I thought I would chime in on this thread...
I have been in the Remedy consulting world since 1997. I have pretty much seen it all, including my share of poorely executed and excellent implementations by both other contractors and FTEs. I don't think anyone can say whether a better job is done by an FTE or contractor, in my experience it all comes down to the quality of the individual(s) doing the work. My foray into the consulting/contracting work was a personal choice due to limited opportunities for growth in my FTE company after 8 years. Everyone thought I was crazy at the time, especially with a 5 year old and a 2 year old at home and being the sole bread-winner for the family, but I have never looked back. In my experience, Remedy ITSM consultants/contractors either fall into this area by personal choice or through circumstance (ie. they are let go by their FTE organization). They can be let go either by company downsizing or because of performance reasons. I can't begin to tell you the number of "Remedy Consultants" I have met in the industry that fall into the latter category. It infuriates me as it paints all of us with the same brush, but you have to accept the fact that you can only control your own destiny. That's when guys like Ray have to come in an fix the mess. If you are a company that is thinking of employing a contractor/consultant, I would encourage you to ask them how they got into the business. It might give you some additional information when screening candidates. :-) As was mentioned, it is true that a lot of the organizations implementing ITSM are looking for the "kick start" to get them going (through contractors/consultants), then pass onto FTEs for operational support. It makes a lot of sense if your organization uses contractors/consultants wisely. This includes a defined project scope, exit plan for the contractor/consultant (including training/knowledge transfer), and warranty (if you can get it). To answer Ray's question, the pro's associated with this type of work is the dynamic nature of the work, new people/organizations/business challenges, lack of internal politics associated with organizations (ie. this is usually done before you arrive on site), and the compensation. The con's are, as you would probably think, the travel (also a plus for some), constant learning and education, and managing your contracts . As in any environment, excellent communication skills will enhance your opportunities to succeed. HTH Terry On 2014-08-07 00:29, Ray Gellenbeck wrote: > Thanks. I've always been a FTE since I started in 96. The growing trend seems > to be client hopes for a short deploy/customize contract gig then drop the > SME and then hope a cheaper admin can keep it running. The beauty of that > dream is then when that flops they hire an old codger like me to undo the > mess, which runs 2-3 times longer on average. > > Anyway, I was just taken back how many recruiters hit you up for > contract-only gigs these days. I've always said "pass" but wonder about the > pros/con's in the current market. > > _______________________________________________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org [1] > "Where the Answers Are, and have been for 20 years" Links: ------ [1] http://www.arslist.org _______________________________________________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org "Where the Answers Are, and have been for 20 years"
