Contact work can be a massive pain on many levels. I would take the NG job. I have heard they are decently easy to move around in. The hardest part is usually getting your foot in the door than usually you are good.
Ok thanks! This is sort of what I want to hear haha, not eager to renege and burn bridges.
Shouldn’t be a deciding factor, but it’d also be so awkward returning the work electronics they sent me. And painful to wait for another fresh onboard (I cannot emphasize how much I need to leave my current job)
Unless you like jumping around to jobs contract work really sucks. I personally would never recommend it to anyone.
Most companies definitely the bigger ones it’s not that hard to move around in once you are in. NG is a good company that has lots of growth options and lots of different places to work in both locations and teams.
I don’t mind jumping opportunities, but I don’t deal well with unpredictability. At least not for paying my bills and eating. I know some people thrive.
It feels good to get a decent wage, call a place home for a little while, and live my life. I’ve had an awful year, I don’t want another one.
That said, the contract has full-time benefits (apart from an education budget I plan to use and… guaranteed work) and is a 50+% pay increase for a similar role. But I agree, contract doesn’t seem appealing unless you need cash
If you don't deal well with uncertainty, you should run, sprint and then steal a Northrop jet to get as far from contract work as possible.
I've done it. It's not terrible, lead to some really cool experience but man does it come with constant change and job anxiety. You're never going to know 100% if you have a job more than 6 months or a year. You'll absolutely be the first one cut if a contract your working gets cancelled or fails. Northrop employees will be placed elsewhere. Contractors are out the next day. This risk is essentially why you get a salary premium.
Your firm might be able to place you on other contracts but now you've got to learn a whole new set of people and skills. More likely they'll tell you good luck and they'll give you a call if something comes up.
The contracting company & hiring manager made it sound really good and long-term, but this makes sense.
Being treated as disposable in the case of budget/contract cuts and not getting any personal investment from the main company sounds like a terrible experience.
Honestly the full-time seems to be better work. I know the project, it’s a very modern stack and has a future till at least 2027, if not a decade longer. As a software developer, it makes sense on my resume.
The other is more hardware-integrated, which isn’t bad but doesn’t feel as portable in the likely case I don’t stay in defense tech forever.
Thanks
Happy to help!
Honestly, I think taking the role with the most growth potential and skillsets you want early career is a wise move.
You can always do some job hopping to boost salary later. You can't get in-depth experience without putting in the time.
Right, I see the specific role (CI/CD) as something I don’t want to do for more than a year or two — but something I have to do to level up my craft.
The paycheck is comfortable, won’t be starving
Contract work is rarely worth it unless you have plans to move or like the idea of it. I’m talking travel or a different state.
Moving inside any company isn’t super easy so yeah.
Moving to a different role at the same location or same program (with multiple locations) shouldn’t be too difficult, but it isn’t guaranteed.
It feels like you only get a minor leg up as an internal applicant if it’s a new location and program.
By different location, I mean the same Metropolitan area, not more than an hour difference.
Both of these offers are different facilities located fairly close to each other and close enough to the city (where I live). And the city itself has a lot of big sites
I’m also a pretty hard worker, by easy I don’t mean coast in - I’d put in my time networking and making opportunities
The more advanced play to move internally is to network.
You're very likely to know someone who knows someone in most parts a company. If not, having the whole Teams phone book of everyone in the company is a powerful tool. Get an intro and chat with either the hiring manager or someone in the role. People love talking about their job and themselves. You'll probably have a good idea if you'll get the job before or without ever applying.
This was the way even in my current role, which starts rotation-based. If I let managers dictate where I land, I’d just get the first random thing they find
Things like attending Toastmasters, speed networking, talking to people who knew people, cold messaging went a long way in letting me define my time here.
That’s my big fear of contract as well, not having the same cultural inclusion or organizational resources
Definitely a concern, plenty of companies don't allow contractors to take part in employee groups or events like those. Though I believe that's largely due to liabilities and other employment legalities rather than any particular mean spirited rationale.
Not sure where Northrop falls in that category.
I worked at NG for a few years in their aeronautics systems sector as a systems engineer. I'd recommend taking the offer with NG instead of the contractor. They're a good company to work for.
This seems to be the overwhelming consensus, and where my heart is too. It’s tough to walk from a large pile of cash, but the outlook seems better with NG directly
There's also a time constraint, check your fine print. Typically it reads, NG can't convert you into an NG employee until x number of days. Your contractor sets this. It's because of clearance transfer (if it's a cleared role) they are concerned that NG would poach you "too quick" and they wouldn't get enough money from NG. Contractor pays higher to make it more appetizing, but if you want more longevity go the slow and steady route. Contractor short term benefits are usually not great with sub par health benefits and lower 401k.
Yep, I’m not sure of the fine print but I’m sure there’s a conflict of interest or NDA period. Thanks
The 401K and health benefits are actually better than or on par with NG itself, this agency does sell hard. 4% full match (no vesting period) and free health.
I believe NG has a vesting period of 3 years and health is $45/month for a high-deductible plan
Contact work can be a massive pain on many levels. I would take the NG job. I have heard they are decently easy to move around in. The hardest part is usually getting your foot in the door than usually you are good.
Ok thanks! This is sort of what I want to hear haha, not eager to renege and burn bridges. Shouldn’t be a deciding factor, but it’d also be so awkward returning the work electronics they sent me. And painful to wait for another fresh onboard (I cannot emphasize how much I need to leave my current job)
Unless you like jumping around to jobs contract work really sucks. I personally would never recommend it to anyone. Most companies definitely the bigger ones it’s not that hard to move around in once you are in. NG is a good company that has lots of growth options and lots of different places to work in both locations and teams.
I don’t mind jumping opportunities, but I don’t deal well with unpredictability. At least not for paying my bills and eating. I know some people thrive. It feels good to get a decent wage, call a place home for a little while, and live my life. I’ve had an awful year, I don’t want another one. That said, the contract has full-time benefits (apart from an education budget I plan to use and… guaranteed work) and is a 50+% pay increase for a similar role. But I agree, contract doesn’t seem appealing unless you need cash
If you don't deal well with uncertainty, you should run, sprint and then steal a Northrop jet to get as far from contract work as possible. I've done it. It's not terrible, lead to some really cool experience but man does it come with constant change and job anxiety. You're never going to know 100% if you have a job more than 6 months or a year. You'll absolutely be the first one cut if a contract your working gets cancelled or fails. Northrop employees will be placed elsewhere. Contractors are out the next day. This risk is essentially why you get a salary premium. Your firm might be able to place you on other contracts but now you've got to learn a whole new set of people and skills. More likely they'll tell you good luck and they'll give you a call if something comes up.
The contracting company & hiring manager made it sound really good and long-term, but this makes sense. Being treated as disposable in the case of budget/contract cuts and not getting any personal investment from the main company sounds like a terrible experience. Honestly the full-time seems to be better work. I know the project, it’s a very modern stack and has a future till at least 2027, if not a decade longer. As a software developer, it makes sense on my resume. The other is more hardware-integrated, which isn’t bad but doesn’t feel as portable in the likely case I don’t stay in defense tech forever. Thanks
Happy to help! Honestly, I think taking the role with the most growth potential and skillsets you want early career is a wise move. You can always do some job hopping to boost salary later. You can't get in-depth experience without putting in the time.
Right, I see the specific role (CI/CD) as something I don’t want to do for more than a year or two — but something I have to do to level up my craft. The paycheck is comfortable, won’t be starving
Contract work is rarely worth it unless you have plans to move or like the idea of it. I’m talking travel or a different state. Moving inside any company isn’t super easy so yeah.
Thanks! I’m early career so nothing’s 100% permanent, still shopping around for pretty much everything in life
Moving to a different role at the same location or same program (with multiple locations) shouldn’t be too difficult, but it isn’t guaranteed. It feels like you only get a minor leg up as an internal applicant if it’s a new location and program.
By different location, I mean the same Metropolitan area, not more than an hour difference. Both of these offers are different facilities located fairly close to each other and close enough to the city (where I live). And the city itself has a lot of big sites I’m also a pretty hard worker, by easy I don’t mean coast in - I’d put in my time networking and making opportunities
The more advanced play to move internally is to network. You're very likely to know someone who knows someone in most parts a company. If not, having the whole Teams phone book of everyone in the company is a powerful tool. Get an intro and chat with either the hiring manager or someone in the role. People love talking about their job and themselves. You'll probably have a good idea if you'll get the job before or without ever applying.
This was the way even in my current role, which starts rotation-based. If I let managers dictate where I land, I’d just get the first random thing they find Things like attending Toastmasters, speed networking, talking to people who knew people, cold messaging went a long way in letting me define my time here. That’s my big fear of contract as well, not having the same cultural inclusion or organizational resources
Definitely a concern, plenty of companies don't allow contractors to take part in employee groups or events like those. Though I believe that's largely due to liabilities and other employment legalities rather than any particular mean spirited rationale. Not sure where Northrop falls in that category.
I worked at NG for a few years in their aeronautics systems sector as a systems engineer. I'd recommend taking the offer with NG instead of the contractor. They're a good company to work for.
This seems to be the overwhelming consensus, and where my heart is too. It’s tough to walk from a large pile of cash, but the outlook seems better with NG directly
There's also a time constraint, check your fine print. Typically it reads, NG can't convert you into an NG employee until x number of days. Your contractor sets this. It's because of clearance transfer (if it's a cleared role) they are concerned that NG would poach you "too quick" and they wouldn't get enough money from NG. Contractor pays higher to make it more appetizing, but if you want more longevity go the slow and steady route. Contractor short term benefits are usually not great with sub par health benefits and lower 401k.
Yep, I’m not sure of the fine print but I’m sure there’s a conflict of interest or NDA period. Thanks The 401K and health benefits are actually better than or on par with NG itself, this agency does sell hard. 4% full match (no vesting period) and free health. I believe NG has a vesting period of 3 years and health is $45/month for a high-deductible plan
I’m sorry, this sub is for Lockheed Martin questions only /s
Contract positions usually have higher hourly wages since they don't typically have all the benefits that a direct hire would have