Looking to change jobs....here is my strategy

Only generic advice as I do not live in the States: Why not shopping for a new job right away as you go forward. Once you are under pressure it will be prospective employers that dictate terms and conditions. And if you need to prepare for 6 months for an interview then that is usually a giveaway that you do not seem to be confident about your skills and abilities. If that is the case then I would rather start with really outlining for yourself what you are good at right now and what you want to ideally be good at. If there is a divergence then I recommend you sit your bums down and learn what is missing. If my hunch is wrong then go out there and start marketing your skill set. 100k is not a whole lot (well not sure in Tampa FL) for a developer. By the way, drop that title talk, who gives a darn, unless you care. But it sounded more like you are about the green. So, know what you have to sell and be able to talk about your strengths. If you lack skills then yes you got a problem and I would tackle the problem with acquiring skills. There are no shortcuts unless you want to become a sucker (or hooker).

Part of the six months will consist of filling in any missing knowledge I need per your divergence comment. Totally concur with your advise. thanks!
 
Thanks for the responses. The thing is, I know there are people on my team making 100k who are doing no more work than I am doing and my pay is significantly less.

Syswizard, what specific type of work do you do where you see the rates falling?
fan27
Business intelligence. It's overwhelmed with foreigners, but I had no choice as it fit my background perfectly. I have a good programming and statistics background and also good business acumen with an MBA in Finance. I thought that would put me on top of the heap.
Problem is: the heap is HUGE !

Every new engagement is a fight for maintaining my current rate....and also a fight to get paid on a 1099 basis. No one does that any longer...something about lawsuit liability. So I stuck paying these outrageous taxes on a W2 basis and have to live on $30/day....it's ridiculous. I should be making at least $80/hr without benefits. I was just turned down when a large agency fronting for Vanguard Investments would only pay me $50/hr W2 with a worthless, high deductible medical plan for $550/mo. I had been trying to get into Vanguard for over 5 years as I had the perfect background in finance and portfolio management. This was the first agency inquiry for my services in over 3 months....the IT contracting market is very bad right now.
 
What does Business Intelligence mean?
Gathering a company's transactional data into a repository where it can be analyzed and dissected to make intelligent management decisions based on trends and statistics from the data.
 
Part of the six months will consist of filling in any missing knowledge I need per your divergence comment. Totally concur with your advise. thanks!
Do you really need 6 months or 6 hours?Assuming you know the basics
 
Lol. No wonder we are talking car mechanic pay.

Regarding US, I am still thinking of whether to move from Hongkong to the US but even as self employed PM the taxes and othe expenses are a big NG for me right now. Hk truly is a paradise when it comes to working and making dough.

sql and excel...a cheaper data scientist. They can get averages and pivot tables
 
With all due respect if you need 6 months to figure out the stuff you are supposed to know then no wonder you are raped at work.

Passion cannot be taught. ..you have it or don't. And passion fuels a constant hunger to learn new things. You apparently lack passion. Sorry I can't add more value. I just don't sense much enthusiasm and passion in you from what you are sharing here.

Part of the six months will consist of filling in any missing knowledge I need per your divergence comment. Totally concur with your advise. thanks!
 
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