[consulting] Established clients seeking technical training.

Wed Nov 18 00:18:38 UTC 2009

Chris,

I think a lot of folks here do you a disservice by dismissing your concern
that teaching your friend might result in you losing work.  That is a very
real and legitimate concern.  While there is plenty of work out there, a
well paying, easy to get along with bread and butter client that is giving
you work on an ongoing basis is not that easy to find.

It would be wrong for you to sabotage your friend, or your clients efforts
to get cheaper help, but I don't think you should feel obligated to
contribute to your own obsolescence.

Teaching and mentoring is also a very different service than providing
development and consulting.  As a professional, there's no reason you should
be expected to provide that type of service, unless you have already done
so.  I'm pretty sure that if I offered to pay my accountant to teach me how
to do my own taxes, he'd tell me that's not a service he provides -- and you
should be able to say the same.

Sam

On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 4:04 PM, Nancy Wichmann <nan_wich at bellsouth.net>wrote:

>  Chris Miller wrote:
>
> > The first place I point clients and friends is the Drupal community.
> This is where I learned my trade.  …
>
> > friend does not jump on board with the community aspect.
>
> I think I’ve met your friend. J
>
>
>
> Not everyone is going to get it. Everyone learns in a different way – just
> like some people hear and learn while some read and learn. I do and learn,
> apparently like you.
>
>
>
> > I don't feel that I can deliver a very effective "brain dump" in this
> context...
>
> > This is not how I learned, and this is not the type of work I want to
> build my business on
>
> That’s a fair assessment, and there’s noting at all wrong with that. Not
> everyone can teach, and not all teachers can teach any subject. There are
> people in the Drupal community who do feel they have the ability to teach
> (and a few who actually have it). I’d be happy to bid the teaching job.
>
>
>
> Nancy E. Wichmann, PMP
>
> (781) 697-6344
>
>
>
> Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -- Dr. Martin L.
> King, Jr.
>
>
>
> *From:* consulting-bounces at drupal.org [mailto:
> consulting-bounces at drupal.org] *On Behalf Of *Chris Miller
> *Sent:* Tuesday, November 17, 2009 2:15 PM
> *To:* A list for Drupal consultants and Drupal service/hosting providers
> *Subject:* Re: [consulting] Established clients seeking technical
> training.
>
>
>
> All good points.  The crowd seems to be in favor of training, so I'm glad I
> posted.  I'd like to defend myself a bit though!
>
> I really enjoy helping out on the d.o forums, IRC, presenting at and
> attending camps, attending conferences, evangelizing, etc.  I think I have a
> pretty good track record on the forums and IRC.  I've contributed a bit of
> code, bug fixes, etc.  I've given dozens of people their first sip of
> "Drupal cool aid".  I'm all about giving back to the community when I can.
>
> The heart of this issue for me is...  The first place I point clients and
> friends is the Drupal community.  This is where I learned my trade.  I've
> pointed said friend at drupal.org, IRC, g.d.o, etc, and friend does not
> jump on board with the community aspect.  I don't feel that I can deliver a
> very effective "brain dump" in this context...  This is not how I learned,
> and this is not the type of work I want to build my business on.
>
>   Chris.
>
> On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:55 AM, Jerad Bitner <sirkitree at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> While I can understand your want of job security, if everybody in the
> Drupal community took that stance, we would not have the awesome
> community we have today.
>
> The community takes more of a "Teach a man to fish..." approach,
> rather than, "A plumber wouldn't teach you how to fix the pipes."
>
> In this way, we all become knowledgeable and are able to build on each
> other's knowledge. This is a basic difference in 'Open source mindset'
> vs. 'proprietary'. You said you use Drupal and so are benefitting
> directly form this, so please don't take the opposite approach.
>
> I'm not saying you should teach him if you don't have the interest or
> time, but make that your reason rather then you don't think you
> _should_ teach him. Teaching is a great way to put yourself in the
> 'expert' chair to those you're teaching as well, and this can gain you
> more respect and clients than trying to keep it all to yourself.
>
> I guess I'm encouraging you to teach your friend, and if he really is
> your friend, I don't think you would actually mind doing so. If you're
> just looking to make a buck off of him, well you might want to
> redefine your relationship a bit. That sounds more like a client
> relationship, than friend. Though the two are not inseparable.
>
> Hope that made sense...
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:42 AM, Chris Miller
> <chris at trailheadinteractive.com> wrote:
> > Hello all,
> >
> > I have a friend employed by an established and profitable client of 3
> years,
> > that is asking for independent training and instruction on Drupal
> > development.  This friend has a few basic technical skills, and dabbles
> in
> > side projects.  We're using Drupal for several projects at said friend's
> > job.  I've heard the analogy that "A plumber wouldn't teach you how to
> fix
> > the pipes", and I'm looking for a nice way to say that to my friend.  Has
> > anyone else had to deal with this situation?  How did it turn out?
> >
> > Honestly I have no interest in training anyone to independently do the
> work
> > that puts food on my table.  I've thought about just charging 3x my
> normal
> > rate and milking it.  Is that wrong?
> >
> > --
> >  Chris Miller
> >  Trailhead Interactive
> >  http://www.trailheadinteractive.com
> >  406-750-0107
> >
>
> > _______________________________________________
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> > consulting at drupal.org
> > http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
> ~Jerad Bitner
> CTO ~ Rapid Waters Development
> http://rapidwatersdev.com
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
> --
>  Chris Miller
>  Trailhead Interactive
>  http://www.trailheadinteractive.com
>  406-750-0107
>
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