Excellent points. I was always surprised (mostly last year as opposed
to now) when I ran into consultants who, when I asked them about why
they got into consulting, always answered that they "knew language x,
language y, etc" To me, the best consultants were not the ones called
in to clean up someone else's code, but the ones who knew the industry
and were providing a service to the industry- essentially selling
software solutions, not selling their hourly ability to code.
this also answers and earlier post about why some people are running
companies and we're not. We're not running companies because we're
programmers. If any of us on this list (and I'm sure there are several)
have MBAs or have considerable education or experience that would make
them good business owners then yeah, you should think hard about
starting your own company. But in my area I have seen 5 friends get
financing, start small companies, and collapse in the last 3 years.
They got financing because they were "programmers who understood the
internet." Unfortunately that and $2 will get you a cup of coffee in
this current economy.
So just my two cents, there are a lot of good programmers I know who
made the switch out of consulting and back into IT in the last 9 months
pretty much because they were living off the "golden crumbs" (remember
that word from the 80s?) of the tech stock boom. The reason they
couldn't hack it as consultants is because they were never really
running their own business selling custom softweare, they were relying
on clients to tell them what to do as much as any boss.
Don
Dylan Bromby wrote:
> I'll go ahead and throw an opinion into the ring since a number of people
> have asked me questions off-list since my earlier post in this thread. I'm
> not saying this works for everyone, but it's worked very well for me.
>
> This is the 2nd most important component *for me* when consulting: show
> clients ROI. Are the applications you build for your clients affecting their
> margins by decreasing bottom line spending or increasing efficiencies, or
> actually increasing revenue? If you can show this return over time, and
> learn the intricacies of each client and where you can extract margin
> increases, you can (practically) bill what you want. *If* I can show my
> client I can save them $5K a month if they spend $20K for 3 months, then I
> show them how I can save them $10K more a month if they spend $40K for 3
> more months. As I've learned more about the specifics of some industries, I
> can save my clients hundreds of thousands of dollars each year just by
> making things efficient. Decreased calls to their toll-free line. Decreased
> tech support calls. Online marketing programs that increase customer
> retention.
>
> You need the client to *trust* you completely. To do that you need to prove
> what you can do to them. My opinion is complete trust is the only way to a
> happy and profitable consulting career. Once they trust you and can see a
> successful track record, they are very likely to trust you to make bigger
> assessments of their business, strategy, etc. and spend more for it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David L. Rice" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "CF-Jobs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 10:24 PM
> Subject: RE: Consulting sucks
>
>
>> I've been consulting/contracting quite successfully and profitably for
>> several years now. And I have to agree with Erika here for the most part.
>> Consulting is not a job--it's a state of mind. Wife, husband, kids,
>> obligations aside (we all have those, no matter what job we work, so take
>
> a
>
>> pill and get over that part of it) you simply have to WANT to be a
>> contractor to be really successful at it over the long haul. If you go
>
> into
>
>> every contract with the attitude: "I'm so happy to be here", you'll
>
> succeed.
>
>> If you look at a given contract like a "job", you might as well stay perm.
>> The key to successful contracting is, as Erika intimates: make sure you're
>> resume is always current--and as she actually says, have a couple months
>
> pad
>
>> in the bank for the lean, between contract times. Some companies pay bench
>> time but they're few and far between, in my experience. Sure, there are
>
> lean
>
>> times but if one plans ahead for those, they're not as bad as one would
>> think.
>>
>> The thing about consulting, or contracting, depending upon whether you're
>
> a
>
>> half-full or half-empty kind of person, is that it is a great way to learn
>> multiple technologies and apply them as the job dictates. I enjoy
>> contracting because the challenge is always new (even if the CF, MS-SQL,
>> Oracle, DataStage, BusinessObjects, Quest, et cetera, version is old...
>
> ;)),
>
>> and you get to meet and interact with new people on an on-going basis. For
>> people persons, such as myself, this is always a great draw. For those
>
> with
>
>> less a less social bent who are more "geeky" there are those kinds of
>
> folks
>
>> too usually. The thing is, one has to be open to new experiences and take
>> full advantage of them when they arise.
>>
>> As any long-term contractor is, I am proficient in several scripting
>> languages, several programming languages and several data base
>
> methodologies
>
>> so I can fit almost anywhere. Although CF is my mainstay, by choice, I
>
> enjoy
>
>> coding in all of them and I mix-and-match as the contract dictates. If I'm
>> not absolutely proficient in the technology the client is asking for, and
>
> I
>
>> get the interview simply because of past experience/successful contracts,
>
> I
>
>> tell them honestly that I don't know xyz programming/scripting language
>
> but
>
>> I'm quick on the uptake... ;). I am willing to learn the next "latest and
>> greatest" technology the client thinks they need at the drop of a hat.
>
> With
>
>> this approach, I win some, I lose some, and some get rained out. The main
>> thing is that the client knows you're flexible and ready to help
>
> accommodate
>
>> them right up front.
>>
>> If you have enough past experience in multiple disciplines, I've found
>
> that
>
>> many clients are ready to take you on based upon that past record of
>
> success
>
>> versus the fact that you know this or that particular technology. By the
>> same token, if you learned CF from a "21 days" book and you've only coded
>> your brother-in-law's web site, contracting may not be for you.
>
> Contracting
>
>> normally requires that you truly grasp the entire gamut of software
>> development, from planning, design, documentation, coding and
>> implementation. This includes all the other technologies that may impact
>> your project such as OOP, networking protocols, a thorough grasp of web
>> technologies, LDAP, CFHTTP, custom tags, javascript, WDDX, data base
>> methodologies, security, ad naseam.
>>
>> Anyway, I've made an intended short post long. I don't normally chime in
>
> but
>
>> contracting, in and of itself, doesn't suck... Only people who lack
>> self-confidence in themselves or who have never done it enough to give it
>
> a
>
>> chance would entertain the idea--personally, I wouldn't do anything else
>
> at
>
>> this point... ;). Trust me, if you're at all proficient with the
>
> technology
>
>> you're thinking about contracting for--you'll probably do fine. Take a
>> gamble--contract!
>>
>> Cheers,
>> --
>> David L. Rice
>> Web Applications Developer
>> 24/7 cell: 205.903.9467
>> eFax: 253.550.8239
>> ICQ: 177820
>> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> ----------------------------
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Erika L Walker [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 10:15 PM
>>> To: CF-Jobs
>>> Subject: RE: Consulting sucks
>>>
>>>
>>> Well I wasn't going to add anything to this thread, but now I have
>>
> to....
>
>>> <itching to tell my story sort of thing...>
>>>
>>> I love consulting. I also don't have kids, but if I did, I'm sure I
>>
> would
>
>>> love the flexibility it offers. And, no, I'm not married, so there is no
>>> husband paying the bills which enables me to continue consulting.
>>>
>>> I did the corporate route and the in-house long term contract, I even
>>> trained racehorses, and still, nothing beats being your own boss,
>>
> calling
>
>>> the shots, setting your own hours and playing golf on a really sunny day
>>> because you can! (or skiing!)
>>>
>>> Of course, it is a lot of hard work, long hours, dedication, and
>>> it takes a
>>> tenacity that is very hard to develop. As Richard says,
>>> "Consulting -- when
>>> it's good, it's very, very good and when it's bad, it's horrid."
>>> You have to
>>> be able to weather the storms.....which sometimes, are not unlike the
>>
> huge
>
>>> layoffs we keep hearing about. Job security is only as good as the
>>
> economy
>
>>> at times.
>>>
>>> I loved consulting so much, I found a partner and we made a
>>> business of it.
>>> My own knowledge has grown because of this. I can delve into any kind of
>>> code, Java, VB, RPG, CF, ASP, JSP, Flash, you name it! Consulting made
>>
> it
>
>>> possible. You have to wear many different hats and be able to
>>> turn on a dime
>>> at times, unless you specialize in one or two fields. Even then,
>>> it's still
>>> a tough road to follow with technology changing with every turn.
>>>
>>> There is not a day that goes by that I don't learn something new. This,
>>
> in
>
>>> itself, is so exciting!
>>>
>>> So, please, future consultants out there......it really is a great way
>>
> to
>
>>> make a living....it just takes a lot of self-discipline, a few
>>> month's worth
>>> of bill money in the bank, and a lot of hard work. "You can do it!"
>>>
>>> Erika
>>>
>>>
>>> --------------------------------
>>> AIM: WebErika5
>>> Yahoo: WebErika
>>> MSN: WebErika
>>> AskMe.com Expert: WebErika
>>> --------------------------------
>>> Erika L. Walker
>>> Vice President
>>> RUWebby, LLC
>>> 201-370-4272 (c)
>>> 973-244-9120 (o)
>>> 153 Rutgers Lane
>>> Parsippany, NJ 07054
>>> --------------------------------
>>> Website Design/Programming
>>> Database Integration
>>> Allaire Partner - ColdFusion
>>> --------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Nat Papovich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 8:19 PM
>>> To: CF-Jobs
>>> Subject: RE: Consulting sucks
>>>
>>>
>>> We could turn this into a list about life in the CF world. Sounds fun...
>>>
>>> I've been consulting for about 6 months, and it was great while I had
>>
> it.
>
>>> Now I'm in an office for a few-month contract. I think that's really the
>>> best way to go. Take the work when you get it, which expands your future
>>> options and networks, but be ready to jump into an office when a rainy
>>
> day
>
>>> is forecasted. Another great thing is to have a part-time job
>>> contracting or
>>> salary for a company. THen you have the security and flexibility.
>>>
>>> Well anyway, consulting seems sucky for Mike D, because of where
>>> he is. I'm
>>> sure if you offered him a client now, he'd say consulting wasn't too
>>
> bad.
>
>>> NAT
>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Dylan Bromby [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 6:35 AM
>>>> To: CF-Jobs
>>>> Subject: RE: Consulting sucks
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I agree. I quit my job in October to consult *because* I have 2
>>>> kids on the
>>>> way and needed a bigger place (moving today actually). I work
>>>> less and make
>>>> more. I do some work for local companies in Orange County, CA,
>>>
>>> but mostly
>>>
>>>> for companies out-of-state and just work remotely. I communicate with
>>>
> my
>
>>>> largest clients mostly via email and IM and rarely have to travel.
>>>>
>>>> So, to the comment below I'll add you don't *necessarily* even
>>>> have to move.
>>>>
>>>> It's the best decision I've made career-wise to-date.
>>>>
>>>> I don't think it's the best for everybody, but I also don't think
>>>> "consulting sucks".
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: John Rice [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 4:51 AM
>>>> To: CF-Jobs
>>>> Subject: Re: Consulting sucks
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Consulting Rocks.
>>>>
>>>> Yes, that's a statement but one I have to make. With a wife, 2
>>>> kids and community responsibilities, going the consulting route
>>>> is the BEST
>>>> thing I have done in my career plus.
>>>>
>>>> I wouldn't want people getting steered off the right track [the
>>>
>>> consulting
>>>
>>>> track].
>>>>
>>>> Just like Boston has better baseball than NY, we have better software
>>>> company's too.
>>>>
>>>> Ever consider moving?
>>>>
>>>> Michael, best of luck.
>>>>
>>>> -John
>>>>
>>>>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Michael Dinowitz)
>>>>> To: CF-Jobs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>> Subject: Consulting sucks
>>>>> Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 23:57:59 -0500
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes, that's a very hard statement but one I have to make. With
>>>>
>>> a wife, 3
>>>
>>>>> kids and community responsibilities, going the consulting route is
>>>>
> not
>
>>>>> helping much. That being said, I'm looking for a full time position
>>>>> somewhere. My requirements is a bit of freedom to take care of
>>>>
>>> community
>>>
>>>>> issues as they arise. My offer is to be able to use me and my
>>>>
>>> name in the
>>>
>>>>> company. All ego aside, being able to say "we have Michael Dinowitz"
>>>>
> on
>
>>>>> staff can be very useful in marketing. I'm all for it. Anyone
>>>>
>>>> who wants to
>>>>
>>>>> talk to me about hiring me on in the NY area, please email me
>>>>
>>> off list. I
>>>
>>>>> can travel some outside of NY, but as I said, wife and kids. :)
>>>>>
>>>>> Michael Dinowitz
>>>>> Publisher: Fusion Authority weekly news alert
>>>>> (www.fusionauthority.com/alert)
>>>>> Listmaster: CF-Talk, CF-Jobs, Spectra-Talk, Jrun-Talk, etc.
>>>>> (www.houseoffusion.com)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>
>
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