One thing I always wonder is how to break into the consulting business.
The earning potential looks considerably above the salary employee potential. My current skills & expertise are very much "backend", and I don't have networking connections with people who could offer significant amounts of cash for the solutions I could offer. (Put another way, I only know very small business owners, as they are the dominant employer in the area).
It seems as if the best way in is to get hired at a consulting firm and really understand how tech can drive business value. Am I off?
Personally, I just found built up some savings to give myself a runway, found two small-ish but workable projects/clients, and quit my job...
It was a bit easier because I was not making a lot at the job anyhow-- I basically had to sell one small project a month to replace the income on the job (maybe 3 or 4 days of work), but after that I simply tried to be nice to folks, super available, and really knowledgable. Your situation may be different.
It doesn't hurt that I'm 90mi outside of Austin, so there are a) no jobs here to tempt me, and b) a whole lot of possible work within a small drive.
But I also have to have a lot more going on than just my specific tool chain of computer skills-- I have to do a lot of business strategy and networking things, even if that usually just means eating lunch with folks I've worked with just to keep in touch.
It's all about the networking that you do. Also, the small business market is pretty brutal, and ends up being a numbers game... Your rate is too low to make a living without scaling out.
Big consulting companies are all about applying a predefined framework to business problems.
VARs or similar companies partner with bigger fish to provide pro services to markets that aren't valuable enough for the parent company. An IBM partner will peddle servers and implement IBM products, etc.
A freelancer is all about subject matter expertise. Your either an expert in technology x, or an expert in implementing technology x to vertical market y or integrating technology x with technology z. Your customer might be the end-user, or you may be a subcontractor.
The earning potential looks considerably above the salary employee potential. My current skills & expertise are very much "backend", and I don't have networking connections with people who could offer significant amounts of cash for the solutions I could offer. (Put another way, I only know very small business owners, as they are the dominant employer in the area).
It seems as if the best way in is to get hired at a consulting firm and really understand how tech can drive business value. Am I off?