as leverage in another position (different company) when/if you decide to move.

[tdott]

I'd say keep looking there are decent IT jobs in South FL.

I'd also say if you are young, not married, no kids, I wouldn't be afraid to relocate for a position with growth opportunities.

[kivyee]

Your question is highly dependent on what stage you are in your career.
Contracting works when you have valuable experience. I worked for a large consultancy where most projects was supplemented by independent contractors, sometimes in lead roles. Another friend who's a business systems analyst basically turned his contracting gigs into his own independent consultancy and has no lack of work.

Consulting however is good for gaining experience and always looks good on the resume. You get exposure to a wide range of issues and if you are working with a large established company you learn/get lots of “tool kits” to use.

I would say if you are comfortable with uncertainty, go for the contract position. If you are OK with relocating, go for the consulting gig and ask for a relocation package. Also look into living expense differential between where you are and where they want you to go. Make sure the salary differential covers that. Years back when I was looking at a potential move to NYC the pay needed to be 30% higher to "break even"

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by kivyee

Your question is highly dependent on what stage you are in your career.
Contracting works when you have valuable experience. I worked for a large consultancy where most projects was supplemented by independent contractors, sometimes in lead roles. Another friend who's a business systems analyst basically turned his contracting gigs into his own independent consultancy and has no lack of work.

Consulting however is good for gaining experience and always looks good on the resume. You get exposure to a wide range of issues and if you are working with a large established company you learn/get lots of “tool kits” to use.

I would say if you are comfortable with uncertainty, go for the contract position. If you are OK with relocating, go for the consulting gig and ask for a relocation package. Also look into living expense differential between where you are and where they want you to go. Make sure the salary differential covers that. Years back when I was looking at a potential move to NYC the pay needed to be 30% higher to "break even"

This is huge. I've had friends take on a higher paying job somewhere else only to realize the living costs are astronomical and they are now living below the poverty line, where before they were doing okay.

[bimmer456]

I make more as a contract but prefer perks of full time.

[SunnyD]

If you're single, stick with consulting. I only left because I ended up getting married and wanted to settle down.

[IllSic_Design]

As said if you are thinking of doing the consulting gig make sure what they are going to pay you is the same or more in terms of pay/cost of living(b/c in CA it is pretty high, not sure how it compares to FL)

[eluded]

Move to the cloud.

[StuP]

I've worked in IT as both. As people have said, a lot depends on where you are in your career, where you want to go and your risk tolerance.

I enjoyed the money consulting, but when a downturn hits, it can be painful. I'm at the back end of my career and I'm happy to have found a job with a decent company, with no one reporting to me, for a fair wage.

[OkieSnuffBox]

Which company/job will look best on your resume going forward?

I didn't move far (Tulsa to OKC) to work for the company I do now. Having this company on my resume will be a huge help if/when I decide to move on.

But only in office 2-3 days per week, great pay and benefits, I'm wearing a Gojira Tshirt, shorts, and ADIDAS to work today.


I was 6 months into a contract for an Aerospace company, it was supposed to be 18 months minimum, when I came in on a Monday and was told, "So Friday is your last day due to budget cuts." Thankfully I had already been applying to other gigs and landed another one 2 weeks later. I would avoid contract work at all costs unless you don't have a choice. I only took it because I had been recently laid off and needed to keep the money coming in.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by IllSic_Design

As said if you are thinking of doing the consulting gig make sure what they are going to pay you is the same or more in terms of pay/cost of living(b/c in CA it is pretty high, not sure how it compares to FL)

Depending on where in CA.. living costs are extremely high in the Bay Area. Good luck finding a place to live comparable with where you are now for the price. Even at 30% in some areas.

[Delta0311]

I'm in IT. Avoid the contract position unless you absolutely need a job. You will most likely get no benefits for the period of the contract and 0 guarantee that you will be hired on at some point.

You also need to factor cost of living as others have said. I live and work in Central NJ and with my salary I am living pretty damn comfortably. If I was living in Manhattan though I'd be slumming it due to the ridiculously high cost of living.

[DJKapeesh]

Any idea on the best shipping service for vehicles and Pets (dogs)?
Anyone with experience please help
Looking at the possibility of moving the fiance and the kids (dogs) and the toys (cars) to Cali now

[c1pher]

A lot of good advice here. You can potentially make more money doing consulting, but you need to be able to weather any gaps. And in many cases, you are looking for your next gig as soon as you accept your current one. If you're doing more journeyman level IT work, it's easy to jump around, but if you're trying to make $150+ per hour (after taxes, retirement and other benefits), you might find yourself occasionally out of work for periods of time or needing to relocate to keep the cash stream flowing.

There are companies that you can work for and jump from job to job, like ManPower and then there are other companies that take a cut of your pay and just provide all your back office support.

Me personally, I try to just get a permanent role. It's more stable, at least in my mind. I could potentially be a little more risky since I do get supplemental income (military retirement, VA disability, wife's pension etc.), but I just don't want the added stress on top of my already stressful job.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by DJKapeesh

Any idea on the best shipping service for vehicles and Pets (dogs)?
Anyone with experience please help
Looking at the possibility of moving the fiance and the kids (dogs) and the toys (cars) to Cali now

Should have negotiated relo. The company you’re moving to should have resources for moving assistance.

[SchillerM]

Originally Posted by DJKapeesh

Any idea on the best shipping service for vehicles and Pets (dogs)?
Anyone with experience please help
Looking at the possibility of moving the fiance and the kids (dogs) and the toys (cars) to Cali now

Did you get anything for relocation? Moving is expensive to have done, and still not cheap to DIY. I got KILLER ($259 vs $1700) deal on moving truck rentals from Houston to Portland a fee months ago. Total cost was around $5k. Moving company would have been $12-15k and didn't include vehicles. We do have a full house and garage of stuff.
Most IT positions will be harder to get big relocation $$, supply and demand isn't in your favor.
Good luck
Matt

[Sea-Tac]

Always do what your heart tells you to do. If you want to consult, then go for it.

[kivyee]

I moved from East Coast to West Coast, US to Canada a long while back, and went through Allied. They had a huge 40 footer that you could put the cars into along with your other goods. For dogs I would just take them on the plane with you. For moving vehicles specifically I've had good experiences with Hansens in Canada - not sure if they are in the US.

[kivyee]

Originally Posted by Sea-Tac

Always do what your heart tells you to do. If you want to consult, then go for it.

In my experience when it comes to careers it's more the brain that runs the show rather than the heart, no?

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by DJKapeesh

I have a question which requires some solid opinions of people who know about or have experienced something similar.

Asking for a person in the technical IT/ Information Systems field and I deal with ERP systems or big business systems.

I joined a company 2.5 years taking a step back to get into a great company that understood I was looking for advancement internally. Long story short company sold off the divisions I needed for career grows and I have been imo stuck here.

I have 2 possible jobs now opening to me and I don't know if either are worth the effort or risk

1 beings a 6 month - 11 month contract paying 40% more money than my current position. Putting me in the ball park of 110+ but I am wanting some sort of promise that the contract will be extended or turn permanent?

Second being consulting again. This I really want to do, especially with the no travel format. Problem is the company wants me to relocate across the country to either North East or California.
Pay is about minor increase with 30% bonus paid part quarterly
How much should I ask for relocate?
I need help, how do I ship my dogs? What company to use for cars?

Option 3 is stay and do nothing, maybe keep applying
Problem is location doesn't provide many job opportunities in this field

I would not move up here & deal with winter. STay in FL. Also, would never live in CA.