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The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

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Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#41

Post by pc86 »

mettamage wrote: post #31

> Specialization > One of the best pieces of advice I’ve acted on is deciding to specialize. How do you choose what to specialize in? I have experience with quite a few things, but I don't know if it feels the same once I'd be specialized in it. The author himself seems to be an expert in React + React Native + GraphQL.

I don't think specialization in this context means framework or even language. Someone who is really good at JavaScript is of very little use as a consultant for a business. They want someone who knows the business. So I think specialization in this context either means knowing a lot about the infrastructure - e.g. being able to do whatever your client needs in AWS quickly and in a cost-effective manner - or, knowing a lot about the business domain, whether that's healthcare, logistics, etc. The code is usually a byproduct of that and being an "expert" in a JavaScript framework isn't going to sell anything to a hospital system looking for a software consultant.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#42

Post by 0xEFF »

mettamage wrote: post #30

> Flat Rate Pricing > This also applies to software development. If an e-commerce application you are building will bring in $500,000.00 in sales in the next year, then charging 10% to 20% of this amount is acceptable. The same goes with feature implementation. If your feature will save them $200,000.00 in the next year, price with that in mind vs the hourly rate. And how do you know what amount of money they'll make…

Just ask. A good client thinks of you as a trusted business partner and will want you to be fully informed.

Maybe you can help them make or save even more.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#43

Post by handrous »

n4bz0r wrote: post #40
handrous wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Native speaker here, and it took me most of a decade of seeing the use of the feminine for the non-specific or neuter pronoun before it stopped being very annoying (it was uncommon outside certain circles, until fairly recently). I still have to catch myself when I encounter it to avoid glancing back over the text to figure out which specific person is being referenced, whom I must have missed in my first reading—IOW…

> I still have to catch myself when I encounter it to avoid glancing back over the text to figure out which specific person is being referenced, whom I must have missed in my first reading That's funny. Saying "off-putting" I had exactly that in mind. What? She? I must've zoned out.

Yeah, I don't have a problem with the politics of it, exactly, but it's definitely more disruptive to my reading than favoring the masculine (only because I learned that way, of course—had I been taught otherwise, I'd have the opposite problem) or using the singular-plural form (they/them/their).

Maybe the irritation's worth it for the effect that effort's having on culture. I really don't know. In the end, it's not that big a problem for me, just a little irritating, so I simply hope it's doing something actually-helpful for someone and don't worry about it too much.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#45

Post by b20000 »

i’m always amused that the answer is always “work harder” and “do more shit”. meanwhile, in other consulting professions, people say “no”. why is this so difficult? the only remaining solid piece of advice here is to specialize. i can confirm this works.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#46

Post by zerr »

tptacek wrote: post #39

This is a pretty good post. I've also done pretty well consulting. Some quick notes. First: $210k/yr is not necessarily really good money for a US software consultant. When consulting full time, please try to keep two things in mind: (1) Your cost basis is higher than it was when you were a W2 FTE. If you're making $100k/yr in salary, your employer is paying substantially more than $100k/yr to keep you on staff; you…

> day rate

Didn't the clients expect holy 8 hours in this case?

Another class of freelancers/consultants which are missed out from this discussion (hourly rate vs other): long-term/indefinite flex-time workers. No estimations or promises, just pay-as-you-go for several years or more. With the hourly rate, in this setup, one can work 5 hours one week, 0 hours second week, 35 another week... So a kind of very flexible employment arrangement disguised as consulting.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#47

Post by tptacek »

zerr wrote: post #46
tptacek wrote: post #39

This is a pretty good post. I've also done pretty well consulting. Some quick notes. First: $210k/yr is not necessarily really good money for a US software consultant. When consulting full time, please try to keep two things in mind: (1) Your cost basis is higher than it was when you were a W2 FTE. If you're making $100k/yr in salary, your employer is paying substantially more than $100k/yr to keep you on staff; you…

> day rate Didn't the clients expect holy 8 hours in this case? Another class of freelancers/consultants which are missed out from this discussion (hourly rate vs other): long-term/indefinite flex-time workers. No estimations or promises, just pay-as-you-go for several years or more. With the hourly rate, in this setup, one can work 5 hours one week, 0 hours second week, 35 another week... So a kind of very flexible…

Clients expect the work they plan to get done. They don't care about the hours you spend unless you demand they care about it, by running an hourly meter.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#48

Post by ghaff »

InitialLastName wrote: post #29
throwawayboise wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm one of them. Grew up with "they" as strictly plural. Had enough red ink on school essays that the lesson sank in. Every time I see "they" in a singular context it's like mentally stubbing my toe on a tree root. I have to stop, go back and re-read to be sure I didn't miss something that set up the plural context. If you insist on being gender-neutral, you have to write "he or she" which quicky gets tiresome. Or re…

"They" has been an acceptable third-person non-determinate singular pronoun since at least the Canterbury Tales: "And whoso fyndeth hym out of swich blame, They wol come up..." That your English teachers were misinformed prescriptivists isn't the language's fault, and shouldn't be used as a ruler by which you measure the writing of others.

A couple of decades ago, I'm guessing that most English teachers/editors would have corrected, Chaucer notwithstanding. But, yes, general style these days does favor "they" as preferred third-person non-determinate singular pronoun because it's better than all the alternatives for various reasons.

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#49

Post by kasey_junk »

tptacek wrote: post #47
zerr wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> day rate Didn't the clients expect holy 8 hours in this case? Another class of freelancers/consultants which are missed out from this discussion (hourly rate vs other): long-term/indefinite flex-time workers. No estimations or promises, just pay-as-you-go for several years or more. With the hourly rate, in this setup, one can work 5 hours one week, 0 hours second week, 35 another week... So a kind of very flexible…

Clients expect the work they plan to get done. They don't care about the hours you spend unless you demand they care about it, by running an hourly meter.

One thing I’ve always been curious about is why law firms so aggressively meter. Wouldn’t most arguments you’d apply to software consultants apply to them as well?

Re: The Prosperous Software Consultant (2018)

#50

Post by tptacek »

kasey_junk wrote: post #49
tptacek wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clients expect the work they plan to get done. They don't care about the hours you spend unless you demand they care about it, by running an hourly meter.

One thing I’ve always been curious about is why law firms so aggressively meter. Wouldn’t most arguments you’d apply to software consultants apply to them as well?

It's a good question, and I really believe the answer is just that they've been given social permission to gouge (at least, if you're not big or savvy enough to work out a fixed-fee arrangement) that other professions don't really have. Everyone expects a law firm to nickel-and-dime. And, of course, you're really wary of that when you take calls with your lawyer.
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