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So You Want To Be A Consultant

Posted by michael on from the billable-hours dept.

Stephen Friedl writes "I've been a self-employed consultant for almost 20 years - I still have my first customer! - and I'm asked often about the business by those who are considering it. It's not for everybody, and there are often surprises, so I've written up a Tech Tip that recounts my experiences and provides advice for the n00b. Executive summary: It's much more about customer service than it is about technical skill."

12 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Jizz

  2. pf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    frsit psotts

  3. n00b eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    das n00b \/\/a|\||\|A j0b t0 b3 A onsu|7a|\|7, 1zzle

  4. An agrarian view to IT consulting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Plowing for several large companies, I'd always done my work on Windows. Recently however, a top online investment firm asked us to do some work using FreedBSD. The concept of having access to source code was very appealing to us, as we'd be able to modify the kernel to meet our exacting standards which we're unable to do with Microsoft's products.

    Although we met several fertilization challenges along the way (specifically, FreedBSD's lack of Token Ring support and the fact that we were unable to defrag its ext2 file system), all in all the process went smoothly. Everyone was very pleased with FreedBSD, and we were considering using it for a great deal of future internal projects.

    So you can imagine our suprise when we were informed by a labourer that we would be required to publish our source code for others to use. It was brought to our attention that FreedBSD is copyrighted under something called the GPL, or the GNU Preventive License. Part of this license states that any changes to the seed are to be made freely available. Unfortunately for us, this meant that the great deal of time and money we spent "touching up" FreedBSD to work for this investment firm would now be available at no cost to our competitors.

    Furthermore, after reviewing this GPL our labourers advised us that any products compiled with GPL'ed tools - such as gcc - would also have to its source code released. This was simply unacceptable.

    Although we had planned for no one outside of this company to ever use, let alone see the source code, we were now put in a difficult position. We could either give away our hard work, or come up with another solution. Although it was tought to do, there really was no option: We had to rewrite the code, from scratch, for Windows 2000.

    I think the biggest thing keeping FreedBSD from being truly competitive with Microsoft is this GPL. Its mercurial requirements virtually guarentee that no business will ever be able to use it. After my experience with FreedBSD, I won't be recommending it to any of my associates. I may reconsider if FreedBSD switches its license to something a little more fair, such as Microsoft's "Shared Source". Until then its attempts to socialize the software market will insure it remains only a bit player.

    I welcome you for your time.

    1. Re:An agrarian view to IT consulting by theapodan · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Man, this is a horrible troll.

      "FreedBSD's .... and the fact that we were unable to defrag its ext2 file system."

      FreeBSD has never used ext2 as its native filesystem, nor the GPL. It looks like someone just found/replaced the word linux with FreeBSD.

  5. eat shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I do the club scene a lot, some say I am a good dancer. I enjoy having a few drinks, usually ale or mead, and I have been known to cause a scene now and then...

    Eric paused, breathing heavily. He'd never done this before and he wanted to make sure all of his best qualities were included in this email.

    I am a geek, to be frank, and I enjoy hacking UNIX and maintaining Open Source programs such as Felchmale^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HFetchmail and a bevy of FAQs regarding 386 sound internals and role-playing games. I've been doing this for 15 years though I've never held a job in my life.

    Eric wondered if this woman he had found on match.com would be impressed with his talents. He decided to put more detail into the message.

    I recently drove 24 hours straight, with but two stops for gasoline, from Eastern PA to Kansas City in an effort to destroy my two arch-nemeses. I would have succeeded except that I blew a head gasket as I was about to shoot one of them from my moving car on Route 69. I am an excellent shot and love guns in general.

    ESR pondered for a moment, wringing out his soaked handkerchief, and continued with his typing.

    So what languages do you know? I fancy myself quite an accomplished amateur linguist and know Anglo-Saxon and Old Icelandic inside and out. I often compose little riddles in them for fun and mental exercise. In fact, I'll include one for you now!

    Chewing on his tongue and squinting, Eric pushed his mind into overdrive and produced a beauty of a riddle on the spot:

    Windeth I towarde the skye
    I haveth eye but blinde am I

    Pleased with his linguistic talents, undoubtedly matched by no one, Eric then asked his potential love-conquest:

    Can you guess the answer to that? In case you can not, the correct answer is "my erect penis." I hope you enjoyed that; I do this sort of thing all the time.

    Eric exhaled slowly and rubbed his belly. It was growling and no doubt wanted its nightly bottle of Jägermeister. He decided to finish up the email in anticipation of the coming alcoholic stupor.

    Well I don't want to make this email too long -- I have a lot of responsibilities in real life to deal with. My role-playing group is coming over and we are spending the next week holed up in the forest near my home in character playing out a possible scenario from Beowulf. I need to get dressed up and I can not find my bear-claw mittens.

    Eric wondered how to wrap up the email, something that would hook the lady on him and make her want more...

    I hope we can meet and have sex. Despite my cerebral palsy, I am a monster in the sack! Maybe you'll get to see for yourself, LOLOLOL! ;-)
    Love,
    Eric S. Raymond
  6. A more important story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    More important news:

    Today the Iraqi people have voted in their first full election in their countries history. Despite the terrorist attacks, the shrill cries of opposition of the corrupt UN, the paralyzed EU, and the perpetually drunk Edward Kennedy the Iraqi people have turned out in high numbers to vote for freedom and democracy.

    This message paid for by the blood of the courageous members of the UK and US and other coalition military forces.

    1. Re:A more important story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      errr, more important news, stupid typical moronic american bashs the UN without any facts. The UN officially support the elections you fuckwit, as does all the EU. The UK is part of the EU, and has the presidency of the EU for the second half of this year.

      This message paid for by "the sick of rednecks with an IQ of 5 who only watch fox news" department.

    2. Re:A more important story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Um, the UN "Oil for Food" corruption exposed them for what they are - criminals. Perhaps you haven't heard about the scandal. Just because your country has given up your rights of self-government to the non-elected ministers in Brussels doesn't make us a redneck.

      Today is a great day, and a triumph for democracy and freedom and Bush's foreign policies. You must hate that.

    3. Re:A more important story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Hmm, Oil for Food.. War for Oil.. The US is just as big of a piece of shit

    4. Re:A more important story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Um, currently the only conviction for that is.... a US based business man. As for criminals, Bush invades a country illegally and you complain about a little financial corruption? The only problem with oil for food was that the money from the oil sales was spent on palaces for sadaam and not on food / medical supplies for the people.

      And yeah, I hate democracy and freedom. thank you for proving my initial point of you not having a fucking clue on anything that doesn't get shown on fox news.

  7. yes!111 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    i whoelly agrea wit joo