Re: UKNM: Re: Going Freelance

[Jo Chipchase]

Do you work freelance, Neil?  I think you don't.


More so than people who work in an agency environment, where their

shortcomings may be buffered by the efforts of their colleagues,

freelancers cannot *afford* to present clients with sloppy work or, as you

say, "tell them what they want to hear".  Freelancers are directly

accountable to their clients and any f*ck ups lie directly and heavily on

their shoulders.


As for "rip-off work from people you've never heard of", I would also say

that, in my experience, I have heard anecdotal examples of agencies

claiming the work of a freelance developer entirely as their own when they

had no involvement with it, but not generally vice versa (although I'm sure

it *does* happen in some cases).  If someone had so little integrity, I for

one would have no dealings with them.


You use the words "slackers" and "lazy".  Perhaps you would like to come

round here one night at 3am while I'm still working at my PC, and you have

been supping over-priced drinkies in some pretentious Soho bar with your

colleagues, who are probably more concerned with the style of their latest

"urban wear" than the latest network kiosk your company is developing.


Ascerbic, perhaps.  True... most likely.   :)



Jo.



Neil Aberdeen wrote:


>My additional advice is:

>1. Form a small cartel of like-mind slackers with super-inflated opinions

of

>themselves and rely on the mugs that employ you to be too lazy to do

>anything about the profligate waste.

>

>2. Claim work that you had barely anything to do with for yourself. Better

>still rip-off work from people you've never heard of, confident that anyone

>lazy enough to employ you is far too indolent to check.

>

>3. If you fuck up, make it into an amusing anecdote about 'the crazy

>industry' we work in. If someone says 'hello' take it as endorsement of

your

>great achievements.

>

>4.Be prepared to sell a kidney, especially if it's not yours.

>

>5. Always believe that there's something innately worthwhile in getting

paid

>to mutter syllogisms or in excitedly reading out PowerPoint presentations

to

>small gatherings of people who would rather be somewhere else, all of whom

>would be perfectly able to read the thing for themselves and would have

done

>should they had thought for a minute that there was any information to be

>gleaned.

>

>6. Because sums are more than a bit like hard work and not really, really

>creative - get someone who can add up to do it for you.

>

>7. Read pop-psychology and believe it. You are the best.

>

>8. Always tell them what they want to hear.

>

>Neil Aberdeen

>

neiltui [dot] co [dot] uk

>

>[Sam says: msg chopped]


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