The Nomadic Developer: Surviving and Thriving in the World of Technology Consulting (Paperback)

Learn the Real Secrets of Succeeding as a Software or IT Consultant in Any Economic Climate!

Despite economic cycles, the idea of using technology to make a company more efficient and competitive–or perhaps even reach a new market– is appealing to all but the most desperate and cash-starved companies. More and more often, those companies look to technology consultants to fulfill their needs.

There are real advantages to being a consultant. You make contacts with a lot of different people; you get exposure to many industries; and most important, unlike a software developer in the IT department for a brick-and-mortar company, as a technology consultant, you are the profit center…so long as you are billing.

Consulting can be hugely rewarding–but it’s easy to fail if you are unprepared. To succeed, you need a mentor who knows the lay of the land. Aaron Erickson is your mentor, and this is your guidebook.

Erickson has done it all–from Practice Leadership to the lowest level project work. In The Nomadic Developer, he brings together his hardwon insights on becoming successful and achieving success through tough times and relentless change. You’ll find 100% practical advice and real experiences–his own and annotations from those in the trenches. In addition, renowned consultants–such as David Chappell, Bruce Eckel, Deborah Kurata, and Ted Neward–share some of their hard-earned lessons.

With this useful guidebook, you can

• Objectively assess whether the consultant’s life makes sense for you
• Break into the business and build a career path that works
• Avoid the Seven Deadly Firms by identifying unscrupulous technology consultancies and avoiding their traps and pitfalls
• Understand the business models and mechanics that virtually all consulting firms use
• Master secret consulting success tips that are typically left unstated or overlooked
• Gain a competitive advantage by adding more value than your competitors
• Continue your professional development so you stay billable even during bad times
• Profit from both fixed-bid and time-and-materials projects
• Build a personal brand that improves your resiliency no matter what happens

About the Author     xiii

About the Annotators     xv

Acknowledgments     xix

Foreword     xxi

Preface     xxv

Chapter 1: Why Consulting?     1

Chapter 2: The Seven Deadly Firms     27

Chapter 3: How Technology Consulting Firms Work     59

Chapter 4: Getting In: Ten Unstated Traits That Technology Consulting Firms Look For     97

Chapter 5: What You Need to Ask Before You Join a Technology Consulting Firm     125

Chapter 6: Surviving     157

Chapter 7: Thriving     181

Chapter 8: Your Career Path     207

Chapter 9: Avoiding Career-Limiting Moves     231

Chapter 10: Is Consulting Right for You?     259

Chapter 11: An Anthology of Sage Advice     273

Appendix A: Consultopia: The Ideal Consulting Firm     311

Appendix B: A Consulting Lexicon     325

Index     343

學習在任何經濟環境下成功成為軟體或資訊科技顧問的真正秘訣！

儘管經濟循環不斷變化，利用科技提高公司效率和競爭力，甚至開拓新市場的想法對除了最絕望和資金匱乏的公司以外的所有公司都具有吸引力。越來越多的公司尋求科技顧問來滿足他們的需求。

成為顧問有很多優勢。你可以與許多不同的人建立聯繫；你可以接觸到許多不同的行業；最重要的是，與實體公司的資訊科技部門的軟體開發人員不同，作為科技顧問，你是利潤中心...只要你有帳單。

顧問工作可能非常有回報，但如果你沒有做好準備，很容易失敗。要成功，你需要一位熟悉行情的導師。亞倫·埃里克森（Aaron Erickson）就是你的導師，這本書就是你的指南。

埃里克森曾經做過所有的工作，從實踐領導到最基層的項目工作。在《遊牧開發者》中，他匯集了自己在艱難時期和不斷變化中取得成功的寶貴經驗。你將找到100％實用的建議和真實經歷-包括他自己的經驗和那些在一線戰場上的註解。此外，著名顧問-如大衛·查佩爾（David Chappell）、布魯斯·埃克爾（Bruce Eckel）、德博拉·庫拉塔（Deborah Kurata）和泰德·紐沃德（Ted Neward）-分享了他們辛苦學到的一些教訓。

有了這本實用的指南，你可以：

- 客觀評估顧問生活是否適合你
- 進入這個行業，建立一個適合你的職業道路
- 通過識別不誠實的科技顧問公司並避免它們的陷阱和困境，避免七大致命公司
- 了解幾乎所有顧問公司使用的商業模式和機制
- 掌握通常被省略或忽視的秘密顧問成功技巧
- 通過提供比競爭對手更多的價值獲得競爭優勢
- 在困難時期仍然能夠保持計費狀態，持續專業發展
- 從固定價格和時間材料項目中獲利
- 建立個人品牌，無論發生什麼事情都能提高你的彈性

作者簡介 xiii
註釋者簡介 xv
致謝 xix
前言 xxi

第1章：為什麼要做顧問？1
第2章：七大致命公司27
第3章：科技顧問公司的運作方式59
第4章：進入行業：科技顧問公司尋找的十個未明示特徵97
第5章：加入科技顧問公司之前需要問的問題125
第6章：生存157
第7章：蓬勃發展181
第8章：你的職業道路207
第9章：避免限制職業發展的舉動231
第10章：顧問工作是否適合你？259