Kev, that’s the problem if you’re doing contracting gigs. They hire you only to solve an immediate problem, and often times they don’t care about quality, so it’s about cost. And you got a bunch of people who claim they know enterprise java very well and offer to do it cheaply, when in reality they aren’t that good. The entire consulting thing is just seedy, a hustling industry between recruiters and employers. Enterprise java has been around for ages, and there’s nothing really “new” about it, so you have a bunch of people that know how to do it “good enough”, and most contracting positions don’t care *that* much about quality.

It’s a completely different scenario if you are hired as an FTE by a company that values software engineering. For most contracting that is available to most people, it’s nowhere near as lucrative as having a good FTE position these days with a decent package..unless you plan on cheating on your taxes as a contractor. I say “most” contracting positions, because “most” consulting positions are cost driven, not driven because you know something exceptional that others don’t.

If you’re going to consider the bay area, I’d consider trying to get an FTE position instead of going the contracting route. Either pick a contracting position that can lead to a FTE position, or just try to get an FTE position, no matter if it kinda sucks…After about 1-2 years, you build a reputation and a resume, you can hop to a better company, and continue to build a better resume. It’s not uncommon to hop up there every 1-2 years. And then after you’ve built a credible resume, you can come back to SoCal and get a better position.

Some recruiter just contacted me about a contract enterprise senior java position here in san diego, that is open to full time employment later. I didn’t dig deeper, because I’ve left enterprise java awhile ago (though I can still do it if needed),..PM me if you want that lead. I’m not sure why recruiters keep contacting me about something I haven’t done in a few years….