As I read this article in MIT's The Tech it left me feeling slightly ill. Back came all the memories. This article isn't just about what a crock of s**t consulting often is. It pertains to many industries selling abstract outcomes for lots of money, such as... oh, um... software. Never before have I seen the truth so bluntly told about selling clients what they want not what is good for them.
In the IT industry we sell abstract digital sequences. We can depict them as anything at all. In business consulting they sell abstract concepts and plans, which they can depict to be anything at all. Often the result feels morally much like working for a tobacco company. The article hits the nail on the head with "burning out isn’t just about work load, it’s about work load being greater than the motivation to do work".
Me before I quit my job:
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Me a year later: |
Of course I don't agree with his conclusion that "having a father who can pay for a top-notch education outweighs the disadvantage of being raised by a hypocrite". I'd rather look my son in the eye (and next year he starts an expensive private high school). I felt so strongly about this I built this website to encourage people to quit. Perhaps not the best advice in the current climate, but then again f**k it: hard economic times generate opportunity. If they make you each s**t all day, quit. (or if you are in sales support, you don't have to eat it like the salesmen, you just have to hold it in your mouth when in front of clients. Still quit.) Have some dignity. I don't make half what I used to but I'm proud of what I do now. I create value. I only charge for the work I do. And I tell clients what they need to hear.
Read that article and tell me which bits aren't true. And laugh along with the fabulous story of the rock.