Re:How I went from $100-an-hour programming to $X0,000-a-wee...
by wpietri on Monday November 19, 2012 @06:56PM
(#4807016)
> I don't know how many messes I've cleaned up (likely left by people charging a hell of a lot more than me) for really low rates.
Sorry to say it, but almost nobody hiring consultants gives a shit about cleaning up messes. If they did, they wouldn't need to hire consultants to clean up messes.
Don't clean up messes, or at least not the things that you perceive as messes but they don't. Just like the article says, solve problems that people with money know that they have. If somebody with a clusterfuck of a system is paying $30k/month for hosting and you can cut it in half with a month's work, then charge them $30k. They'll balk, but tell them they'll get paid back in 2 months. If they are too dumb to take that deal, fuck 'em.
I know it's painful to leave people with all the other messes they have. But if you're going to do charity work just because it makes you happy to tidy things, then do it for actual charities.
Sorry to say it, but almost nobody hiring consultants gives a shit about cleaning up messes. If they did, they wouldn't need to hire consultants to clean up messes.
Don't clean up messes, or at least not the things that you perceive as messes but they don't. Just like the article says, solve problems that people with money know that they have. If somebody with a clusterfuck of a system is paying $30k/month for hosting and you can cut it in half with a month's work, then charge them $30k. They'll balk, but tell them they'll get paid back in 2 months. If they are too dumb to take that deal, fuck 'em.
I know it's painful to leave people with all the other messes they have. But if you're going to do charity work just because it makes you happy to tidy things, then do it for actual charities.