Hi Maria,
Having bounced back and forth between consulting and being an employee I'd go for it. Whether you should go for it or whether you will enjoy the "consultant" role is a matter of personal preference. One way to find out is to just jump in but it also depends on the details of your first contract gig. I wouldn't worry about feelings of inadequacy- you have valued knowledge skills to offer and that's how you should present yourself. It's up to your customers to judge what you have to offer and most of that evaluation process doesn't happen until well after you've started. If you're an employee they have to worry about how to get rid of you but as a contractor they can drop you in a heartbeat which mitigates their risk. That's why lot's of companies are willing to pay more for a contractor vs. hiring another employee.
A lot of it also depends on your financial situation. If you are really dependent on regular income then there's more risk for you but if you can go a couple of months between gigs then there's a lot more freedom and you can be more discriminating on "assignments" instead of just settling for the first thing that comes along.
As far as soft skills I'd say the most important thing is conduct yourself with absolute honesty! Be honest even when it hurts. It's very refreshing to deal with a completely honest person and once you establish this reputation you will get boatloads of professional respect. After that the rest is just details.
If someone asks you a question that you're not sure about say something like, "Wow, that's a really good question and I'd like to give it the attention it deserves. I've touched on these issues before but let me give it some serious thought so how about we pick up this tomorrow?" Then go home, do your research, and make a few notes for talking points the next day.
You might want to go through an agency to start and after you get the hang of it consider jumping in all the way by incorporating and doing a lot of accounting/legal things to maximize income and minimize taxes. That's when it really starts to get fun. ;-)
Steve Orr
Bozeman, Montana
-----Original Message-----
From: Maria Aurora VT de la Vega [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 10:24 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
Subject: career questions
Gurus,
I have been an Oracle DBA for almost 5 years and would like very
much to venture into independent Oracle consulting (part-time). As i
have spent most of these 5 years as a sole DBA for different companies,
studying and learning the ropes of Oracle Administration through books,
magazines, test machines and this list, I feel confident enough to
handle most Oracle issues. At the same time, I still have that feeling
of inadequacy. I am not sure if I am good enough to offer my services to
local companies.
That said, I'd like to ask every one who are into consulting (on
their own or as a part-time gig) what are the technical and soft skills
necessary before I even think about consulting. How would you know that
you're "technically" ready for it. And how do I get started. Tips are
welcome too!
Thanks everyone.
=)
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Author: Maria Aurora VT de la Vega
INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
