Reply to: Big consultancies - good experience or a blood sucking role?

[NotAllThere]

mmm.. tendency is to outsource more and more because the big consultancies can offer a very cheap ("outsourced") service. Wish what you said is true ...

Are you calling me a liar?

I guess a lot depends on your skill set. And whether your client companies have cottoned on the fact that a cheap service often turns out to be very expensive.

My current clients are fully aware that I'm 6x more expensive per day then the offshored guys. But that I'm about 10x more productive.

[Turion]

For 4 of the past 5 contracts I've worked for big consultancies. I don't really see the problems people have. Sure you're there to fill a hole, but then you are in any contract.

TBH I don't really care as long as they keep paying me a decent rate....

Agree, practically all my work is for the Big Cons. Worked for practically all of them and some of the smaller ones. Normally it's to do a specific project, and you leave when it's done. Very business like.

[thunderlizard]

When I'm picking CVs, if any CV says the guy worked for Accenture for more than 1 year, it has an increased chance of going in the bin.

[Lucy]

Worked alongside some KPMG bods a couple of gigs ago. Terrible, the 'project manager' had never managed a project and the BA resource had never ever done any regulatory work. I gathered the bank just wanted to be able to say they got KPMG to do the project and could pretend they weren't to blame when it went TU, and KPMG's numpties got some experience...

[b0redom]

For 4 of the past 5 contracts I've worked for big consultancies. I don't really see the problems people have. Sure you're there to fill a hole, but then you are in any contract.

TBH I don't really care as long as they keep paying me a decent rate....

[DieScum]

I've served my time with consultancies.

It can be good and have done some interesting stuff. Couple of months in Montreal being of note. Saw lots of interesting places.

Turned round to find myself living out of 60 euro a night hotel (got to stay with the rest of the team and keep expenses down) away from all loved ones and just saw it for the no mates, bed sit land it was.

Miss the travel a bit but that is what weekends and holidays are for.

[sasguru]

True but there is a more human atmosphere, people know each other by name and so on... sure, lots of work and less money but at least it seems to be you are actually working with people and not resources.

Dream on.

[Xenophon]

Half of this lot don't even know they're in a bloody box!

You must have been with some 'BIG' women in your time, Churchy...

[Francko]

In over 10 years of contracting, I've worked through a consultancy once. I've never had trouble finding bigco end-user contracts. The rates are have always been pretty good. All of those contracts have been project oriented, and in no ways dull.

mmm.. tendency is to outsource more and more because the big consultancies can offer a very cheap ("outsourced") service. Wish what you said is true ...

I find the smaller companies are so penny pinching and slaver oriented, my best advice is - stay away.

True but there is a more human atmosphere, people know each other by name and so on... sure, lots of work and less money but at least it seems to be you are actually working with people and not resources.

[bogeyman]

Logica

Suckered into it in my 20s.

'Join Logica and see the world' they said.

I ended up seeing most of the shyteholes in the UK. I mean Dudley, ffs!

The management were incompetent yes men and the boss was a socialist.

Nuff said.

[Churchill]

I could offer an outcall service where I cut your nuts off with a spoon?

You've got to think out of the box with these plan bs you know.

Half of this lot don't even know they're in a bloody box!

[NotAllThere]

...
The only other options is to find a good permie/contract role with an non-IT company which is still a big company and can afford to pay IT people a decent salary. But that's not easy and might turn up a bit boring.

In over 10 years of contracting, I've worked through a consultancy once. I've never had trouble finding bigco end-user contracts. The rates are have always been pretty good. All of those contracts have been project oriented, and in no ways dull.

...
If I could come back I would specialise on cheaper systems or as a more generic consultant so that I might do work on smaller companies where the environment is more human.

I find the smaller companies are so penny pinching and slaver oriented, my best advice is - stay away.

[Marina]

I could offer an outcall service where I cut your nuts off with a spoon?

Unbelievable as it sounds, there was a Channel 4 (?) documentary two or three years ago about a guy who had a lucrative sideline doing precisely that to willing guys (not with a spoon though).

[Moscow Mule]

not a very scalable plan b is it?

I could offer an outcall service where I cut your nuts off with a spoon?

You've got to think out of the box with these plan bs you know.

[chef]

I'd rather cut my nuts off with a spoon than work for a big consultancy firm.

MM's plan B?

not a very scalable plan b is it?