Matthew Billingham wrote a very insightful blogpost on SDN about his experiences as an independent (SAP) consultant in Europe. As I mentioned in the comments, I had a similar post in mind for ages, but it’s just one of those things. Matthew weighs up the pros and cons rather well in his contribution. Everyone who is looking into going freelance (be it within SAP or not) should definitely have a read.
Jon Reed
November 14, 2008 at 5:53pmHey Michael!
I enjoyed Billingham’s piece also. I actually have some older writings on being an SAP independent consultant that aren’t on the Internet anymore. I’m hoping to update them and re-issue them but it’s always a matter of finding the time. For me, the independent consultant is a compelling role but there are challenges and tradeoffs that are good to examine, for example how to handle project politics and make sure you are on the same page with both the client and any outside consultancies. Then there’s the whole aspect of handling your own marketing, rate negotiation, project selection. I think the key point is that the SAP independent consultant role is not for everyone, not everyone wants to essentially run their own “business of one,” they would rather stay focused on project work. But if it fits your skills and interests, there’s nothing better than being the subject matter expert the project counts on in your area.
Anyhow, I also wanted to mention there’s an interesting post from Vijay Vijaysankar on SAP SCN right now regarding “The Road Ahead for SAP Consultants.” It’s one of the first pieces I’ve seen to try to talk about the skills needed for SAP consultants in the downturn, at least that I didn’t write. 🙂 There is a good comment thread on the piece also. Here’s a link: https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/11936.
See you on one of our blogs soon!
– Jon Reed –
Michael
November 14, 2008 at 11:17pmYou’re spot on with the other aspects and requirements you’ve mentioned. It certainly is not for everyone! Another facet also are the agencies which you have to deal with as a freelancer. It’s important to find a bunch of agents you know and trust, as you share some of your most valuable information with them – your contacts!
Thanks for the heads-up on Vijay’s great post on SDN. A very comprehensive and well thought through contribution.
Speak to you soon!
Michael