Hello

I have recently been offered a six month contract role.

Although I have a permanent role , my existing organistation is currently re-structuring and I am not happy with the re-structure. I work in the Information Technology sector as a business consultant and in some way the word 'permanent' seems to have lost its meaning. You no longer stay with an organisation all your working life. I have changed jobs in the past and in some cases this has not been the right move.

What should I do?

It really depends on the kind of person you are and how you want to work.

I consider myself pretty lucky. I was hired right out of school and haven been with the same company for over 10 years. My position within the company has changed a few times, but I've always kept up my training and have been able to adapt to the needs of the business and continue to provide value.

I have friends that have always worked on contracts. They've always had another contract to go to when their current one finished. They've always managed financially and have been able to use their varied experience to continue to develop their skills and keep themselves marketable.

Are you the kind of person that would worry about "the next job" if you were working on contract, or would you worry about "falling into a rut" if you stayed in a permanent position too long? Are you looking for ideal opportunities, or stability? Do you want to work 12 hours a day and make a lot of money and push your career ahead, or just work 9-5 and "have a life"?

Sometimes working contract might be a better option. Sometimes a good company has a good permanent position that's better for you. It's really a matter of what you want, need, and what's available in the time frame you have to be looking.