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15 reasons why you might not want to be a consultant

Started by Steve @ bripblap · 10 months ago

The term consultant gets tossed around a little too freely these days, but the core definition of a consultant seems to be “someone brought in from outside a company to give advice.”  Consultants, of course, come in many different packages.  There are consu ... Continue reading »

15 comments

  • No Debt Plan

    1 year ago

    I'm guessing you work as a consultant... I'd be interested in learning how you decided and made the jump to consultant life. Sorry if you already covered it in the past, if so just link me to it.
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  • Clever Dude

    1 year ago

    So true, so true. I have one guy at my current client who actually said he wants an all new contract staff. He's a jerk and we don't take him seriously, but that one hurt! They honestly don't want to deal with the documentation that we require and they're used to just walking up to a developer and telling them what to do. Sorry, can't do that and cover your butt on the contract at the same time!
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  • FFB

    1 year ago

    Here's another reason - Depending on the industry you're in you may go a long time between jobs. You need to be able to budget yourself very well. While working you may make a lot but that can disappear quick when you haven't worked for three months or longer.

    One more related to my first - You may have to find work out of the city or state you're in. You might get a per diem and such but you could be away from your family for extended periods of time.
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  • Dividend growth investor

    1 year ago

    I was a "consultant" once. The funniest thing that happened to me was when I tried to use the coffee machine they informed me that because I was a "seasonal employee" I couldn't drink coffee from the machine.. It was very funny that they let me access confidential info but wouldn't let me drink coffee.
    The person that told me that (a middle finance manager) prompted me to write up a certain memo to upper management about how certain people spend their workday ( checking how much coffee is being used vs doing what they were hired to do) and to give some process improvement suggestions.. :-)
    Never be rude to consultants. They could always get back at you :-)
    reply
  • Alex Le

    1 year ago

    I highly recommend the book "The Secrets of Consulting" by Gerald M. Weinberg (ISBN 0932633013). I'm myself a web developer and do quite a bit of consulting work besides my main job. The principles and advices in the book is very helpful and give my a much better idea of how to offer my service at higher quality, making more money while keeping both parties happy. I strongly believe that your work reflects the efforts you put in it. Your relationship with the clients depends on the communications and the level of trust that you can build. The more you invest in, the more you will get out of it.
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  • ThickenMyWallet

    1 year ago

    Anyone starting their career should avoid consulting unless it is the industry norm. The best way to learn about business is by doing it and learning from your mistakes. Consultants advise but rarely implement. Its hard to learn a business that way and how can you advise if you never worked "in" a business?

    Its a different ball-game if you have worked for some time and then become a consultant.
    reply
  • AJC @ 7million7years

    1 year ago

    Great advice, Steve! I turned down an opportunity to become an independent consultant (even though, at the time, I was a well-regarded 'staff' consultant for one of the most prestigious companies in the IT world) because I knew my income would be capped to:

    # hours in the working week - # hours no jobs available - # hours prospecting for more jobs - # hours administering paperwork - # hours wife wants the kids minded - # ???

    In other words, it's a 'business' (or a job, if you're doing it for somebody else) with no real upside ... UNLESS you hire other consultants to do the work for you!
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  • Steve (Brip Blap)

    1 year ago

    Thanks for all the comments! I'm not sure everyone realizes that I'm going to talk about the upside tomorrow... there are a lot of negatives to consulting but I think there are some positive upsides, too, which I'll cover tomorrow.

    Thickenmywallet has it right. Consulting is a good way to make a living if you've got a lot of industry experience. If you don't, you're just an impediment.

    @FFB: It depends on where you live and what you do. Concentrating on the financial services industry and living in New York I have ZERO need to travel unless I feel like it - which is a nice luxury.
    reply
  • Four Pillars

    1 year ago

    Count me as one of those "long time employees who resent the consultant" types. :)

    It's interesting to hear from the other side though.

    Mike
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  • fathersez

    1 year ago

    Bad news before the good news.

    I agree with your list, though part of (2) should be in tomorrow's list.

    Look forward to that.

    Cheers
    reply
  • Trent Hamm

    1 year ago

    #5 can sometimes be a positive if you're self-directed - you no longer have to spend your time pushing people. Instead, you can get tasks done.
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  • Coddigus

    1 year ago

    So depressing Bripblap. So depressing.
    reply
  • Steve (Brip Blap)

    1 year ago

    @Four Pillars: I certainly can understand - I'm a consultant and a lot of consultants grate on my nerves, too!

    @Fathersez: You're right, #2 seems like a good thing. By "ridiculously" I was trying (not clearly enough, apparently) to say that consultants sometimes get a goofy level of treatment that makes regular employees resent them. But yeah, for the consultant that's not always a bad thing!

    @Trent: You are completely right - #5 shows up in my list of positives, too. I liked managing people, but it made it much harder to get things done sometimes.
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  • Writer's Coin

    1 year ago

    You're right, I'm one of those people who knows little about consulting but sees it as something I would love to do at some point (which makes no sense). Can't wait to see what you have to add today!
    reply
  • bubelah

    1 year ago

    I don't remember a time when I felt that consultant is just a temp. I always regarded consultants as highly specialized agents. But maybe it's because they never worked in my department and I had to deal with them only on a project-based level.
    I, however, felt slightly more superior towards temps. But then again, some of the temps were eventually hired to a full time positions and got more responsibilities.
    reply

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