Reply to: Beeing a contractor and an entrepreneur

[BarbarianAtTheDoor]

You've never noticed in 8 years of real-time performance system work that doing too much locking (overlocking) badly impact your system performances and that to have a "smart approach" on locking is recommended?
Here's an example of how important it is to think twice before putting locks all over the place for the sake of thread safety.
Simple example based around the singleton concept.
http://www.yoda.arachsys.com/csharp/singleton.html

Now, I typed out a very dismissive reply to your snobbish remark regarding a very basic principle (that's the word they used instead of "pattern" when I started programming for a living) but I honestly understand that you don't mean anything bad, you are just the way you are.

Kiddo, I've been dabbling in singletons for the last 8 (more like 9 ) years, and implemented semaphores in java way before they came out with a later release as part of the language. You either invented sthing in parallel computing recently, or have no clue whatsoever.

But. I'm not trying to compete with you, I have no need to do so, I have a contract which will run for another 18 months supposedly, we're not even on the same market.

What does concern me slightly is that we might have to work together, and that no matter what I show about your "smart locks" to my manager or anyone technical above me, they won't fire you, for reasons which are far beyond me. They never fire them. Not even if they hold everyone back. This has always been one of the greatest mysteries of the City for me, what's wrong with terminating an incompetent contractor's terms?

And that is exactly why I welcome this downturn. Will weed out the wheat from the chaff, already seeing significant improvement.

[Pickle2]

Cheers DA. Looking at amazon, Mr covey has been pretty prolific it seems. I will check some of them out.

[DodgyAgent]

DA. I have a general interest to learn more about sales, but nothing specific to ask you. There are tons of "how to sell" type books on amazon. Have you read anything that you would recommend as good basic grounding?

Stephen Covey will teach you how to gain influence. As far as sales itself is concerned Just ask the question "If I can will you?" This question will test to see if the buyer:

1. Has the authority to buy
2. wants to buy
3. Is ready to buy.

If the client says yes then just go ahead and show him how, if he at any stage objects go back to the original question "if I can -overcome the objection- will you?" This will stop you getting sidetracked by what may well not be a real objection.

There is no great mystery to sales, most of us do it all the time. These books will help you to understand the psycholgy behind sales. The rest is you.

[Pickle2]

If anyone wants to PM me about how to sell a product or service then please go ahead and ask.

DA. I have a general interest to learn more about sales, but nothing specific to ask you. There are tons of "how to sell" type books on amazon. Have you read anything that you would recommend as good basic grounding?

[DodgyAgent]

Sensible, but if you were an agent in the deal how much would you allow or encourage that? I've often come across a dog-in-a-manger attitude with agencies in that situation, even when offered a resonable percentage.

If you are a contractor working on a six month contract during which you land a piece of work or business with the client just tell the agency it is none of their business and let them try and sue you (which they wont) if they have a problem with it.

Alternatively to avoid conflict you can cut a deal with the agency or do it through a third party company that involves another person as well as you. I suggest that you dont operate your "other" business through your contracting ltd company.

[thunderlizard]

If on the other hand you can identify a problem to which you have a solution either at the interview stage or at some stage of the contract, then simply ask the powers that be (not HR and not anyone who doesnt have the decision making power) if they would be interested in you coming up with an idea to solve the problem (not a the interview stage though).

Sensible, but if you were an agent in the deal how much would you allow or encourage that? I've often come across a dog-in-a-manger attitude with agencies in that situation, even when offered a resonable percentage.

[DodgyAgent]

One thing is clear from the postings on here. With the exception of Richard Cranium, none of you have any idea of how to sell. You seem to think that a failure by people to recognise your offerings is their problem. It is not, it is your problem.

If you are being interviewed for a contract then dont try and sell them something on false pretences. I have over the years had a number of idiots using interviews as a front for selling their business and each and every one of them has been unceremoniously turfed out.

If on the other hand you can identify a problem to which you have a solution either at the interview stage or at some stage of the contract, then simply ask the powers that be (not HR and not anyone who doesnt have the decision making power) if they would be interested in you coming up with an idea to solve the problem (not a the interview stage though).

If anyone wants to PM me about how to sell a product or service then please go ahead and ask.

[Le Rosbif]

How on earth do they impact system performance? I've been doing real-time systems for 8 years and never heard these terms before. Do you write vs read/write-locking?

*The rest is about me being an even bigger cock. Not that it's uncalled for, the whinging coming out of the half-baked UK-based programming staff is incredible*

You will all have to be more reasonable in your self-assessments in the very near future.

You've never noticed in 8 years of real-time performance system work that doing too much locking (overlocking) badly impact your system performances and that to have a "smart approach" on locking is recommended?
Here's an example of how important it is to think twice before putting locks all over the place for the sake of thread safety.
Simple example based around the singleton concept.
http://www.yoda.arachsys.com/csharp/singleton.html

[BarbarianAtTheDoor]

overlocking vs smart locking can impact the system performance

How on earth do they impact system performance? I've been doing real-time systems for 8 years and never heard these terms before. Do you write vs read/write-locking?

*The rest is about me being an even bigger cock. Not that it's uncalled for, the whinging coming out of the half-baked UK-based programming staff is incredible*

You will all have to be more reasonable in your self-assessments in the very near future.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Btw the idea that permies are 100% committed is, as we all know, daft. I remember Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) saying when he was a permie he worked with a bloke who spent all day typing - the bloke was writing a book and e-mailing the chapters back to his home address.

Well he was 100% committed, just to something else!

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Btw the idea that permies are 100% committed is, as we all know, daft. I remember Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) saying when he was a permie he worked with a bloke who spent all day typing - the bloke was writing a book and e-mailing the chapters back to his home address.

[ThomasSoerensen]

Because they don't see you as a business owner. They see you as a disguised employee that has no rights, whom they can fire on the spot. They are not interested in business owners. The procurement department deals with those folks.

They might be happy to agree to contracts that say we are not disguised employees, but be under no illusions, that is exactly how they view us.


All the time I've been at ClientCo, I've been doing other consultancy work and am also developing full blown applications that I aim to flog for pots of money.

ClientCo are generally aware of this, but don't have a problem because I have proven that I have never, ever let it get in the way of my "day job".

However, if I leave ClientCo and go somewhere else, I definately wouldn't mention it on the CV and probably wouldn't even mention it for the first month of the contract until I had sussed out the environment and established myself.

WHS 100%

[HairyArsedBloke]

I think the moral of the story is to lie to everybody.

Good advice.

Though in this case it's more of a 'need to know' issue; the punters don't so keep ones gob firmly shut.

[VectraMan]

Same issue here. Last year when I was wanting to work on my Plan B but knew I'd have to get a contract sooner or later I was saying things like "maybe" to agents discussing jobs and trying not to be too commital, which didn't really work.

I ended up doing 6 months + a bit, but no chance of a long term extension which suited me fine. I'd told the client that I was intending to work on my own stuff and wouldn't be rushing into another long term contract, but would be interested in any small bits of work they could put my way. They're local, so doing the odd bit of work for them to keep the money coming in whilst working on the Plan B would be ideal.

The problem is they seem to have told the agent this. So now if I decide I need to get another contract I'm not going to get anywhere with this agent.

I think the moral of the story is to lie to everybody.

[darmstadt]

Although I don't have a plan B nor do I have a product but I do have an entry on my CV which is ongoing. I support(ed) a product in EMEA for a company in the USA which not only involves me traveling a lot but also 2nd and 3rd level support for it. This comes up in every interview but there have been no problems with it. Partly because the product is interesting and I can use it on the job so it complements the work I'm doing for them at no extra cost plus I always make pains to reassure them that their work takes priority. Possibly because of the area that I am in it doesn't really matter.