Lingua Franca

There are so many languages in use around the world today, most commonly demarcated geographically by political borders. When the Eurostar spits you out on the French side of the Channel Tunnel, you are no longer guaranteed to get by with the lingua franca - English. What is the force that drives such a sharp and instantly recognizable divide? Is it a cultural thing, a human thing, that we wouldn't ordinarily regularly associate with other people from so far away? Add to that the state media of television and newspapers in the local tongue, where we in the first decades of the 21st century probably get the highest amount of indirect human influence as far as language is concerned. I like to believe in a past where languages spread through the world like oil paints on water. Then, as geopolitical boundaries - such as countries - appeared and solidified, the dominant colors filled those shapes, giving us the simplified view we've grown to expect today: when in France, speak French.

Good Estimates Come From Good Designs

To paraphrase from "The Art of Project Management" and "Getting Things Done":

Good engineering estimates are possible only if you have two things: good information and good engineers.

Consulting in a Nutshell

Consulting is the provision of expertise to clients who require a particular type of knowledge or service for a specific period of time, thus providing an economy to the client. Businesses implementing a major project may need additional experienced staff to assist with increased work during that period.

There appear to be 3 major facets to consulting:
1) subject matter expertise i.e. C#, .NET, database administration
2) industry expertise i.e. applying the skills to a particular problem
3) consultancy skills i.e. delivering the product of 1 + 2 in the client environments

Exercise in Skinning Cats

Sometimes the job I do seems quite futile and I the blame inability of others [lol] to communicate and/or delegate responsibility.

Capitalism

This quote stolen from Wikipedia:

Capitalism refers to an economic and social system in which the means of production are predominantly privately owned and operated, and in which investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a market economy.

Selling Consultants

Handy Hint #1: if you're unsure of your worth, get someone who's skilled in finding value in what you have to offer; allow them to sell your skills to a client, but learn from them so you can do it yourself next time!

For example, if you move countries or cities, you will inevitably find that demand/supply of your skills, cost of living and earning potential (to name just a few factors) change radically between sites. Speak to a local consultancy and get them to set you up with a client... the sailing will be easier after this!

The crux: knowing your value to others.

Oversimplified Models

On the merits of econometrics and other analytic models: it doesn't have to be right; all you need is the model to deliver some competitive advantage.

Setting Your Price

It's quite a difficult thing to do correctly, and done wrong can mean that you spend years working harder than necessary. The easiest way is to promote comparison between your own daily rate and that of your best competitor. I even saw this in practise over at Tesco this week: compare their in-house brand car sponge to the leading brand! Anyway, the point is that the guys over at Accenture have spent years pushing their consultants' fees upwards, and independant contractors should leverage this to their own advantage...