# The Wonderful World of Contracting
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [June 10, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666 "2004-06-10T17:11:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/1 "2004-06-10T17:11:27Z")
Crap.
Contracting sucks.
I’m working as a contracted computer-programmer, see, and I like my job very much… but my employing organization … the one that contracts my services out… lost the overall contract in which I work when it came up for renewal.
The way these things usually go, I’m told, is that the replacement organization will usually hire on all or nearly all of the old contractor’s personnel … but I don’t like the uncertainty. And I don’t much care for change.
But the uncertainty’s what gets me.
So, I’ll probably still have a job in three weeks when the contract ends. Or so they theorize.
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### Author:  [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/2 "2004-06-18T17:48:04Z")
Apparently, we have no commiserating contractor types on the SDMB? Oh, well.
For the few curious, we have been told that “all qualified” employees of the current contractor will be offered positions under the new contract. So that’s good, right? ::hopeful::
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### Author:  [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/3 "2004-06-18T17:51:32Z")
I missed this the first time around.
I’m also a contractor, so I know the agony… Sometimes I really, really crave the relative stability of a permanent job. But I love the variety, flexibility and really good rates of being a contractor.
Now if I could just convince my agency to give me some health benefits…
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/4 "2004-06-18T17:54:13Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#):
>
> Apparently, we have no commiserating contractor types on the SDMB? Oh, well.
>
> For the few curious, we have been told that “all qualified” employees of the current contractor will be offered positions under the new contract. So that’s good, right? ::hopeful::
That is good, right. It’s far better for the new company to have experienced people to start out with. Expect your benefits, etc. to change. Have you thought about applying to the company you are contracted to? Or don’t they have direct employees in your field?
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### Author:  [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/5 "2004-06-18T17:58:08Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#):
>
> That is good, right. It’s far better for the new company to have experienced people to start out with. Expect your benefits, etc. to change. Have you thought about applying to the company you are contracted to? Or don’t they have direct employees in your field?
I’m contract to the Federal Government. (Doesn’t that sound cool to say?)
My understanding is that all programming-type positions in the government have been mandated to be outsourced to contractors. The only IT folks on-site that would be Federal would be administrators and researchers.
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### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/6 "2004-06-19T02:14:52Z")
I’ll commiserate a little with ya, I’m self employed, the scariest kind of contracting.
Also, I deal with a company which, until recently, held a huge Federal contract. I had gotten to know a lot of the people there, and I’m anxious to see how many of them are “picked up” by the new company. Good luck!
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### Author:  [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2004, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wonderful-world-of-contracting/249666/7 "2004-06-19T10:56:37Z")
The advice I immediately thought of was going to the boss of the department and saying “Look, I understand lowest-bid, but I’m here and I understand what the job is. Someone else just isn’t going to get up to speed. Just hire me directly already.”
But I’m guessing that all this is controlled at too high a level. All I can say is good luck.