Interesting article on Dice via Twitter

Bl8ckr0uter

Has anyone else read this? Any thoughts?

Recession Accelerates new IT Staffing Model

[Deleted User]

In some ways, I can see where they are coming from. Recruiters are always calling about different contract opportunities. Most of them are contract to hire though for large organizations so maybe it is just this area. Also, one of the biggest employers in the area is an Air Force base and most contracts there last 3-5 years w/ the possibility of a renewal at the end of contract so getting a job there is like having a full-time job as opposed to contract work. Like I said though it may just be the area that I live in.

RobertKaucher

knwminus wrote: »

Has anyone else read this? Any thoughts?

Recession Accelerates new IT Staffing Model

I have been saying this for the past 2 years. Having a broad range of skills is what will get you the job. Most employers do not need someone with MCM level skills. They want a guy/gal who can just get the job done. Why hire a DBA, server admin, SharePoint admin, SAN admin and Exchange admin when I can just get two people who can manage the entire thing? I might need to spend $15,000.00 on a contractor or consultant at some point if something gets sticky. But $15,000 is not $100,000, which might be what I pay (combined) a SAN admin and DBA in a year.

Bl8ckr0uter

It is the same way here. I live close to a major AFB and the jobs are like that as well. But it isn't just there. It seems like no one really wants to hire anyone outright anymore. When did not getting benefits or a retirement package and still be expected to work like you have one become ok? When did it become the normal to bounce from contract to contract? When did employers become so scared to hire people for real?

My Dad has worked at the AFB for more than 20 years and he told me long ago that those days of staying with employers like that are over. He has full benefits for him and his family, they paid for his BS, MS, and soon PhD, life insurance, and retirement. I was in an interview the other day and the guy says, "Why have you been on so many contracts?" I say, "I am trying to find full time employment". Mind you, the job is a contract job. My point is this, if I could find a job where I could get half of what my dad has, I would be willing to stay 6-8 years.

RobertKaucher wrote: »

I have been saying this for the past 2 years. Having a broad range of skills is what will get you the job.

Is it like this in every industry? My father is a research chemist (and has been for over 20 years). The base doesn't complain when there is a new cert he doesn't have or snicker at the fact that his BS and MS are over 15 years old. The world is a rat race but IT seems to be a turbo charged mouse demolition derby.

networker050184

RobertKaucher wrote: »

I have been saying this for the past 2 years. Having a broad range of skills is what will get you the job. Most employers do not need someone with MCM level skills. They want a guy/gal who can just get the job done. Why hire a DBA, server admin, SharePoint admin, SAN admin and Exchange admin when I can just get two people who can manage the entire thing? I might need to spend $15,000.00 on a contractor or consultant at some point if something gets sticky. But $15,000 is not $100,000, which might be what I pay (combined) a SAN admin and DBA in a year.

That is very true for small organizations, but for something larger there is way too much work in any one section to have someone do it all. The many hats method does not scale well at all.