Hi Country Guy,<BR>On your other thread, you mentioned that you had spent some time in the trenches working on computer stuff and shop floor automation, but now you were doing consulting and live on your own "farm".<P>You pretty much have my dream job, and I wanted to ask you more questions about how you accomplished this.<P>When I decided to go for the PhD, my goal was to eventually do consulting on my own. There are a number of ways to go about it, and your insight would be helpful. I'm in a completely different field (mechanical engineering). Did you work at a consulting firm before you struck out on your own? It sounds like you worked in a manufacturing environment for awhile. How did you make the transition from 9-5 for someone else to your own business?<P>Even before I went back to school, I had offers to do "moonlighting" jobs for the local machine shops. They needed someone to do stress analysis on some of their big parts before they proof tested them. I'd make an easy 500-1000 in a few hours. There is a big difference though, between just doing a little on the side now and then, and actually expecting to make a living at it. Did you form a partnership with someone else? How much time do you have to spend in an "office", or is this something you have no problems doing from a home office? I'm thinking overhead costs for a separate office could eat up a big chunk of the revenue the first few years. I won't even ask you about the tax issues. That is all stuff I can find out on my own.<P>I'm sure you get a zillion questions like this from other people in your field, so it might be a pain to go into it here.

TS,<P>you have an ME, everyone in my family, except my mom and i, has an ME, although i started down that road, i wanted to play more than study.<P>So, what is your PhD in? the reason i ask is that my dad is a design engineer, the head of engineering dept for almost 40 years at a very high tech, gear and gear drive and assembly mfg company. I have programmed for him occassionally about 20 years ago,<BR>but he is 75 now and going strong, and loves his CADCAM software. his company has been described at the most high tech gear mfg company east of the mississippi by several of his customer.<P>you can email me at whenifindthetime@yahoo.com<P>just curious

TS,<P>In my case it was almost by accident. Like your self the first step was to get the BSME and find a job. Did that and started working with a small manufacturing company.<P>Within a couple years I was promoted and given "project management" responsibilities and a year later made head of Engineering.<P>That's where I really got some serious lessons in management and everything that goes with it.<P>It was around this time that the first PCs were hitting the market and as I "played" with them as a hobby, I received the first one in the company. (OK, I cried, whined, and begged.)<P>TI had just came out with their first PLCs and I wanted a way to connect them to my PC. There wasn't much available to do it so I had one of my EEs rig something up to my specs. (RS232)<P>Became the in house "expert", the term "geek" hadn't been invented yet.<P>This company was bought out by a fortune 100 company and the level of automation I had created caught the eye of the new bosses.<P>A couple more promotions and a short stint as the head manufacturing, all the time refining my skills in PCs, communications, and automation gave me a opportunity to build a very wide skill base for understanding what manufacturing needed and how to get there. (The real secret is people.)<P>Was lured away by another company and sat in the VP of Operations chair for two years. Looking back this job probably had more impact on me than any other. I was given free rein to rebuild their manufacturing process. I had the toughest SOB of a boss ever put on this planet, and I loved him for how he pushed me and made me think.<P>He forced me to think about how everything I did should be focused upon growing the company and how to use manufacturing capability as a marketing tool. (Something they don't teach in school.)<P>Under his guidance I was able to develop new methods and products aimed directly at the competition and took the company through a huge growth cycle.<P>If you work in these companies long enough you meet a lot of people that know a lot of people. I was fortunate that I had managed to impress the right ones.<P>Again I was hired away, this time by a world famous Engineering Consulting company who will remane nameless. Worked under their umbrella for a couple years but grew tired of the travel and living out of hotel rooms.<P>As I knew a large number of people in the industry I started putting out the "feelers" to see if there were opportunities to go it alone.<P>Fortunately I had more offers than I had time available. Started taking on my own clients and as they say the rest is history.<P>Today I own a couple small businesses, one with about 15 people and the other with around 40. Both of these are a short drive from my home and I try to peek in once a week or so but the truth is I have some very good people at the helm and they really don't need me mucking up the works.<P>I still do consulting as my "main" business from my home. Mostly designing automation systems (specing hardware and developing software) for clients I've been doing business with for years, as well as working under contract to Microsoft.<P>It still includes some travel but I try to keep it at a minimum. Thank God for the Internet!<P>A lot of people have asked me what the hardest thing is about working out of my home for myself and I have a one-word reply. Discipline!<P>Taxes, workspace, etc. was finally resolved when I bought a portable office (Mobil Home) and put it on my farm. I got tired of arguing with the IRS over office expenses.<P>Advice on how to do this, hmmm... I'd say work for others and build a wide network of professional associates and impress them every time you have the opportunity.<P>One other thought, save your pennies! Consulting tends to be a feast or famine kind of venture, especially when you’re just getting started.<BR>

Before I got my BS, I did alot of independent contracting as a designer/drafter. I know, small beans compared to PhD work, but it did give me a flavor for freelancing. I don't remember ever being out of work more than a week or two in the roughly 2-3 yrs I did that. As you say, your reputation preceeds you and word of mouth counts for alot.<P>The only reason why I ever considered consulting is because I can't see myself working on the same product the rest of my life. Same field is great, but I'd like to work on different applications. Academia and research is good for that, but I'm not sure I'm up to the tenure thing. We'll see. <P>I'm getting my minor in management of technology. Looks like you were at the right place at the right time by being in manufacturing. <P>Thanks for the tips. I still have a long way to go before I'm ready to strike out on my own. It is not something I'm going to force. Sounds like it sort of just evolved for you, and that probably is the best way.