DWUTKA at marlow.com
DWUTKA at marlow.com
Fri May 21 18:03:27 CDT 2004
I also am usually subcontracting, which takes a lot of hassle out of my hands, so I charge less, so the person taking the hassle on can get a cut. Drew -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Porter, Mark Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 5:55 PM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: RE: [AccessD] On DB Bloat, Bad DB Design, and various Odd, I charge MORE because I'm fully employed. > -----Original Message----- > From: DWUTKA at marlow.com [mailto:DWUTKA at marlow.com] > Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 12:12 PM > To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com > Subject: RE: [AccessD] On DB Bloat, Bad DB Design, and various > > > I noticed that too. Since I'm employed full time, I charge less for > contract. I consider it a trade off, not on my skills, but > on my demand of > time. I charge less because it's understood I can only work > on things at > night, or on the weekend. > > Drew > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Charlotte > Foust > Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 1:50 PM > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving > Subject: RE: [AccessD] On DB Bloat, Bad DB Design, and various > > > EXCUSE ME?? *I'm* a doofus programmer who only charges $75 > per hour ... > Mainly because I do all my contracting on the side. I'm > fully employed > as a programmer building commercial applications, so > everything else is > sort of a mad money. > > Charlotte Foust > > -----Original Message----- > From: Lawhon, Alan C Contractor/Morgan Research > [mailto:alan.lawhon at us.army.mil] > Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 10:33 AM > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving > Subject: RE: [AccessD] On DB Bloat, Bad DB Design, and various > > > On Friday, May 21, 2004 at 11:16 AM, Of Arthur Fuller said (in part), > > <snip> > > Yes, it's money in my pocket -- about which I never complain. > (Fuller's > Second Law: money never arrives at an inopportune moment.) But part of > me wishes that the client shouldn't have to re-pay for such low-level > and obvious design decisions. The client got hosed, pure and > simple, and > it angers me that I'm in the same business as the previous developer. > > <snip> > > Arthur: > > Hello from Alan C. Lawhon. (It's been a while since we last > conversed.) > > Part of the problem here, (if there IS a problem), is in the eternal > desire of a certain type of management automaton to minimize > cost. This > attitude is best conveyed as: "Writing software is labor. > Labor is just > like any other raw material component in the manufacturing > process. You > find the cheapest 'labor cost' (per hour) and award the 'work' to that > supplier." > > There is little appreciation for the fact that highly skilled software > developers, (like you, William, Jim Lawrence, Charlotte Foust, Rocky > Smolin, and John Colby), are qualitatively worth ten (or even twenty) > times the cost of your "average Joe" unskilled programmer. > The typical > "cost conscious" manager will look at your rate, (say > $150.00/hour), and > compare it to some doofus "developer" who only charges > $75.00/hour. (Of > course, we all know which "doofus" gets the job.) You get called in > only after the "cost conscious" manager discovers that his "cheap" > programmer has actually turned out to be more expensive. Of > course, the > truth of the matter is that if this cost cutting manager had hired you > to start with, (and payed your "exorbitant rate"), he would have wound > up paying less - and getting more - for his money. However, some > managers don't see it that way. They understand the cost of > everything > and the value of nothing. When such managers (and companies) get > "hosed", you shouldn't feel bad about it. They deserve > getting hosed - > because they were so cheap - and stupid! > > I sense that this "cheaper cost" mindset is driving the movement of > software development jobs to places like India. I have > nothing against > folks in India. They have as much right to work hard and try > to improve > themselves as you or I. However, the belief of some > "shareholder value" > obsessed CEOs that they're "cutting costs" [by moving jobs to > India] may > be shortsighted. When I hear CEOs of companies like Intel > proclaiming, > "We have to go overseas because there aren't enough skilled software > developers here in the United States," I suspect that what they really > mean is that there aren't enough "cheap" software developers > here in the > United States. > > To be totally objective about this, I don't think outsourcing software > jobs [to India] is a threat to guys like you. For some reason, work > always seems to find its way to highly skilled (and talented) > developers. > > Alan C. Lawhon - (Semi-skilled developer) > > > > > > > > -- > _______________________________________________ > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > -- > _______________________________________________ > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > -- > _______________________________________________ > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > **************************************************************************** ******* 21/5/2004 This transmittal may contain confidential information intended solely for the addressee. 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