Got this pearl of wisdom over dinner with a client. A fellow engineer who had become a director for a defense contractor, we were discussing how engineers were attracted to solving problems. He paused, and said: “It is is not enough to merely solve problems. We must anticipate them as well. Something I always emphasized […]
Just received this query from India. Wow — we have an international following! But as I’ve noted here before, consulting is both international and location independent. Assuming others might find this useful, I’m sharing it here. Hi, Your website is highly informative. I ask you a question because you have real time experience as an […]
So says a recent article in Computerworld — Your next job, next year, may be self employment. According to Emergent Research (a firm focused on small businesses trends) approximately one million IT (Information Technology) workers today are self-employed. This represents about 18% of the IT workforce. Not only that, the independent IT workforce is growing […]
As promised in a recent post, here is Marty Zwilling’s “success story.” His story should be of special interest to boomers, as he started his consultancy after he retired – the first time. Geeks too – he was part of the team behind the IBM PC. Marty specializes in helping new entrepreneurs get started. Thus, […]
So asked the Dean of Engineering to a bunch of freshman engineering students almost fifty years ago. The class was Intro to Engineering, an overview of what we were getting ourselves into. When he asked the question, most of the hands in the room went up. “Well”, he replied, “if you REALLY want go get […]
Time for another interview with another successful consulting engineer — Kellie Hedrick, PE, of Environmental Process Solutions PLLC. Kellie is a Civil Engineer and a Registered Professional Engineer (PE), and specializes in wastewater treatment. How about that for a unique consulting niche? She has been in full time practice since 2010, and is located in […]
Or, one reason I finally became an independent consultant… I chuckle to myself every time I’m reminded of this story. Recently posted this as a reply at Perry Marshall’s blog. Incidentally, Perry is another engineer who broke the corporate bonds and went on to found a very successful Internet marketing business. Thought I was in […]
Here is my first “interview” — Jacob Beningo of Beningo Engineering. It was his newsletter that provided the humor in the previous post. Jacob speciaizes in the “development and design of quality, robust embedded systems.” He has a degree in Electrical Engineering (another gEEk), started consulting in 2009, and has been on his own since […]
10 Signs You Might Be A Consultant… (1) Your largest expense is socks from never leaving the house. (More wear and tear) (2) Business casual is khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt (3) 3 months of vacation a year just doesn’t quite feel long enough (4) Bean counters panic when they see you (5) Afternoon […]
As a consultant, you can’t know everything. Sometimes you need to bring in other experts. When you do, it is much easier if you have greased the skids ahead of time. Here is a geek story from my college days. Ernie was an ME (mechanical engineering) student, and a good one at that. However, he […]
This is a true story. Not even the names have been changed… Mary (my wife) was at the beauty shop, getting her hair done. She couldn’t help hearing the conversation in the next chair. The discussion centered around the new boy friend of the customer’s niece. Here is a summary of the exchanges: Hairdresser – […]
In celebration of Engineer’s Week, February 17-23, 2013… You could not… Drive to work… cook a pot roast… bake bread… take a shower… watch television… make toast… brew coffee… mow the lawn… call your mother… be cool in the summer… wash you clothes… play computer games… listen to your stereo… ride your bike… videotape a […]
I’m living proof. No MBA, and in fact, I’m an MBA dropout. But more on that later. This post was precipitated by a post by Martin Zwilling at Startup Professional Musings, where Martin discusses the pros and cons of an MBA for entrepreneurs. His advice is right in the title – Don’t Delay Your First […]
Boomers and geeks take note! Close to retirement, and wondering about consulting? My long time friend Don shows you a way. Fresh out of engineering school, Don and I worked together in the late 1960’s at Collins Radio. In addition to both being EEs (Electrical Engineers), we shared a common interest in amateur (ham) radio […]
This is a response to Jim, who commented on “Are Engineers Really in Demand.” Thought this deserved a blog post, rather than just a response from me. Of all the things that offer consulting opportunities Engineering, with the exception of Civil, is way down on the list. With all the non disclosure agreements and req […]
Warning — Geek Story Ahead! My brother Jim is a retired civil engineer. When we get together, we often share war stories. This one has a good lesson for consultants. “It was Friday afternoon, and it was time to head into town for a cold beer and hot meal,” Jim began. He was working on […]
Here is my reply to a recent IEEE article “Are Engineers Really in Demand?” The authors posed this question in response to a recent Washington Post story that discussed unemployment among engineers. Being a geek myself, I was intrigued. What disturbed me, however, were the comments that followed. Way too much griping about how the government, […]
Just gave a talk titled “Consulting for Geeks – So You Want to be a Consultant?” at DesignCon2012 in Santa Clara, CA. With over 100 attendees, it confirmed my suspicion that many of my technical colleagues are considering consulting — at least secretly anyway. And why not? If you are a professional (engineer, architect, accountant, […]
You are invited to join me… at an upcoming talk at DesignCon 2012 on Consulting for Geeks. This is an update of a talk I gave at last year’s IEEE EMC Symposium. Sixty people showed up for that presentation — as the LAST talk of the LAST session on the LAST day. Turns out a lot of […]
Consultants come in all types of sizes, shapes, and specialties. However, most fall into one of two broad categories — management consultants or technical consultants. While both provide services and advice aimed at helping the client, there are some significant differences. As a consulting engineer, I am more familiar with the technical category. Nevertheless, I’ve […]
