By Jimmy Sheehan, Commercial Director, Contracting PLUS:
We are in a knowledge drought at the moment in the tech sector in general. Many companies have reportedly been looking abroad to seek talent. In fact, in Contracting PLUS we are seeing more contractors from the UK and Eastern European countries taking up contract roles in Ireland.
Students lined up to start their STEM courses in September need to be thinking not just about education, but skills and experience and not just knowing what you do-but being the best in your field at it.
Companies are crying out for project workers (Contractors), and if you’re an expert at what you do, even if you don’t yet have the piece of paper to prove it, then use your nut. Get out and get some experience. When all your buddies are busting themselves with freshers week, you should be looking to do what you do for companies who need that work.
If you develop apps, do it for small local Businesses; if you’re good at tech issues, coding, anything…then find a small business who might be happy for you to do some part-time work remotely. You can be ‘doing’ as you’re studying so in 3-4 years time you’re coming into the jobs market with skills and experience that the rest of your class don’t have.
The great thing about having a skill in the IT sector is that more often than not someone out there is already in need of it. As a STEM student you are in a strong position to work part-time and gather practical experience.
The students who make the most of this time will be in a very strong position to start Contracting almost as soon as they leave college. They will be rewarded with higher pay, flexibility, bigger and better roles and the opportunity to work with many blue chip companies right from the start.
It’s never too early to think about life as a Contractor, the world of work that you will enter will be significantly different than the world of work today. Companies will need to remain agile and will recruit Contractors for specific projects rather than keeping employees on their books full-time. Contracting allows companies to introduce skills and expertise when needed and amend personnel requirements overtime.
Our advice to all students entering the STEM field is to be agile from the start.
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