Contract vs. captive

Subject: Contract vs. captive
From: geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 08:57:06 -0600

Keith Anderson explained why he got out of the
contracting business for a full time position:

<<I got burned-out on consulting and contracting... The
name of the game was billable hours... The more hours past
40/week I put in, the more my potential for a big bonus.>>

This is one of the reasons I've stayed away from full-time
freelancing so far... I have a tough time saying no to a
good client. Many of my friends freelance, and have the
same problem. You can end up with no life if you're solely
client-oriented, or with lost clients if you set (to you)
reasonable limits on your hours. It's a tough call for
anyone. Me, I made a conscious decision to live more simply
on less money in exchange for knowing that my life is
pretty much my own outside the 40-odd hours per week when
I'm in the office.

<<Then I sub-contracted to work for a training company... I
was told that I had no input and to just do what they say
since they are the customer.>>

That's always the case to a greater or lesser extent,
whether you're a captive or a freelancer. The one great
advantage with freelancing is that you can walk away at the
end of the contract, or even break the contract sometimes,
and never come back. At work, you have to reach a modus
vivendi with your problem clients.

<<Personally, I'm glad to be out of the consulting racket.
I don't want to stick it to clients because I want as much
as I can get. I think it's criminal to agree on a delivery
date and product and then push out deadlines or go over
budget. Yet that's every day business.>>

You recognized the ethical problem and felt strongly enough
to use it as part of your reason for quitting, which is
laudable, but the conclusion is a non sequitur. _You_
personally felt no need to screw the client, and wanted to
have the reputation of giving good value for the client's
money. There's nothing stopping you from doing this...
provided you work for _yourself_ and not an unscrupulous
agency. Peter Kent deals with this issue in his book, and
uses it as one primary distinction between those who work
for agencies and those who "consult". As a consultant, your
reputation for fair play and quality work is what gets you
repeat business, to the point that guys like Peter don't
need to do much looking for work anymore. Worth a thought?

--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.




Previous by Author: Finding a good printer?
Next by Author: More complex magic procedures
Previous by Thread: Finding a good printer?
Next by Thread: Writing samples


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads