Dec 28: Book Review: : The Nomadic Developer Last Part
The last part of my review of the book The Nomadic Developer: Surviving and Thriving in the World of Technology Consulting
continues on from my third post by talking about how to Survive once you have your foot in the door of a development firm and then drawing some conclusions about the book itself.
Once you have started working for a company, you obviously want to remain employed with them for as long as possible. The section on surviving had many great information points, for example: People who create profit don't get fired. The real key to achieving this is by being the go-to person for a client. Preferably a big, fat, whale of a client. The odd thing with my current employer is that they wait for me to become available in order to have work done on their core business systems. Time tracking is a cornerstone that all other aspects of the company rest on, from profit projections to project performance metrics. There are several reasons the big Cs want me to work on this project; trust being at the forefront. The people who depend on this information know that I always say what I mean and that when things are on fire I am not going to leave them hanging. Another reason is that I don't bitch and complain (to them) about what a piece of crap the old legacy code is and how hard it is to work with. For me, I take pride in knowing that every source file I open has been made better in some way by the time I close it. Even if it's not actually related to the bug I am fixing. Not having to hear a developer complain is music to the ears of the project manager as well. Much like getting hired in the first place, the surest way to get assigned to a project is for that project's PM to ask for you specifically.
Another interesting point was that you should strive to not be overpaid. How do you know if you are overpaid? Well, you should be bringing in at least 1.4x your salary, if you aren't then your are being paid more than you are worth. This is a key issue, and one many people have not woken up to: for a business, who stays and who goes in tough times is all about money. I actually told a friend of mine Andy who has his own consulting firm EyeMagine Tech, that although I very much enjoyed working for his small shop, he could not afford to hire me at this time. He was a little disappointed at first (as was I) but after a brief time he actually thanked me for helping him see the business sense behind what I had said. It may seem ludicrous that I convinced a potential employer to not hire me, but you better believe that once he is big enough to afford my rate, he will be on the phone calling me for a position. This is the key to everything in consulting: Setting up the relationships that ensure you will be working for years to come.
continues on from my third post by talking about how to Survive once you have your foot in the door of a development firm and then drawing some conclusions about the book itself.Once you have started working for a company, you obviously want to remain employed with them for as long as possible. The section on surviving had many great information points, for example: People who create profit don't get fired. The real key to achieving this is by being the go-to person for a client. Preferably a big, fat, whale of a client. The odd thing with my current employer is that they wait for me to become available in order to have work done on their core business systems. Time tracking is a cornerstone that all other aspects of the company rest on, from profit projections to project performance metrics. There are several reasons the big Cs want me to work on this project; trust being at the forefront. The people who depend on this information know that I always say what I mean and that when things are on fire I am not going to leave them hanging. Another reason is that I don't bitch and complain (to them) about what a piece of crap the old legacy code is and how hard it is to work with. For me, I take pride in knowing that every source file I open has been made better in some way by the time I close it. Even if it's not actually related to the bug I am fixing. Not having to hear a developer complain is music to the ears of the project manager as well. Much like getting hired in the first place, the surest way to get assigned to a project is for that project's PM to ask for you specifically.
Another interesting point was that you should strive to not be overpaid. How do you know if you are overpaid? Well, you should be bringing in at least 1.4x your salary, if you aren't then your are being paid more than you are worth. This is a key issue, and one many people have not woken up to: for a business, who stays and who goes in tough times is all about money. I actually told a friend of mine Andy who has his own consulting firm EyeMagine Tech, that although I very much enjoyed working for his small shop, he could not afford to hire me at this time. He was a little disappointed at first (as was I) but after a brief time he actually thanked me for helping him see the business sense behind what I had said. It may seem ludicrous that I convinced a potential employer to not hire me, but you better believe that once he is big enough to afford my rate, he will be on the phone calling me for a position. This is the key to everything in consulting: Setting up the relationships that ensure you will be working for years to come.
Along with making sure you are not being overpaid, you should also make sure that your face is the first one your manager sees in the morning and the last one she sees at night before leaving the office. Although it may seem like you are giving up just that much more of your personal life to your job, try to keep in mind that your employer is paying you for eight professional hours a day. How much time do you waste on YouTube or reading blogs during work hours? I thought so. Make sure your employer gets their eight hours, but don't burn yourself out either. Working more than ten hours per day is a sure way to burn yourself out.
The last piece of advice is one that I really have to watch as a self-employed contractor: living within and preferably below your means. Having low expenses and lots of savings gives you options when it comes time to select an engagement. As the old saying goes: "beggars can't be choosers." The author suggests trying to obtain a year's worth of expenses, but honestly, any extra you can put aside will help give you a buffer that will allow you to be more selective of the employers you decide to work with.
The book is excellent, especially for those just starting out in the field but also for those of us who may have gotten a bit rusty at being a contractor. The short anecdotes from other contractors really makes the book feel as though it was written especially for you as they try to mentor you through the sometimes difficult environment of technical consulting. Buy the book.
The last piece of advice is one that I really have to watch as a self-employed contractor: living within and preferably below your means. Having low expenses and lots of savings gives you options when it comes time to select an engagement. As the old saying goes: "beggars can't be choosers." The author suggests trying to obtain a year's worth of expenses, but honestly, any extra you can put aside will help give you a buffer that will allow you to be more selective of the employers you decide to work with.
The book is excellent, especially for those just starting out in the field but also for those of us who may have gotten a bit rusty at being a contractor. The short anecdotes from other contractors really makes the book feel as though it was written especially for you as they try to mentor you through the sometimes difficult environment of technical consulting. Buy the book.
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