>>Hi Renoir,
>>
>>Sadly I've come across many "consultants" who believe they can charge full market rates even though they have no experience.
>>They do tend to make it more difficult for the genuinely seasoned contractor.
>>
>>JimN
>
>Hey Jim,
>
>Yeah, not often but I've seen it too. What makes someone believe that just by understanding how to move objects around on the screen and get data into a table that they are a "consultant?" I guess the same thing that allows people to feel that they can list any software that they've ever touched as having "experience" with it. Then again, it's tough for a client to know what they're getting. If they're not agressive in checking references, etc then they may get what they're overpaying for... :-)
>
>Renoir

Ya, and these same people usually underbid and make impossible committments. I was just involved in a sub-contract where the project manager hired me specifically to design a database. He knows my work quality.

He also had had a C++ contractor hired for him by the company owner. Owner (knowing zilch about IS) liked the guy even though PM rejected him after interview.

Two days later, in a meeting to do the project plan (which had an impossible deadline) the C++ guy said he could meet target. When PM asked for a plan to show how he was told that there would be one in 2 days hence.

When the day came a preliminary design was presented. It was pretty good, actually. When asked for the PLAN the C++ guy said, and I quote: "modern projects aren't run like that. We don't waste time making a plan, we just do it". The PM and a few others of us told him he was crazy (in more polite words). But the owner was hearing what he wanted to hear. He fired the PM and the project leader andput Mr. C++ in their place.

The deadline is now past by more than a month and, as I've heard it, they are not yet close to even testing.

By the way, for the record, in several posts Mr. Asherman has made reference to working with long-gone development products as well as a long history with Fox and related. I'm sure he's got the goods.
I, for instance, feel highly competent with FP/VFP and I've done a reasonably complex database using MSDE (through Access) as well as upsizing some to SQL Server. But in no way would I feel competent to write any kind of article about a VFP app. or a SQL Server app.
JimN