21–30 of 187 posts
I'm happy I'm not a consultant. I value job security, and therefore a financially secure life, over any of the benefits this consultant has.
1. Pressure to do things quickly, which you may not fully understand. Consultancy sales don't always sell entirely realistic things, and being asked to deliver what they sold can be .... stressful.
2. If you're a one-person band, you're not just a consultant, you're sales+marketing+accountancy+delivery.
3. You often don't get to see how things develop in the longer term. This was partly down to the industry I was in (pentesting) but holds true for a lot of consultancy
Also: when the client makes sub-optimal decisions you can take solace in the fact that you won't be around to deal with the consequences. And if it causes you to bill more hours - it's a bonus!
I did not hear a single consultant telling me how great it is to be one, when a collective announcement by the director was made that due to financial problems not a single consultant contract would be extended this year. This would help the company to get into financial stability again, and would prevent to fire anyone in the company. I'm happy I'm not a consultant. I value job security, and therefore a financially…
The secret on how to become a great consultant: Take all the blame, distribute all the praise. Here is the thing, being a consultant is a thankless job, and it needs to be. If a project does not go as planned, the success does not happen. Take the blame. You are an external, it does not matter. They got you into the company to improve the state of the client, to improve them. If it does not happen, you are to blame.…
I’ve had a previous engagement for about 1.5y with this type of culture, and it made me miserable.
I've done both sides of the coin as well and Ian's points definitely resonate. There are downsides (IMO) though :- 1. Pressure to do things quickly, which you may not fully understand. Consultancy sales don't always sell entirely realistic things, and being asked to deliver what they sold can be .... stressful. 2. If you're a one-person band, you're not just a consultant, you're sales+marketing+accountancy+delivery.…
That's the boat I'm in! Multiple hats — all of equal importance. No sales and marketing? Say bye to generating any revenue. No accounting? Say bye to collecting payment. And delivery — at the end of the day, your delivery more or less dictates whether that customer returns.
Also: when the client makes sub-optimal decisions you can take solace in the fact that you won't be around to deal with the consequences. And if it causes you to bill more hours - it's a bonus!
But do you want to work on projects that you already expect to fail? Money isn't everything, seeing your work in action and how it improved the organization or the life of others is much more rewarding imo.
Also: when the client makes sub-optimal decisions you can take solace in the fact that you won't be around to deal with the consequences. And if it causes you to bill more hours - it's a bonus!
It is not like employees stick around that long either anyway.
6. The sense of relief when your invoice is paid is amazing. 7. Having to go into projects that really don't make sense but pay your bills teaches diplomacy and patience. 8. Having long-term financial committments on the one hand (mortgage, school and medical bills etc.) and short-term uncertain revenue is an interesting mental exercise to engage in. The last one is the killer for me I think, having dabbled in this a…