Does anybody remember "downsizing" or "rightsizing" or whatever euphemism business was using earlier in this decade for cutting staff in the name of cutting costs? I think the boom we've seen in contracting and consulting (C&C) since then is a direct result. Nobody who was doing all of this slashing ever thought ahead to who was going to get all of the work done after all of the slashing took place. Gun-shy downsizing victims turned to C&C because the risk of being "on the beach" for any extended period was a lot lower.
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that most consultant-heavy IT shops are spending twice the money to get half the work done because they're staffing up with what are essentially migrant workers.
FTEs are a valuable asset because after they're done with one project, they take the understanding of your business gained there to the next one. Unless you've got a contractor or consultant for the long haul, you're not going to get this and will end up spending a few thousand dollars each time to get a new person up to speed. Business doesn't think ahead anymore.
I'm a FTE and intend to remain that way for a bunch of reasons:
I rather like the idea of having a long-term relationship with the business that hired me.
I like knowing how long my commute will be six months from now.
I like not having to be stuffed into the worst space the company has to offer. And last, but most important:
I like to be around to see whether or not I did a good job and provided what the company needed. I've dealt with lots of consultants, and to date only one ever called back to see how his work stood up. (And he wasn't looking for more work, either!)
I may not be pulling down the $100+ an hour I could doing C&C work, but that last item is worth a lot to me as a professional.
"PC/TV `convergence' is sort of analogous to combining a kitchen sink and a toilet bowl because they're both porcelain water receptors." -- E-town.com correspondent Stewart Wolpin
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I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that most consultant-heavy IT shops are spending twice the money to get half the work done because they're staffing up with what are essentially migrant workers.
FTEs are a valuable asset because after they're done with one project, they take the understanding of your business gained there to the next one. Unless you've got a contractor or consultant for the long haul, you're not going to get this and will end up spending a few thousand dollars each time to get a new person up to speed. Business doesn't think ahead anymore.
I'm a FTE and intend to remain that way for a bunch of reasons:
I rather like the idea of having a long-term relationship with the business that hired me.
I like knowing how long my commute will be six months from now.
I like not having to be stuffed into the worst space the company has to offer.
And last, but most important:
I like to be around to see whether or not I did a good job and provided what the company needed. I've dealt with lots of consultants, and to date only one ever called back to see how his work stood up. (And he wasn't looking for more work, either!)
I may not be pulling down the $100+ an hour I could doing C&C work, but that last item is worth a lot to me as a professional.
"PC/TV `convergence' is sort of analogous to combining a kitchen sink and a toilet bowl because they're both porcelain water receptors."
-- E-town.com correspondent Stewart Wolpin