[consulting] Estimation-Blowout case-studies wanted

[Matt Chapman]

Victor Kane wrote:
> Of course we have a right to publish our minimum wage! 
Agreed. Another fallacy in this discussion is the assumption that 
possessing a law degree makes counsel automatically correct. Lawyers are 
less interested in True or False and more interested in Win or Lose. If 
they can Win a client by advising against a battle they are personally 
likely to Lose, they will advise accordingly, without suggesting that 
the battle might be Won by someone else under the right circumstances. 
Of course, as "War Games" taught us, sometimes the only way to Win is to 
not play the game.

> Of course we have a right to declare rates beneath which no-one should 
> be accepting work.
Who is 'we' here? I don't think the community has any right to force an 
individual to refuse the opportunity to earn. Each individual has the 
right to determine for themselves what standard of living is acceptable 
to them, and therefore the wages they must earn to support that standard 
of living. In a free society, if I don't have the skills to earn that 
wage, I can learn them; if I'm in the wrong place to exercise my skills, 
I can go to the right place. (In a just society, those who can go and 
can learn will provide an average standard of living for those those who 
can't.)

In the internet age, the 'going' is almost entirely irrelevant. What an 
amazing era we live in, where anyone with an internet connection and 
sufficient self-motivation can become an independent Drupal developer 
and earn $1000/per week with moderate effort! In the better part of the 
world, Drupal can, at the present, provide the opportunity to live like 
a king.

To hope that this present state will sustain itself endlessly is 
obviously foolish. It is the nature of Life itself to compete, change, 
grow, and progress. One who insists on maintaining the status quo should 
not be surprised that 'death' is the result. Artificial systems to 
enforce the status quo are artificial life support: living death. No thanks.

I charge a fairly high rate compared to some; I don't begrudge anyone 
the opportunity to work for less, if the amount they receive allows them 
to provide a quality service and support their chosen lifestyle. If they 
aren't providing quality, their client's will decide my services are 
worth the higher price; if they aren't supporting their lifestyle, they 
will raise their rates closer to mine. If they are successful to the 
point that my clients are leaving me, I will be forced to improve the 
quality of my services, or find new services to offer that can command 
the rate I need for my chosen lifestyle. The free market system, while 
far from perfect and not prone to ensure justice of it's own accord, is 
self-correcting.

Fortunately, in the world of IT, there is always some hot new technology 
which can be offered for obscene prices until the rest of the workers 
catch on, then I can alter my lifestyle, or find the next technology. 
wash, rinse, and repeat. If you don't like having to learn new skills 
every couple years, I suggest abandoning the information age society for 
subsistence farming; it's still a viable option. The era of assurances 
of predictably increasing earnings over one's career is gone; everyone 
under thirty should know this and should plan accordingly. The only way 
to continually increase earnings is to continually increase knowledge. 
Artificial controls on earnings, especially in technology, will only 
hinder innovation and progress. Our present economic situation in the 
USA is precisely because too many people expected things to continue as 
they always have, and too few people planned for change.

(Perhaps as a counterpart to Agile Programming Techniques, we need 
evangelists for Agile Living Techniques. Assume what you know and what 
you need today is not an effective predictor of what you will need and 
learn tomorrow.)

This is perhaps ultimately what distinguishes a Consultant from a 
Worker. My primary value is not so much what I can do; it's is what I am 
capable of learning to do. Client's need me when they need someone who 
can do what has never been done before. I thrive under such challenges, 
which is why I am drawn to consulting. Maybe a world is emerging where 
we must all become consultants, or else learn to grow our crops and 
build our own homes. I don't consider it a tragedy if the middle road 
disappears entirely, but I understand why other's might.

As long as we are providing a service that the "bosses" need, we have 
the power; centralizing that power will only inhibit the liberty of the 
individual. Tyranny from the association of workers is no better than 
the tyranny from the association of bosses. 

When information capital is the prime commodity and information is as 
free as it is now on the internet, those with money capital (i.e., your 
"bosses") are no longer advantaged. Long live OLPC, Wikipedia, oDesk, 
and CreativeCommons.

I'm thankful to live in a society where I can chose to be my own boss 
anytime I want. The solution in the worker/boss struggle is not for the 
workers to gang up against the bosses; it is for the workers to BECOME 
the bosses. Drupal has made this possible for me, and for that, I'm 
truly thankful.

Best to all,

Matt