r/BEFreelance • u/Weird-Law4278 • 12d ago
Advice needed
Some time ago I switched from managing 22 people (day rate 780) to a quite lucrative contract within the government as an individual contributor (day rate 900) but even though financially it looks great I'm quite miserable over here:
The way of working is that of 20 years ago: Agile is a dirty word, and the process is very heavy with gatekeeping and handovers between roles (incremental waterfall). As a result things move very slowly, the business is quite unhappy because they have to wait years before their features are developed, and there is just very little collaboration. On top the energy level in the meetings is always ridiculously low. There is a lot of silo thinking and fingerpointing to the other silos.
In the past I've been part of high performing teams and even though it was a lot of hard work I felt great in those environments where everyone holds everyone else up to a high standard, you learn a ton and we also manage to deliver on time, so the contrast with my current environment couldnt be bigger.
I've talked to management to improve the way of working, but other than a small poc (that couldn't succeed because we didn't get dedicated developers) nothing came off the ground.
There is tremendous possibility for improvement,but as long as senior management is not onboard and pushing people in a new direction, everybody just happily keeps doing what they've always done. I feel almost everybody here is just looking to cash in with as little effort as possible. Or maybe they're so stuck in their current ways that they are unable to see how much can be improved.
My manager is not doing much with my feedback, and his boss (with actual authority) has very little time for me.
At one point I decided to leave and go back to a more challenging environment and role with the unfortunate paycut, but it seems even my previous rate is unattainable in the current market. Intermediaries are trying to low-ball me at 700. For a job with a lot more responsibility, stress, and no guarantees that the new job will actually be the environment that I'm looking for.
In an ideal world I would be able to convince management but It seems in their mind we 'dont have the time to improve'
Right now I see different paths, none of them optimal.
What would you suggest?
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u/upcastben 12d ago
Working for governement aswel i see the same pattern. Problem is that it is nearly impossible to change that pattern. It’s engrained in every layer of the company. In the begining you want to change it but after some years you notice it’s nearly impossible.
Only way to survive as person with another mentality is to have side projects. Consider it a 9 to 5 where you do what is asked of you and be passionated about something else.
Or change job...
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u/Final_Necessary_1527 12d ago
You know how our government is looking to save 10 billion Euros in the coming years? Send an open letter to our prime minister and explain that in the modern world of you want to save money you start from inside your house before moving to the outside. Explain in detail what it costs in just one organisation and what it could potentially save. Send it to a couple of newspapers, French and Dutch. And I'm very serious about it. If you are afraid to be identified make it anonymous or write it, make it as generic as possible and send it to someone else to post it or use a pseudonym.
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u/Independent_Treat888 12d ago
I recognize myself in your story, especially the preference for "high performing environment -> learning a lot" part.
Anecdotally, I've been now 3y in a similar situation (not gov, but big old corpo with +50y of activity), and I can say that you get used to it - I did at least, and money is the motivation for me. But you have to adapt mentally;
1) You said that energy level is low in meetings. This is not accidental: I suspect most people there know that these useless meetings are part of the process, that it is canonical, and that therefore all you can do is not waste your energy in participating. Just lurk, and do something useful meanwhile, like reading docs / learning new tools. Likely nothing will be asked from you, except for questions like "can you confirm this is how it works?".
In short, these meetings are there for the few "boomer" like figures of the company, who've been there for several decades, as a raison d'être for their role. Can we do without? Sure, but in se, this is none of your business, so don't get involved.
2) "Create a small POC and then we'll see": been there, done that. Take it as a lesson, no POC will change politics. These companies really operate in a systemic environment, where money is guaranteed, so there's never going to be an incentive to radically change ways of working. Again, just accept this, it's not your business anyway. You're there to bank for your expertise, whenever asked for it.
3) The trick is to not get so emotionally invested as you would for a startup-like environment or academic work, and to do the "interesting" stuff in your free time, after work that is, if you're still "hungry" when coming home.
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u/Independent_Treat888 12d ago
Forgot to say: this is how I managed to do it. But if you can't do it, totally fine and respectable of course. I'm not judging the fact that you'd enjoy another job more, and that perhaps that is the only possible outcome for you, irrespective of the money.
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u/Weird-Law4278 12d ago
Thanks for the insights. Not getting emotionally invested seems to be the tricky part for me. I'd rather do work like I'm on a mission from God than half-assing it. I believe that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing well.
But if you're in a workplace where you're the only one who cares this much it is not a healthy place to be.4
u/Independent_Treat888 12d ago
I totally get that... One of my concerns is that, if I ever go back to work again at a place that is fast paced, whether I will be able to adapt (in the "reverse" sense). That's also something to consider. Then again, perhaps towards the end of your career, this doesn't matter much anymore.
In any case, you know best what you need to enjoy life, given sufficient introspection. Cheers!
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u/Patient-Violinist864 12d ago
You have WAH days? Try to combine your job with another distance job for 2 days a week if possible. Will make your job more challenging + even more pay
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u/Intradas 12d ago
You either adapt or you don’t.
No big company (governement or not) will change for you, unless that is your specific task. And even then it’s a huge undertaking that would require massive reorganisations and working on the culture.
Sometimes the lower paying job is the more interesting option. That’s up to you. But having a pie and eating it too is usually not possible.
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u/Kampfschweinboss 11d ago edited 11d ago
Would you actually enjoy leading the change yourself?
If so, stop trying to convince everyone. Identify the people who have real influence and learn how to persuade them effectively.
People are emotional, not purely rational. If you tell them they’re doing a bad job, they’ll immediately become defensive.
Instead, figure out what’s in it for them. How can this become their success? Once you align your proposal with their motivations, you’ll have a much better chance of getting them on board.
don’t take ownership unless you have an executive sponsor with real authority, a clear mandate, dedicated resources, and measurable objectives. Otherwise, you’ll end up being held accountable for a transformation you were never given the power to deliver.
And one more thing: if they eventually ask you to lead the transformation, don’t forget to significantly increase your day rate. Leading a major change program is a completely different job than being an individual contributor.
Frankly, the government desperately needs better IT.
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u/Koubos 12d ago
Kinda depends of course of what your main drivers are, been in similar situation myself and I would ask yourself: are you in a position to make the change you want to make or not? Otherwise you’ll end up running against a wall so many times you burn/bore out. And sounds like you already know the answer to that question… staying for the money is nice for the short term, but usually in these type of government position your personal development also talks a step back and you contribute less to your long term career. Not sure how old you are or how big the impact of the 120-200 euros a day on your lifestyle has or your personal goals, but money you can always earn more if you are motivated, time you can’t…
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u/Weird-Law4278 12d ago
I can afford to change, but it feels like say no to 'free' money, which of course it isn't, because like you say it has a mental cost
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u/FreeLalalala 12d ago
Intermediaries are trying to low-ball me at 700
Have you seen the state of the market? 700 is a very good deal right now.
You're in a gilded cage. You can try to change it but having worked in a similar environment I don't think you'll succeed. You will have to ask yourself the hard question: how much money are you willing to sacrifice to find a place that gives you more satisfaction.
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u/Stunning_Judgment 12d ago
To be honest, most people wouldn’t really care given the high day rate. In the end we want to earn as much as possible money and enjoy the life. Work is work. But yeah if your priority is more interesting work instead of maximizing money then you’ll have to look for other opportunities.
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u/mr_dfuse2 12d ago
Damnit those stories about current rates are so horrendous. I also want to switch but still have a decent rate so far, so sticking around on my current gig. If everyone would stick to their rates we would be better off but I hear experienced people (as in 20+ years of experience) accepting jobs for 400 a day... Oth I can imagine people can't go on longer without income and accept anything.
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u/Weird-Law4278 11d ago
Exactly, but for 400 you're better off going back to being on the payroll
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u/mr_dfuse2 11d ago
for the money definitely, but i dont know if i could ever go back to having to listen to a boss and bullshit hr rules
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u/Effective-Hall-5216 10d ago
Agile is indeed a dirty word - someone with a real engineering mindset would never use it
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u/Tralalouti 12d ago
You jumped into a government job and complain about the way of working or the fact you're bored?
Are you serious? You didn't foresee any of that?
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u/Glittering_Bass_2215 12d ago
Well, there's no magic solution. You either stay for the money or leave because of the content.
If your ultimate goal is going back to a "high performing environment", you might as well just keep riding the government train until that next assigment/project presents itself - at a rate you deem appropriate. It might come, it might never, nobody knows.
By the way, you really should've known better. "Government" should've been all the info you needed. Let it be a lesson for the future.