Not Long Now

...plastered across the front page. No link yet...but one should be available shortly. It looks like we've reverted back 2 years on this form. Second (more permanent) leg down looks to be forthcoming. Thursday could be interesting.

IT Sales - Midlands (East and West). Been working for the same company for some time and they are feeling the pinch. New contracts are few and far between to be won. All we are seeing are prices being trimmed down in an extremely competitive market place by clients desperate to save money. Specifically, public sector clients are cutting dis-proporionately more in areas such as service contracts, which are soft targets. Cutting staff is harder to do for them. Still. Had an interview today and one a couple of weeks ago. However, the problem in Sales is that you have to bring in the numbers, and in a market place where IT is a soft target for SME's / public sector and some corporates, that is easier said than done. A number of ex-colleagues have become "job-hoppers" for the above reason. 6 months here, 12 months there and moving on because they aren't doing the numbers. Seriously thinking of a career change..but have no idea what to go for. Any ideas?!

Will I be right this week? Maybe not within the week, but within 6 months? Let's see if bankrupt Greece can roll over their debts in May, or if they call in the IMF. Whatever happens, their continued participtation in the Euro has to be called into question.

IT Services Sales (boo hisss, as bad as an EA etc etc etc ) But the wage freeze has been across the board (techies, finance, commercial, sales, support staff etc)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/8505540.stm I'm going to be lumbered with a nominal wage freeze (a real wage cut) for a second consecutive year as well. Someone please explain how we end up anywhere else other than a long, slow, painful, delfationary depression?

It's all pure guess work isn't it. This board never changes - "black" day calls every other day, and every other thread is an interestataripoff copy and paste job from the Independent. Booooooorrring...

M42?? Perfect Karma?? Not at rush hour son.

Ah, good call. Cheers.

Is this the luxury car stereo loudspeaker place? Made me laugh on the news when I was down there yesterday when they said "the Assembly were looking into the proposals, given that the company had not made them aware that closure was likely". WTF! Since when does a company have to ask a legislative body permission to close down a plant!

From experience of working with the IT Departments of a number of firms, very few are undertaking significant projects. Most are just "ticking over" until they percieve things to be picking up. Was on the phone to a IT Director of a major firm today - she was looking to save money.

Funnily enough: had a chat with a mate last night about his mortgage / house. He bought last March (against my advice) and he is already looking at what happens when he needs to re-mortgage next spring. He is already in NE and is talking about having to throw another 10k or so into the pot when he re-mortgages otherwise he will be crippled by the repayments. Recovery? Not on your nelly. A couple of small-ish interest rate increases will be enough to push many over the edge.

I think this "might" be a ruddy recruitment consultant "hedging" his bets.

Why not flood the main page with threads like this one, until they remove the ruddy thing.

Birmingham is the epitomy of what happens when property is built for "investors" that have no plan or desire to live in the property that they have bought. Birmingham's "iconic" Rotunda development is populated largely by Students I believe. Imagine if you'd bought one of the "luxury" penthouses at the top for £stupid and you had a load of "Media Studies" students living two floors down. Gutted wouldn't be the word.

Close...I've seen a job advertised, but don't want to go through the interminable pain of dealing with a recruitment consultant. I'm also more marketable if the company concerned doesn't have to pay a fee for me. (PS, a job add for my company would be hugely obvious :-) )