Despite economic cycles, the idea of using technology to make a company more efficient and competitive-or perhaps even reach a new market- is appealing to all but the most desperate and cash-starved companies. More and more often, those companies look to technology consultants to fulfill their needs.
There are real advantages to being a consultant. You make contacts with a lot of different people; you get exposure to many industries; and most important, unlike a software developer in the IT department for a brick-and-mortar company, as a technology consultant, you are the profit center...so long as you are billing.
Consulting can be hugely rewarding-but it's easy to fail if you are unprepared. To succeed, you need a mentor who knows the lay of the land. Aaron Erickson is your mentor, and this is your guidebook.
Erickson has done it all-from Practice Leadership to the lowest level project work. In The Nomadic Developer, he brings together his hardwon insights on becoming successful and achieving success through tough times and relentless change. You'll find 100% practical advice and real experiences-his own and annotations from those in the trenches. In addition, renowned consultants-such as David Chappell, Bruce Eckel, Deborah Kurata, and Ted Neward-share some of their hard-earned lessons.
With this useful guidebook, you can
Objectively assess whether the consultant's life makes sense for youBreak into the business and build a career path that worksAvoid the Seven Deadly Firms by identifying unscrupulous technology consultancies and avoiding their traps and pitfallsUnderstand the business models and mechanics that virtually all consulting firms useMaster secret consulting success tips that are typically left unstated or overlookedGain a competitive advantage by adding more value than your competitorsContinue your professional development so you stay billable even during bad timesProfit from both fixed-bid and time-and-materials projectsBuild a personal brand that improves your resiliency no matter what happens