How I went from programming to consulting (2012) • Hacker News Board

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#51

Post by maxxxxx » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:04 PM UTC

matte_black wrote: post #37

maxxxxx wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have the ability to meet a CEO at a convention, strike up a conversation and keep them interested. This is not only about knowing MBA jargon. It's about manners and other things. In corporations you see the same thing. Some guys meet the big VP and make a lasting impression while most others don't. This is not about skills or knowledge but about the way you talk and behave.

This is just networking skill, which is essential for anyone who plans to be a consultant as a career. After everyone has been introduced and become friends, you need to actually deliver some useful insight.

If networking skills come that easily to you you will have a golden future ahead of you.

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#52

Post by mgkimsal » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:05 PM UTC

ethbro wrote: post #42

mgkimsal wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those saying this doesn't happen any more... it still can, and does. However, the bigger issue most people face is finding those people who can actually get that sort of value from our knowledge/skills/etc. I can give the same info to 2 companies, and one can make several hundred thousand dollars (in savings, new sales, etc). The other may not even be operating at a scale where they'll see $10k in increased value…

The weird thing with consulting (in my experience) is that a customer almost never knows how capable they are of effectively using a consultant's time and output. "Okay, we signed a one month consulting engagement, starting Tuesday." Consultant(s) show up on Tuesday, no db's or credentials have been set up, everyone seems surprised they're there. It consistently amazed me how much consultant time companies waste. Whe…

Spot on. I've been in some situations where I've been 'hired', but the people I have to work with didn't know, or didn't want me there, or were generally antagonistic (usually they weren't consulted at all). Client may end up paying the bill, but they're getting so little value out of what I've done it's... painful. But it's often painful just to be working at some of those companies too (whether as insider or outsider).

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#53

Post by putnam » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:06 PM UTC

mml wrote: post #41

kevmo314 wrote: post #11

This post seems to discount his experience over eight years. $X0,000 seems to suggest it's on the lower end, so that's like a 3x salary bump. I would hope over eight years of work you'd get better at your job... So, what's the real impact of switching to per week billing? My guess is that this post is overselling it.

I switched to weekly billing about 5 years ago. Life changer really.

How did you do it?

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#54

Post by Xc43 » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:07 PM UTC

putnam wrote: post #44

Xc43 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool thanks. My first client told me their sales is mid hundred millions CAD. And they are expanding into other industries that require my skills. So in all likelihood their revenue will go up. I guess I was lucky by finding them without screening them. I will keep an eye for that in the future, thanks.

How do you find your clients? How did you find this client?

Well this is my first client. And I found them by applying on a website for local consultants.

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#55

Post by learc83 » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:08 PM UTC

scrimpton wrote: post #26

This is by a wide margin the most bourgeois shit I've heard on here apart from the constant cryptocurrency posts. "Make disgusting amounts of money by doing nothing instead of your actual job!"

This post is just about how to actually extract a percentage of the value you actually provide to a company.

You actually have to provide that value in the first place. At no point does he mention "doing nothing".

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#56

Post by dominotw » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:09 PM UTC

kirubakaran wrote: post #13

A relevant side note: If you're getting into consulting, here are my suggestions for writing a good Statement of Work https://kirubakaran.com/blog/consulting-sow/

How do you go about finding clients? I see an outline here https://kirubakaran.com/blog/consulting-outline/

Curious if you have any recommendations.

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#57

Post by kleiba » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:10 PM UTC

To this day, I'm still not quite clear about what a consultant actually does. I mean, beyond some vague idea ("goes to some company, talks with people, gives some recommendation"). I'd really love for someone to give some example or describe in a tangible way what the work of a consultant entails, what skills one typically needs and actually employs, what a typical gig looks like from beginning to end and so on.

If anyone here on HN could share some insights, I would highly appreciate it.

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#58

Post by Ascetik » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:10 PM UTC

putnam wrote: post #50

ethbro wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The weird thing with consulting (in my experience) is that a customer almost never knows how capable they are of effectively using a consultant's time and output. "Okay, we signed a one month consulting engagement, starting Tuesday." Consultant(s) show up on Tuesday, no db's or credentials have been set up, everyone seems surprised they're there. It consistently amazed me how much consultant time companies waste. Whe…

Why do you think this happens?

This has happened to me as well. It's because whoever hired the consultant hadn't forced anyone to do those tasks. It's their own fault really. I recently did some consulting for a Veeam configuration and it took a good 12 hours to get them to set me up a VPN and get access to all the servers I needed to review their setup. Should have been ready from the get-go.

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#59

Post by mathattack » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:11 PM UTC

putnam wrote: post #2

I have an Internet buddy in Chicago named Thomas Ptacek. [...] I decided to invite Thomas out to coffee. At the end of the conversation, Thomas said something which, no exaggeration, changed my life. Thomas: Some food for thought: If this hadn't been a coffee date, but rather a consulting engagement, I'd be writing you a check right now. Me: Three hours at $100 an hour or whatever an intermediate programmer is worth…

Yes. I've had friendly conversations turn into paid consulting work because, "Then we will pay more attention."

Re: How I went from programming to consulting (2012)

#60

Post by mathgeek » Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 4:12 PM UTC

an_account wrote: post #43

maxxxxx wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the same as freelance programmer. The higher the rate, the more respect I got and work actually became easier.

How did you get your start freelancing?

Not OP, but the answer to this is almost always "network with people who will pay you to freelance." This assumes you already have the skills/knowledge worth paying a freelancer for.