My Nomadic Existence
Having spent a nice weekend "up North" I came back to Heathrow last night and to the rudest taxi driver I have ever met. Without wanting to make any enemies or crass generalisations I think this is the thing I don't like about living in The South. The people just aren't as nice as their northerly neighbours. So, with a contract with less than a month to go and a flat with a lease that only lasts two weeks more, I've decided to move back up north. Specifically, Sunderland, and in to my girlfriend's house.
Time to put an end to this nomadic existence:
Career-wise this probably isn't the most astute of moves. Sunderland is close to Newcastle and hopefully this might present some work. More importantly though it's a nice place with nice people. It's also a stone's throw from the thing I miss most about the North. Countryside. Here's Bailey at High Force this weekend (embarrassingly, this is England's largest waterfall). What you can't see is that the song playing is Atlantic Ocean's Waterfall. Another to add to the many others.
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I agree, not a very astute move but your right the people in the north of the country are friendlier. No work Domino wise in Newcastle maybe in Leeds. I have been looking for four months now and not a sausage. Although to be honest I have not looked that hard. Aaargh I dont want to be competing with you for the same job ;-).
If you do move up give me a call I live in Gateshead. We could meet up and I can buy you a drink for all the time you have saved me over the years.
By the way is your girlfriend from Sunderland? Mine is a highly strung Geordie(Newcastle) bird. lol
Jake, recently I flew with the NewCastle United fan-club back into Holland. A party o the plane I can ensure you...
Like the dialect...[heh made...he's coming from Holland...and hired a car...]
Like the mors hills, our factory is in middlesborough area/ Teasside
Hi John. Well, well. There was me thinking you were in America all this time. The email address is misleading. Hang on. I'm confused. Are you the same John Marshall as runs swapcode?
Anyway. No she's not from Sunderland. She just stayed on after university. She's actually from Rotherham originally but moved to Mansfield in her teens. I've known her since I was about 14....
I'll be in touch when I get settled in.
Jake, I agree in ways, but I think it is mainly a London thing, not a southern thing. I have lived until the past year in London and is has become a totally unfriendly place. Therefore my move down to Kent has proven much more enjoyable. However I still have to come to the hell hole everyday for work. With Communications etc improving in our fields, I can't see why more companies are moving out of London too,more of a prestige thing than anything. The costs would be much lower and the workers would be much happier and therefore more productive. How nice would it be to take a short stroll in the countryside during your lunch hour and visit a friendly country pub on the way home. Ah dreams. Go for it and please drop me a line before your move and I i'll buy you a drink in Ealing for all you great help.
You're right Warren. I should point out that it is a *complete* generalisation and, as you say, my views have been tainted by 4 years in London.
Will be leaving Ealing in April sometime. I'll try and remember to drop you a line.
Good luck Jake - the further North you go the less Domino work is available - it really is becoming a 'dead end' line of work - which is strange due to all the big companies that use it - maybe its an economic thing and Notes applications are seen to be 'nice to haves' instead of business criticial - I dont know.
One thing though - it is a lot cheaper to live up those parts - so allows you to have more time 'between contracts' - London rents are not the best for those periods! (in fact downright crippling!)
regards
steve
Glad to hear your bird's not a mackem, Jake. It's bad enough going to live in the dark place without that.
Tompy (from Newcastle)
I have to agree with Warren, I spend alot of time in Devon and also N. Ireland and the friendliness is great, which makes coming back to work in London so difficult.
Whenever I am commuting into London each morning and see someone who is visiting our capital for the first time, they seem so very shocked at the rudeness they encounter on these trains.
I came to London because people were friendlier than in Paris...
Good Luck Jake.
Yes I am the same John Marshall who runs swapcode.com. I like to keep my e-mail addresses I have had that one for 8 years now, I wonder if thats a record.
Jaap: I am from Middlesbrough originaly please get the spelling right. The football team may have the nickname "The Boro" but there is only one "o" after the "B"..
Steve: You comment "the further North you go the less Domino work is available " is quite untrue. There is quite a large Domino base in Edinburgh. Very little in between though.
Going by Steve's rule of thumb, your best bet for Domino work would lie somewhere in Cornwall. Land's End must be full of Notes shops....
Moving in with the girlfriend, eh?!
Hmmm... it seems that wedding invitations may be in your future...
=)
Jake
Maybe you could try and spread your wings and try something further afield i.e. outside the UK? There are plenty of opportunities in other parts of the world (where the people are as friendly as they are in t'North). But I guess your girlfriend is not outside the UK, hence the move.
tq
London is probably the *least* British place in Britain.
The whole place is geared up to make money. Trickledown Economics - I guess everyone else is left to fight for the scraps which gives it it's "Edge".
Seems to me that the people with the most cash need the most up to date information to keep it. Hence 90% the IT work being down there. Although I think Steve said it best above; it seems in the current economic climate that IT is being considered as a "Nice to have."
Personally, I like the nightlife and the cultural opportunities (gigs, art etc.) which London gets the monopoly on. But the pricing of such activities is becoming extremely cynical.
The tourist experience must also be very poor, the goal seemingly to extract as much cash from people in between trips to Heathrow. There is actually life outside of the M25, and your nose will not actually bleed if you go further North!
Try ICI C&P in Middlesborough. They have a massive Notes base. Nissan too, I heard their Notes stuff is really "creem-crakad" and needs sorting in a big way.
And remember to put the toilet seat back down.
good luck, I think you're right about the attitude/outlook of people in different places, I work down south (and live in Ealing actually!) but most of my work is for an office up in Warrington, whenever I travel up for a meeting I'm immediately made to feel welcome and part of the team. Hopefully you'll find the same
Your moving in with the Mackem's!!! I'm from Middlesbrough and also stayed in Newcastle for a few years whilst at uni. Agree that the north is more frendlier and chilled out. Like someone mentioned try ICI C&P, Nissan and Cap Gemini in Wynyard (posh). Also I know there was software devlopment house using Notes in Newcastle. Theres also a few in North Yorkshire and Leeds, although that may be a long trek (still better than the tube though).
Better standard of life, bigger houses, better clubs, pubs, bars etc... but far less jobs and opportunities. You can always cross train into consultancy and then it does not matter where you work, but I'm sure you'll be OK with your experience.
Good Luck!!!
Jake,
Further North = Less Notes work
I beg to differ. I wouldn't say that there are an abudanace of opportunities but there certainly aint a drought. I've worked for three organistaions since leaving uni and all have used notes extensively, AETC, Leeds City Council and Yorkshire Water. If I wanted to move I doubt I would have trouble finding another notes related job.
Does anyone else who lives in the 'north' agree?
Jake
Got to agree with Ed, lots of companies 'up here' have Notes. I've worked at Woolmark, Royal&SunAlliance and now a division of Next. All big time Notes users. Shame we've no vacancies at the moment (just as well really - the interview would be so embarrassing 'here's our Intranet. What do you mean it looks just like Codestore???' )
Ed Lee,
I would say there is a drought on.
I have been contracting for 3 years, will work anywhere, but was out 10 weeks before getting a gig at PowerGen, my old permie employers.
"If I wanted to move I doubt I would have trouble finding another notes related job."
Really? I wish I had your optimism... Maybe you know something we don't?Checked JobServe recently? Maybe my CV sucks very badly.. the bit about prison... Nah, seriously, my CV is OK, I've been extended with every employer, and I still say there is very little out there. And the rates are very much reduced.
I was at Yorkshire Water too. My mates there tell me they have a "No Contractor" policy now.
James, I agree with you entirely regarding the Notes/Domino jobs market. I just wish there was as much work going on at the moment with Domino as there are blogs !
James,
I should have really specified that I didn't really think there was a shortage of permanent notes positions.
I've never been a contractor so I couldn't pass comment on that job market. Your right in saying that Yorkshire Water no longer take on contractors where they can avoid it, also, Leeds City Council adopted this policy shortly before I left.
Is it just a case of contractors being the first to go in cut backs and organisations now want to maintain employees and there knowledge by only taking only permies?
Ed, I don't think there's really a great deal of permanent Notes/Domino positions either. There are a few admin/infrastructure jobs I've seen but not too many developer positions.
Richard is right, at least according to my experience of December until mid-Feb. I was applying for stuff anywhere, permie or contract. It's been the worst time.
James, did you find anything eventually ?
Hey Jake :) Nice Pict :) I love the waterfall with the iPod ;), I was thinking to add some kind of worldmap like you did with your UK map :)
hmm I'd have some questions for you someday, I don't know if you are an IM person (I'am kind of addict to IMs :) , well if you are would be nice to have a chat with you someday :), well I won't say people from the north are more friendly than the south ( would make me unfriendly to you then (I'm french ;), I suppose people are more friendly with people they know and that everywhere in the world :) , Hard to be an alien :)
See ya :) (duh waterfall water must beeeee cooooooold)
as to regards jobs in the NW, there is plenty all these sceptics, I have had no probs getting contracts and permanent work,yes sometimes there is a lul but what you want immediate response
Jake:
So, like, is this near Derby?
- Rob
So you grew up in Mansfield too! Only the Mansfield I grew up in was Mansfield, Texas. A little town an hour south of Dallas, mostly consisting of dirt farmers -- a little different from your Mansfield, I presume. =)
I'm having the same type of work problem myself -- I want the New York City jobs, but don't want to have to live in NYC/north Jersey. So I'm buying a house in Point Pleasant, a town on the Jersey shore some two hours south of NYC. Southern New Jersey is roughly the equivalent of your North -- less urbanized, more friendly people, etc. I'll put up with the commute to live someplace I feel more comfortable in. And I do telecommuting occassionally, so it's not too terrible.
There's something like 13 Mansfields in the US apparently. And one Mount Mansfield. We swap beauty-queens with Mansfield, Ohio each year.
Mansfield, UK is a bit of a sorry place really. Used to be a coal mining town before they closed all the mines. Now it's not got much going for it at all...
Well. I know Arcadia (Ex Burtons) run their Notes infrastructure out of the old clothing factory in Leeds. good guys there.
In Newcastle, various government agencies use Notes + Domino.doc. British Airways relocated their IT services division to Newcastle - again a big notes user.
So not quite the barren wastes. But not overflowing either.
Good luck!
(I'm contracting in Holland right now. Good crowd, good(ish) rates. The dutch seem to plan their way out of recession).
---* Bill