sorry Jennifer my message wasn't suppose to go to just you, sometime outlook
freaks me out :-)
"Please let's not. This thread has been incredibly helpful to me. I'm just
starting out in the consulting "game" and have picked up several good ideas
and pointers in the last few days..
Besides it's not like this list sees much action so 5 emails a day is hardly
anything to freak out about.
And I'm sure many would agree that consulting is a job, a very demanding one
at times.
J. "
that was meant for the list :-)
John Wilker
Web Applications Consultant
Allaire Certified ColdFusion Developer
Office: 909-943-8428
www.red-omega.com <http://www.red-omega.com>
15 people are known to have been crushed to death tilting soda
machines towards them in order to receive free soda.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2001 9:12 AM
To: CF-Jobs
Subject: PLEASE STOP THIS CONVERSATION: Consulting sucks
Hi everyone
Thanks for all for your opinions. But could you take
it somewhere else? Let's remember that this listing
is for JOBS...THANKS!
Jennifer
--- "David L. Rice" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 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)
>
=== message truncated ===
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