NIWeek Request Denied

[TobyD]

Well, I thought this would be the year that I finally got to meet some of you face to face, but I just received notice that my travel plans have been canceled - something about budget cuts. Of course everything was approved a couple of weeks ago (travel and hotel already booked) but things can change pretty fast around here.

I'd tell you all to have a beer for me, but I'm not really a drinker...so if you just want to have a root-beer one night but are worried about not feeling like part of the cool crowd, just raise your glass and say, "This ones for Toby!"

I hope you all have a good time!

-Toby

[Daklu]

As a great philanderer once said, "I feel your pain." As much as I'd like to go I can't afford 40 hrs of lost wages plus the cost of attending the event itself. Such is life as a contractor. But I can afford root beer once in a while. I'll raise a frosty glass of A&W to you while scouring the web for NI Week information.

[crelf]

...I just received notice that my travel plans have been canceled - something about budget cuts.

That totally sucks dude - I don't know what else to say.

[Aristos Queue]

As much as I'd like to go I can't afford 40 hrs of lost wages plus the cost of attending the event itself. Such is life as a contractor.

I thought the whole point of being a contractor is that you could get your assignment and then go off and do it... and if that means writing code while you're sitting in the Austin Convention Center between sessions, so be it. I take it your particular contract precludes such untethered work?

[Val Brown]

Yes it does suck, definitely. But I suspect this is also going to be the trend this year: ie an overall smaller number of attendees due to budgeting decisions.

[PaulG.]

As a great philanderer once said, "I feel your pain." As much as I'd like to go I can't afford 40 hrs of lost wages plus the cost of attending the event itself. Such is life as a contractor. But I can afford root beer once in a while. I'll raise a frosty glass of A&W to you while scouring the web for NI Week information.

I have felt your pain. Contract work SUCKS. But it was better than starvation.

[crelf]

...I suspect this is also going to be the trend this year: ie an overall smaller number of attendees due to budgeting decisions.

Yeah, I think you're right. That said, I'm hoping that we can get as many people to the NI-Week LAVA/OpenG BBQ as we did last year, so if you didn't come in '08, make sure you get your ticket for the '09 party.

Have I mentioned the BBQ enough to be considered as a spammer yet? If not, let me know and I'll keep on postin'

[Francois Normandin]

Have I mentioned the BBQ enough to be considered as a spammer yet? If not, let me know and I'll keep on postin'

Your signal to spam ratio is still good in my opinion...

[crossrulz]

My boss still won't make a decision about whether or not I'm going. It'll probably be like last year. "Hey, NI Week starts tomorrow! Who wants to go?" I keep pinging him, so we'll see.

[Daklu]

I thought the whole point of being a contractor is that you could get your assignment and then go off and do it... and if that means writing code while you're sitting in the Austin Convention Center between sessions, so be it. I take it your particular contract precludes such untethered work?

No no... that's consultants. Other differences between contractors and consultants: Consultants are respected as subject domain experts, acknowledged as providing valuable services to the client, have outrageous bill rates, and spend the winter skiing in Switzerland. The company I'm at now has a history of regarding contractors (of which there are many) as falling somewhere between the janitor and the trash he carries out to the dumpster. (Although the group I'm in right now is very good.)

I have felt your pain. Contract work SUCKS. But it was better than starvation.

I wouldn't say it sucks. I've thoroughly enjoyed my last 2.5 years contracting. (Except for that part where I was fired for not volunteering to put in extra unbilled hours...) There are definite pros and cons to it though. On the plus side I get to keep doing technical work (as opposed to just managing projects), I have very few meetings, yearly reviews and office politics are a thing of the past, and my manager tells me not to work more than 40 hrs a week. The negative side includes no paid vacation, no sick leave, no training budget, and generally being regarded as a second class citizen.