Re: Consultant histories

[Rob Berendt <rob@xxxxxxxxx>]

This reminds me of the consulting work I used to do many years ago.

First, I hung up my own shingle.  It seems that noone would hire someone 
without any experience.  So, in 1983, I started consulting at $10/hr.  One 
steady client for 6 months.  An insurance broker who thought my rates were 
highway robbery and despised the minimum wage.

Then I worked for a firm out of Kalamazoo for 2.5 years.  Got an amazing amount 
of experience.  No training, other than OJT.  They lost customers because they 
would have people waiting by for work, that they could have trained but didn't 
for fear that the person would pad their resume.  Someone was willing to pay 
consultant rates for someone to operate their S/36 while their perm employee's 
broken leg healed.  Only retirement plan talked about was one that was 100% 
employee contribution and that you were not immediately vested.  15 employees, 
of which: 1 president, 2 vice presidents, 1 marketing rep, 1 receptionist, all 
nonbillable.  This was where I became embittered that consultants were overpaid 
and undertrained.  My first contract was working on a Microdata Reality in 
RPL221.  I didn't even know the name of the operating system until years later 
- Pick.  My training:  here's the manual.  The firm went under.  They hired a 
third vice president who viewed programmers and analysts as not revenue, but an 
expense.  Wanted to peddle canned software and run.

I've gotten more training at the company I am at now than you can shake a stick 
at.  Been here for 12 loving years.  I've been approached by employers in my 
old home town.  I figured that if they wouldn't hire me then and put training 
into me, what would they do now?  Stuff them.
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