The Computer Consultant's Guide : Real-Life Strategies for Building a Successful Consulting Career

Author: Janet Ruhl
List Price: $27.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0471176494
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (July, 1997)
Sales Rank: 92,391
Average Customer Rating: 3.53 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5
Okay, but she has a better one out.
This book is good for a general understanting of the consulting field. And I do recommend it, but if you are serious about consulting/contracting, you should supplement with two other books: "Janet Ruhl's Answers for Computer Contractors: How to Get the Highest Rates and the Fairest Deals from Consulting Firms, Agencies, and Clients" and if you are just starting in the programming field and want to learn exactly what you need to do and do it fast, then read: "The Secret Path to Contract Programming Riches..." Good luck to your career! ;)


Rating: 4 out of 5
Great introduction to consulting.
This book provides a thorough overview of the computer consulting industry and a good sense of the day-to-day business tasks associated with maintaining a consulting career.

If you are an absolute rookie in the computer field and have little idea of the consulting options available to you, your perspective may widen a bit and you might find yourself having more questions than you did before you started reading this book, which is a good thing. So, you will probably want to supplement your research a bit more once you have narrowed down your consulting career choices.

But, if you are already in the computer field, this book has about all the information you will need to base a career-changing decision on. There are plenty of resources listed to help further your knowledge on the consulting field. If you have the time, you might want to take a look at the author's subsequent book, "Janet Ruhl's Answers for Computer Contractors", which can be a very good supplement to this book.

~ Michael Nigohosian, author - "The Secret Path to Contract Programming Riches"


Rating: 3 out of 5
Truly A Mixed Bag
This book certainly has its pluses and minuses. The fact that it was published in 1997 makes it somewhat obsolete in some critical areas. None the less there is some solid advice given by the author.

The first chapter defiens the many types of consultants fairly well. However, it does fail to mention much about the Networking Engineer, whcih is a critical part of today's busienss environment. The Meet The Consultants section is fairly user friendly. Earning potential is key but again you must interpret this in terms of 1997 dollars which is more inflated now.

Also critical discussions regarding health insurance and marketing are explored here. Some good advice is given here at the beginning. A little bit overdone in other spots as a person exploring the industry will become overwhelmed. So many of these aspects are situational. The brokering part is presented in such a dry format that its hard to read after 30-40 pages.

The glossary might be of help for those who want to explore more information. However, a new version is definitely in order to bring this book current.

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