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I have stable clients. I've only had 2 main ones over the last 3 years. I think there are maybe some misconceptions about what a consulting life must be like. I

I have stable clients. I've only had 2 main ones over the last 3 years. I think there are maybe some misconceptions about what a consulting life must be like. I agree it does sound stressful if it were my long term goal, but it is not, it's primarily a type of life that keeps me as open as possible to finding something truly worth pursuing (IMO at least), which may or may not take the form of a startup. I have my candidates here, which change as I learn.

mercer 11y ago
Same here. I've gone for long periods working primarily for one or two clients, and 1) I made more working part-time than the employees did full-time, 2) I got all the 'fun' new projects while the employees spent a lot of their time doing maintenance and bug-fixing (which they only asked me to do occasionally once I was a 'trusted' contractor), 3) I could go on vacations pretty much whenever I wanted. There are plenty of downsides, of course, but it's a far cry from the initial fear I had of a life of constantly hunting for clients and constantly playing the 'is my client an asshole / will my client pay / is my client a micro-manager'-roulette.
- askafriend 11y ago
  Mind expanding on some of the downsides that you've experienced?
  - mercer 11y ago
    Finances (billing, quarterly taxes, yearly taxes), lack of colleagues (I feel at best a semi-colleague if I'm somewhere long enough), lots of costs, some hidden or vague (insurances, office space, travel, laptop, utilities, etc.), possible dry spells / less job security (not an issue yet, but still), no perks (paid learning, conferences, outings), proposals and discussions about how much things cost, even with longer-term clients. And of course the fact that I can't rely on the more 'default' paths of promotions, specializing, etc. I have to choose to grow, or I just keep doing the same thing or risk falling behind. I don't find all these downsides. For example, I'm rather happy to not have to be around the same group of people day in, day out. Or to feel forced to go to some work event and be a 'team player'. But still. Sometimes I think I miss it, at least.
sanderjd 11y ago
Thanks. I'm not sure it is as much misconception as it is wild variation in what the consulting life is like for different people. Not everyone has those one or two stable long term clients. In many ways, the wide array of different possibilities in the consulting world is both its blessing and its curse.

mercer 11y ago

Same here. I've gone for long periods working primarily for one or two clients, and 1) I made more working part-time than the employees did full-time, 2) I got all the 'fun' new projects while the employees spent a lot of their time doing maintenance and bug-fixing (which they only asked me to do occasionally once I was a 'trusted' contractor), 3) I could go on vacations pretty much whenever I wanted. There are plenty of downsides, of course, but it's a far cry from the initial fear I had of a life of constantly hunting for clients and constantly playing the 'is my client an asshole / will my client pay / is my client a micro-manager'-roulette.

askafriend 11y ago
Mind expanding on some of the downsides that you've experienced?
- mercer 11y ago
  Finances (billing, quarterly taxes, yearly taxes), lack of colleagues (I feel at best a semi-colleague if I'm somewhere long enough), lots of costs, some hidden or vague (insurances, office space, travel, laptop, utilities, etc.), possible dry spells / less job security (not an issue yet, but still), no perks (paid learning, conferences, outings), proposals and discussions about how much things cost, even with longer-term clients. And of course the fact that I can't rely on the more 'default' paths of promotions, specializing, etc. I have to choose to grow, or I just keep doing the same thing or risk falling behind. I don't find all these downsides. For example, I'm rather happy to not have to be around the same group of people day in, day out. Or to feel forced to go to some work event and be a 'team player'. But still. Sometimes I think I miss it, at least.

sanderjd 11y ago

Thanks. I'm not sure it is as much misconception as it is wild variation in what the consulting life is like for different people. Not everyone has those one or two stable long term clients. In many ways, the wide array of different possibilities in the consulting world is both its blessing and its curse.