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I've been in a similar situation.
We had a new interim manager who joined the company in November or December.
My employer asked me to create a new application, but there was no time during office hours, so I had to do it in my own time at 200% of my current pay.
I still lived with my parents so I had no house to take care of, dinner to cook, etc., the job was fun and the pay was good and I loved programming so of course I agreed.
Then came Christmas and I sat and ate with the family and had a good time.
And after that I decided to write some code as it was fun and it was "my" project.
So after Christmas this new manager called me in his office.
"Sander, how are you?"
"Ehhh... Fine, you?"
"How is your home situation? Is everything alright with your parents? How's your relationship with them?"
"Sorry, WHY are you asking me this?  "
"I noticed you worked on Christmas day."
I had a good laugh and explained to him that I simply loved my work
I guess maybe you're a bit weird in the head if you love your work that much
Good times...
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I think the correct line is, "If you knew my family, you'd work on Christmas too."
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Ha … this is fun to read  as my behaviour is similarly odd, but perhaps I am lucky that none from our company started to patronize me asking precise questions like this …
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So after my last contract suddenly ended I've been on the couch for almost two weeks.
A welcome vacation (I finished Dragon Quest XI, awesome game) 
However, all play and no work makes Jack a lazy boy (and financially unstable at that).
My employer hasn't found a new job for me yet, but I have!
I've introduced Microsoft Azure to a somewhat traditional on-premises company (as in, traditional even for on-premises standards) and I'm now setting up the Azure environment.
We're going to write some services and websites for both internal and external use.
All using microservices architecture, of course
The company is happy since they're growing rapidly and with Azure they're modern and future proof.
I'm happy as I'm doing good and fun work and making a living.
Everybody wins
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Good to hear.
I have been a contractor for over 5 year's or so, now. I have found that saving for a few months (more if you can) of downtime is a no brainer if you are able to that is. It helps immensely when in between gigs, which can be par for the course.
good luck. 
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Slacker007 wrote: I have found that saving for a few months (more if you can) of downtime is a no brainer
Yeah, luckily I have that covered!
It allowed me to play Dragon Quest XI without worrying about a thing (well, after I checked that the game had no missables)
Someone with IT skills never has to worry about finding a job though.
I know a couple of companies where I could start tomorrow if I wanted
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Sander Rossel wrote: Someone with IT skills never has to worry about finding a job though.
Here in the States it can still be a problem at times. Usually not too long but companies only hire usually 3-4 times a year, and if you are out of a gig in the lull period, then you may have to wait, etc.
You are lucky though if things are different where you live.
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Slacker007 wrote: companies only hire usually 3-4 times a year
"We need someone asap."
"Too bad, it's 2nd of July now so you'll have to wait another quarter."
Over here most companies hire pretty much around the clock.
On LinkedIn or just open vacancies.
I called a company last Friday and I would have a meeting with them today except that the person who does that is on vacation, so now I'll have it next Friday.
It's pretty standard to start on the first of the month though (although even that's not always the case).
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I remember the good old days in England when I got hired for an "urgent" four-week contract, did the COBOL job in three weeks and spent the last week fixing a DBase III+ issue caused by users in Crete doing weird things. It was nothing to do with the original contract but they liked me so they had started looking for little jobs to keep me around until the next bigger project they wanted me for was ready.
I did actually leave after the end of the four weeks as a better paid contract came up. They had given a fantastic write up to my consulting company, I assume hoping I would be available later on. I never went back, unfortunately perhaps.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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My first job as a contractor I was tasked to fix a daily Access application that was taking 25 hours to run, 4 days into the contract I was retasked to fix a SQL server stored procedures (because a database is a database and well you are the only person working on a database). 2 years later I let the contract lapse.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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Sander Rossel wrote: Someone with IT skills never has to worry about finding a job though.
In the civilized world.
Oh well, in Italy too, you just have to accept the usual 6€/hour... and have several years of experience.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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den2k88 wrote: the usual 6€/hour
For someone in IT? 
We go for around 10x that at the bare minimum.
My employer outsources me for €100,- an hour, but they take quite a share.
I can't ask that much as a freelancer, but even though my hourly rate is less I get to keep it all still netting me more
I've worked with an architect who got €110,- an hour out of the €125,- the company paid for him.
And some idiot manager who produces negative output (he frustrates everyone around him) gets even more than that.
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For a software engineer in a hi-tech company.
Hey, I earn 12€/hour now as a Software Engineering cosnultant with 7 years of experience and I'm basically overpayed.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Sander Rossel wrote: And some idiot manager who produces negative output (he frustrates everyone around him) gets even more than that
+1 especially for this..!
Try to find out fool in a deal. If you can't find one, it's you.
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Know the feeling! 
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Yeah, I followed your "InThePub" and "BackInThePub" perils!
It's fun for one or two weeks, just like vacation, but nothing beats having a paid job that's fun, where you can learn and contribute to society (or at least a company).
Except maybe having lots of money and never having to work again 
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T'was a bit frustrating, Working there is 'I'll do that when I have time', not working 'If I had the money I would do it'... but being paid is great ![Beer | [beer]](https://www.codeproject.com/script/Forums/Images/beer.gif) for you!!
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Gratz 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Thanks
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Sander Rossel wrote: A welcome vacation (I finished Dragon Quest XI, awesome game)
I've got it installed and waiting.
Player reviews say it's almost as good as Dragon Quest 8, so it must be bloody marvellous!
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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This was my first DQ and I loved it.
I played this one because it was one of the best games of 2018 and because I read that this is the best DQ to date.
Took me 130 hours to beat (at 100%), that's what I call your money's worth
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DQ8 and Outcast[^]* are my two most favourite games ever, so let's see if the latest DQ can knock Outcast of it's pedestal.
DQ2 was my first in the series, then DQ1, and then all the others as they came out. They beat FF hands down.
* Don't bother with the "updated" version of Outcast unless you're happy playing games sitting at a desk, with mouse & keyboard; it's the same game, anyway.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Best of luck!
Sander Rossel wrote: with Azure they're modern and future proof
At least until Microsoft decides it is not profitable and closes it...
Or they discover that centralized computing isn't that good (they already did it when switched from Mainframe to PC)...
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: At least until Microsoft decides it is not profitable and closes it...
With that logic we'd never be using anything new and we still be writing 0's and 1's, or be stuck in the stone age because this newfangled wheel thing will never last 
Anyway, Azure and the cloud have been around for a while now and since so many companies are using it, it solves real problems, and it's Microsoft's biggest cash cow I doubt it's going anywhere soon.
And if it does that means more work for me
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: Or they discover that centralized computing isn't that good (they already did it when switched from Mainframe to PC)...
The cloud is anything but centralized.
I can put some resources in West Europe, another in America and yet another in Asia.
Or have one resource in multiple regions for disaster failover, etc.
And there's also nothing stopping me from using Azure and AWS, except that I don't know AWS.
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Congratulations.
BTW, I retired, but after 3 weeks, my wife chased me out off the couch. I'm surprised she put up with me that long, a new record. I figure, that if GVod waNTED ME TO WORK HE'D FIND ME A JOB.
oTHERWISEOTHERWISE...
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E.
Comport Computing
Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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