On 21/02/2022 15:51, docdwarf@panix.com wrote:
> In article <j7fui5F8emiU1@mid.individual.net>,
> pete dashwood <dashwood@enternet.co.nz> wrote:
>> On 11/02/2022 14:02, docdwarf@panix.com wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>>> Pointing this out insures that I don't hear from them again... until a new
>>> kid comes into the recruiting-office...
>>>
>> Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I would imagine that most of the work
>> you do currently is with people you have worked with before, where they
>> know you and you know them and their company. As such, they can justify
>> paying you a proper rate.
>>
>> You definitely don't need an Agency after all the years you have put in.
>
> Most of the people I worked with before have long since retired and in the
> USA many companies have (at certain levels) a No Direct Contract policy to
> prevent collusion between their 'indigenous fauna' and greedy
> consultants/contractors/hired guns.
>
> (this encourages collusion between said fauna and Agencies)
>
> DD

Yes, I have encountered this back in the day, in the UK, parading as
"preferred suppliers".

Agencies bend over backwards to get on the preferred supplier list and
"incentives" are rife.

I was working through a particular Agency for a while and there was a
job that I had been interviewed for and passed the interview, but the
Agency were told that, as they were not a "preferred supplier", They
would have to present me through a company that was.

(Big fleas have little fleas
Upon their backs to bite 'em
And little fleas have lesser fleas
And so, ad infinitum...
- Jonathan Swift 1733)

I phoned the guy who interviewed me, told him the situation and asked if
I could meet with him and his Boss to seek a solution.

We duly met and the situation was explained. I told them I was not
prepared to have more than one level of overhead and would have to
withdraw my application unless the situation was resolved. It was
getting too late to initiate another lengthy (and expensive) recruitment
process...

Suddenly, my Agency were notified that they were now "preferred
suppliers" for that company, and everyone was happy.

It was not long after this contract that I stopped using Agencies
altogether and, in effect, became my own Agent, relying on previous
contacts and track record. I was phoned in London by a German guy I had
worked with, who was now back in Germany and had referred me to his
Boss, as a person who could possibly solve a problem their IT people had
said could not be done. (We, (my German team and I) did it and they just
kept extending my contract...) I enjoyed living in Duesseldorf and found
the people were nothing like my preconceptions.

From then on, I worked at Senior Management level and started doing
"trouble shooting". All the work was by referral and direct contact.

On the rare occasions when HR would object to my being recruited
directly, they'd get a phone call from a Board Member or similar level
Management, saying I was needed for special projects and that was the
end of it.

This was all a long time ago and the IT contracting scene was
reminiscent of the Wild West, with cowboy Agencies and cowboy
contractors. I enjoyed it at the time but I like my life now, better.

I returned more or less permanently to New Zealand in 2002 and I only
did one contract as an IT Project Manager for an insurance company in
Auckland. They had an enlightened CEO who was probably the best manager
I ever worked for anywhere on Earth. I know you say that "a fish rots
from the head", Doc, but the converse is also true. This guy was amazing
and the morale in that Company was the best I have ever seen. It was a
joy to go to work each day.

I was kind of sorry when my critical project ended and there was nothing
else in that company that interested me. I was getting tired of living
in Auckland during the week and commuting home only at weekends, too. So
I started writing the PRIMA software tools and building the PRIMA
business from home.

The tools have been completed and we can now automate COBOL Migration to
RDB and to .NET with just mouse clicks. (We can salvage 100% of COBOL
legacy and modernize it at the same time (to OO COBOL), without clients
needing to write ANY code...) But the candidates for migration are
mostly gone, and I think that ship has largely sailed. Most people had
to find an alternative to COBOL and they did so. We get very few
inquiries regarding moving COBOL on now, and I'll probably close PRIMA
at the end of this year. I don't have the energy to start in a new
direction but I'll see how it goes and how I feel at that time.

I'm actually enjoying being home (it really is a beautiful country...)
and will probably move towards writing things other than software in the
coming year.

I used to love traveling, but I think I've been everywhere I want to
go... :-)

They are opening the borders again so I might give it some thought but,
for now at least, I'm very happy to enjoy my own place and be thankful.

As international travel starts to resume, I'll take this opportunity to
extend to any of the people here, an invitation to come and visit. If NZ
is on your travel plans, drop by my place and share a beer, wine, or
coffee...

Cheers,
Pete.

--
I used to write *COBOL*; now I can do *anything*...

Em terça-feira, 14 de junho de 2022 às 21:36:34 UTC-3, dash...@enternet.co.nz escreveu:
> On 21/02/2022 15:51, docd...@panix.com wrote:
> > In article <j7fui5...@mid.individual.net>,
> > pete dashwood <dash...@enternet.co.nz> wrote:
> >> On 11/02/2022 14:02, docd...@panix.com wrote:
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> >>> Pointing this out insures that I don't hear from them again... until a new
> >>> kid comes into the recruiting-office...
> >>>
> >> Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I would imagine that most of the work
> >> you do currently is with people you have worked with before, where they
> >> know you and you know them and their company. As such, they can justify
> >> paying you a proper rate.
> >>
> >> You definitely don't need an Agency after all the years you have put in.
> >
> > Most of the people I worked with before have long since retired and in the
> > USA many companies have (at certain levels) a No Direct Contract policy to
> > prevent collusion between their 'indigenous fauna' and greedy
> > consultants/contractors/hired guns.
> >
> > (this encourages collusion between said fauna and Agencies)
> >
> > DD
> Yes, I have encountered this back in the day, in the UK, parading as
> "preferred suppliers".
>
> Agencies bend over backwards to get on the preferred supplier list and
> "incentives" are rife.
>
> I was working through a particular Agency for a while and there was a
> job that I had been interviewed for and passed the interview, but the
> Agency were told that, as they were not a "preferred supplier", They
> would have to present me through a company that was.
>
> (Big fleas have little fleas
> Upon their backs to bite 'em
> And little fleas have lesser fleas
> And so, ad infinitum...
> - Jonathan Swift 1733)
>
> I phoned the guy who interviewed me, told him the situation and asked if
> I could meet with him and his Boss to seek a solution.
>
> We duly met and the situation was explained. I told them I was not
> prepared to have more than one level of overhead and would have to
> withdraw my application unless the situation was resolved. It was
> getting too late to initiate another lengthy (and expensive) recruitment
> process...
>
> Suddenly, my Agency were notified that they were now "preferred
> suppliers" for that company, and everyone was happy.
>
> It was not long after this contract that I stopped using Agencies
> altogether and, in effect, became my own Agent, relying on previous
> contacts and track record. I was phoned in London by a German guy I had
> worked with, who was now back in Germany and had referred me to his
> Boss, as a person who could possibly solve a problem their IT people had
> said could not be done. (We, (my German team and I) did it and they just
> kept extending my contract...) I enjoyed living in Duesseldorf and found
> the people were nothing like my preconceptions.
>
> From then on, I worked at Senior Management level and started doing
> "trouble shooting". All the work was by referral and direct contact.
>
> On the rare occasions when HR would object to my being recruited
> directly, they'd get a phone call from a Board Member or similar level
> Management, saying I was needed for special projects and that was the
> end of it.
>
> This was all a long time ago and the IT contracting scene was
> reminiscent of the Wild West, with cowboy Agencies and cowboy
> contractors. I enjoyed it at the time but I like my life now, better.
>
>
> I returned more or less permanently to New Zealand in 2002 and I only
> did one contract as an IT Project Manager for an insurance company in
> Auckland. They had an enlightened CEO who was probably the best manager
> I ever worked for anywhere on Earth. I know you say that "a fish rots
> from the head", Doc, but the converse is also true. This guy was amazing
> and the morale in that Company was the best I have ever seen. It was a
> joy to go to work each day.
>
> I was kind of sorry when my critical project ended and there was nothing
> else in that company that interested me. I was getting tired of living
> in Auckland during the week and commuting home only at weekends, too. So
> I started writing the PRIMA software tools and building the PRIMA
> business from home.
>
> The tools have been completed and we can now automate COBOL Migration to
> RDB and to .NET with just mouse clicks. (We can salvage 100% of COBOL
> legacy and modernize it at the same time (to OO COBOL), without clients
> needing to write ANY code...) But the candidates for migration are
> mostly gone, and I think that ship has largely sailed. Most people had
> to find an alternative to COBOL and they did so. We get very few
> inquiries regarding moving COBOL on now, and I'll probably close PRIMA
> at the end of this year. I don't have the energy to start in a new
> direction but I'll see how it goes and how I feel at that time.
>
> I'm actually enjoying being home (it really is a beautiful country...)
> and will probably move towards writing things other than software in the
> coming year.
>
> I used to love traveling, but I think I've been everywhere I want to
> go... :-)
>
> They are opening the borders again so I might give it some thought but,
> for now at least, I'm very happy to enjoy my own place and be thankful.
>
> As international travel starts to resume, I'll take this opportunity to
> extend to any of the people here, an invitation to come and visit. If NZ
> is on your travel plans, drop by my place and share a beer, wine, or
> coffee...
>
> Cheers,
> Pete.
>
>
>
>
> --
> I used to write *COBOL*; now I can do *anything*...

I Pete,

If one day you want to know a place that maybe you never came
I invite you to come to Brazil, and you will be my guest in my house.

I have good coffee, wine and beer and a lot of hospitality.

Regards

Gilberto Junior

On 30/08/2022 07:26, Gilberto Junior wrote:
> Em terça-feira, 14 de junho de 2022 às 21:36:34 UTC-3, dash...@enternet.co.nz escreveu:
>> On 21/02/2022 15:51, docd...@panix.com wrote:
>>> In article <j7fui5...@mid.individual.net>,
>>> pete dashwood <dash...@enternet.co.nz> wrote:
>>>> On 11/02/2022 14:02, docd...@panix.com wrote:
>>>
>>> [snip]
>>>
>>>>> Pointing this out insures that I don't hear from them again... until a new
>>>>> kid comes into the recruiting-office...
>>>>>
>>>> Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I would imagine that most of the work
>>>> you do currently is with people you have worked with before, where they
>>>> know you and you know them and their company. As such, they can justify
>>>> paying you a proper rate.
>>>>
>>>> You definitely don't need an Agency after all the years you have put in.
>>>
>>> Most of the people I worked with before have long since retired and in the
>>> USA many companies have (at certain levels) a No Direct Contract policy to
>>> prevent collusion between their 'indigenous fauna' and greedy
>>> consultants/contractors/hired guns.
>>>
>>> (this encourages collusion between said fauna and Agencies)
>>>
>>> DD
>> Yes, I have encountered this back in the day, in the UK, parading as
>> "preferred suppliers".
>>
>> Agencies bend over backwards to get on the preferred supplier list and
>> "incentives" are rife.
>>
>> I was working through a particular Agency for a while and there was a
>> job that I had been interviewed for and passed the interview, but the
>> Agency were told that, as they were not a "preferred supplier", They
>> would have to present me through a company that was.
>>
>> (Big fleas have little fleas
>> Upon their backs to bite 'em
>> And little fleas have lesser fleas
>> And so, ad infinitum...
>> - Jonathan Swift 1733)
>>
>> I phoned the guy who interviewed me, told him the situation and asked if
>> I could meet with him and his Boss to seek a solution.
>>
>> We duly met and the situation was explained. I told them I was not
>> prepared to have more than one level of overhead and would have to
>> withdraw my application unless the situation was resolved. It was
>> getting too late to initiate another lengthy (and expensive) recruitment
>> process...
>>
>> Suddenly, my Agency were notified that they were now "preferred
>> suppliers" for that company, and everyone was happy.
>>
>> It was not long after this contract that I stopped using Agencies
>> altogether and, in effect, became my own Agent, relying on previous
>> contacts and track record. I was phoned in London by a German guy I had
>> worked with, who was now back in Germany and had referred me to his
>> Boss, as a person who could possibly solve a problem their IT people had
>> said could not be done. (We, (my German team and I) did it and they just
>> kept extending my contract...) I enjoyed living in Duesseldorf and found
>> the people were nothing like my preconceptions.
>>
>> From then on, I worked at Senior Management level and started doing
>> "trouble shooting". All the work was by referral and direct contact.
>>
>> On the rare occasions when HR would object to my being recruited
>> directly, they'd get a phone call from a Board Member or similar level
>> Management, saying I was needed for special projects and that was the
>> end of it.
>>
>> This was all a long time ago and the IT contracting scene was
>> reminiscent of the Wild West, with cowboy Agencies and cowboy
>> contractors. I enjoyed it at the time but I like my life now, better.
>>
>>
>> I returned more or less permanently to New Zealand in 2002 and I only
>> did one contract as an IT Project Manager for an insurance company in
>> Auckland. They had an enlightened CEO who was probably the best manager
>> I ever worked for anywhere on Earth. I know you say that "a fish rots
>> from the head", Doc, but the converse is also true. This guy was amazing
>> and the morale in that Company was the best I have ever seen. It was a
>> joy to go to work each day.
>>
>> I was kind of sorry when my critical project ended and there was nothing
>> else in that company that interested me. I was getting tired of living
>> in Auckland during the week and commuting home only at weekends, too. So
>> I started writing the PRIMA software tools and building the PRIMA
>> business from home.
>>
>> The tools have been completed and we can now automate COBOL Migration to
>> RDB and to .NET with just mouse clicks. (We can salvage 100% of COBOL
>> legacy and modernize it at the same time (to OO COBOL), without clients
>> needing to write ANY code...) But the candidates for migration are
>> mostly gone, and I think that ship has largely sailed. Most people had
>> to find an alternative to COBOL and they did so. We get very few
>> inquiries regarding moving COBOL on now, and I'll probably close PRIMA
>> at the end of this year. I don't have the energy to start in a new
>> direction but I'll see how it goes and how I feel at that time.
>>
>> I'm actually enjoying being home (it really is a beautiful country...)
>> and will probably move towards writing things other than software in the
>> coming year.
>>
>> I used to love traveling, but I think I've been everywhere I want to
>> go... :-)
>>
>> They are opening the borders again so I might give it some thought but,
>> for now at least, I'm very happy to enjoy my own place and be thankful.
>>
>> As international travel starts to resume, I'll take this opportunity to
>> extend to any of the people here, an invitation to come and visit. If NZ
>> is on your travel plans, drop by my place and share a beer, wine, or
>> coffee...
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Pete.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> I used to write *COBOL*; now I can do *anything*...
>
>
>
> I Pete,
>
> If one day you want to know a place that maybe you never came
> I invite you to come to Brazil, and you will be my guest in my house.
>
> I have good coffee, wine and beer and a lot of hospitality.
>
>
> Regards
>
> Gilberto Junior
>
>
>
>
>
Hi Gilberto,

Thanks for this very kind invitation.

South America is one of the (few...) places on Earth I have not been.

There is a Brazilian restaurant here in Tauranga and I love the food
there and the drinks they serve... :-)

It is unlikely I'll take up your invitation as I'm getting to an age
where air travel is just a hassle (especially long haul), but I wanted
you to know I really appreciate your kindness.

Thanks,

Pete.

--
I used to write *COBOL*; now I can do *anything*...