Jul

22

Networking Events: Some Are Not Worth It

July 22, 2009 | 2 Comments

The Situation:
With a networking event I mean those by open invitation, where you pay a small fee for a couple of hours of chit-chat with fellow networkers and spill out your 30 second elevator speech hundreds of times while guzzling appetizers and drinking cheap wine (others describe it similarly). If you are lucky, the [...]

Jul

10

Can you survive on your own?

July 10, 2009 | Comments Off

Independently I mean. Without the help of your parents? And without the help of adoptive parents in the way of an employer? No shame in accepting that you can’t: most people can’t. However, it is an interesting mental exercise, and an interesting idea to explore.  In an age of almost 10% [...]

Jul

9

I am bored: I can do my daily job in 2 hours!

July 9, 2009 | Comments Off

I have heard from many people:  I can do my daily job in 2 hours.  That is one of the reasons many people arrive late to work, leave early, and spend so much time on facebook or shopping on amazon.com.  I know it, because I have been in that situation at some point in my [...]

Jul

9

Flexible Time Pittfalls

July 9, 2009 | Comments Off

Many companies give their employees the option to work a flexible time schedule instead of a 9 to 5 one. This is all good when the company operates in extended business hours (as in 7 to 7 or nights and weekends). However, for the traditional business world that still runs on a 9 to [...]

Jul

8

The Importance of Travel In Your Career

July 8, 2009 | Comments Off

Few things have propelled my career more than my willingness to travel. I think there are many reasons why you might want to become travel-flexible. And when I mean travel flexible I do mean the less glamorous parts of traveling: being away from family a few weeks at a time, having to wake up at [...]

Jul

7

Job Hunting Checklist

July 7, 2009 | 1 Comment

To get a good job we need experience and education and a strong willingness to succeed.  But unless we learn how to express those things no one else will recognize them, and no one else will know you are the right person for a job.  There are many things we can do to learn how [...]

Jul

6

Recurring Cost of Sprinkler System

July 6, 2009 | Comments Off

In an era where everyone wants to be Green and save money, it is wise to ask oneself what is the recurrent cost of a home lawn sprinkler system.  While the government requires large home appliances to specify the utility/energy cost, they do not require the sprinkler manufacturers or installers to tell you how much [...]

Jul

4

Fixed Cost vs. Time and Materials

July 4, 2009 | 1 Comment

In Professional Services terms there are two general ways of pricing a project:

 
Fixed Cost
Time and Materials

Unit of Cost
Project
Time (hour or day)

Most Risk
Consultant
Client

When to do it
Clear Expectations
No Fixed Set of Requirements

Fixed Cost is preferable in many situations.  Alan Weiss agrees on his consulting books.   Some of the reasons why:

Provide Value – Not Time.  You want to be known [...]

Jul

1

IOU vs. Promisory Note

July 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

An IOU (I Owe yoU) is an acknowledgment of debt, normally specifying debtor, the amount owed, and sometimes the creditor.  A Promissory Note is a contract specifying unconditional terms on how to pay the debt, including interest (if any) and time of repayment.  The State of California is issuing IOUs to their vendors (essentially telling [...]