I started a new job in March. I’d been with the last company for 18 months and there was no hope of a permanent role emerging. To be honest, much as I like certain people - and most people are lovely - I long ago reached the conclusion that I did not want to work there. For most of the last 18 months, I didn’t have a role - I never knew what I’d be working on from one day to the next. I joined a project but kept getting hauled back into the forecast process. Last summer, I started job hunting. I had a few interviews, but nothing came of them. It was only in the autumn that I was allowed to settle into the project and, in November, I decided that I’d stick things out until the project was finished. I stopped job hunting. Naturally, that’s when things started happening. My new employer found me via LinkedIn - they approached me. It’s a 12 month, fixed term contract and I’m staff for the duration, not a contractor.
(I promise to write chapter and verse on what I’ve learned as a contractor over the last 18 months, but not tonight. I started writing this post 2 months ago, so time to get it published.)
The new job is helping a business unit with their SAP implementation. I’m not part of “the project”; I belong to the business’ finance team. I’ve done the odd bit of “Finance” - balance sheet recs and the like - but my main focus has been on collating data for the Full Dress Rehearsal and Go-Live. On Wednesday, I’m off for two days of UAT training, followed by another two next week. It’s not end-user training, just enough familiarisation with the system to get through the User Acceptance Testing scripts but, as far as I’m concerned it’s wonderful. I’m getting trained! And I will be participating in UAT testing, which will help me familiarise myself with the system further.
The Project team are aware of my precarious position as not-quite-staff and have promised me that I’ll do the full suite of end-user training. That’s very kind of them. While I was a JD Edwards One World trainer for 4 years and an Oracle end user for 10 years, I’ve never touched SAP. The chance to get another string to my bow, cannot be sneezed at.
- Pam
2 comments:
As a contractor who has been doing Oracle implementation projects lately, I completely understand the world you're in.
I've only been contracting for a few years, though. I'd like to compare notes some time on the pros and cons and what you've learned.
And congrats on the new position! That sounds like a vast improvement.
Love,
Frydaze1
Good for you, it sounds like this position is more inline with your expertise, and getting trained as well.
God bless.
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