I have been programming computer in some professional capacity for almost 13 years. In that time, I have written code in several capacities. I have been a permanent employee of a company that hired me to write internal applications, I have been a permanent employee of companies that have paid me to write applications for their clients. I have been a contractor and I have also been a consultant. On the surface, those might seem like the same thing; but consulting and contracting are very different engagements.

What's The Difference, Kenneth?

A lot of people, including contractors and consultants themselves, use these terms interchangeably. The problem is, people need to know the difference. Companies especially need to know in order to be able to hire the correct one. So here is the difference: Contractors can help an organization keep the lights on, but consultants can help you get more light for the same or less money.

Now on the outset, that may seem like you should always go with a consultant. That is not the case. Like anything else, there is a right tool for the job. Consultants are always going to cost more than contractors, and they should. Consultants bring more to the table. They bring ideas, expertise and a business acumen that contractors don't. Contractors provide great helping hands when you need to power through something. Good contractors can even sometimes help you get it done faster or better. Consultants, on the other hand should always help you find a way to get it done better or faster. Consultants can still help you slog code, but their main purpose should be to help their clients improve their situation. Contractors are also (usually) hourly, temporary employees. If you need the same person in six months, they're likely not going to be available because they are slogging code somewhere else.

What's This Mean To Me?

If you're a company looking for outside help, hopefully this will help you decide whether you need a contractor or a consultant. If you're a programmer looking at a job as a consultant or a contractor, this might help you decide which one is for you. Consultants are rarely happy in contracting positions. Consultants have experience and ideas that they want to share, and the want to be part of the overall strategy of the project or projects. That doesn't mean that contractors don't have ideas or expertise, they are just more likely to be happy doing the heavy lifting work and letting someone else provide more high-level direction.

What do you think?

I might have made a decent lawyer. If I’d been born without any self respect and complete absence of morality, I might’ve become a lawyer. I love to argue. I love it. I like pitting my ideas against another’s. I like that at any moment I might have an epiphany and change my perspective or opinions about something. That’s learning. Basically, in technical arguing, I’ve seen basically three scenarios.

The Salesman

First is the useless scenario. Someone has a bone to pick or an agenda to push. This is the most frustrating scenario. In that case, I am not arguing your perspective against mine, and there is no way you will ever concede defeat, because you have a prize that you are after.

The Amicable Divorce

The Second scenario is that we agree to disagree. To me this isn’t much more useful than the first. I still may learn something and later when researching your points, I may find golden nuggets of information that I can learn from, but generally, this means that one of us couldn’t convince the other, but were just not comfortable conceding the point. If I do this, I generally assume that I am wrong and quickly start researching your points so I can figure out where I am wrong if I am right, I will be better equipped to convince you (or someone) next time.

Teach You, Teach Me

The last scenario is: We argue, one of us concedes the point and we end up learning something. That’s my favorite. I love to learn and I love to teach. Even more than I love to argue. (And I argue with myself in the shower just to keep in practice).

Ultimately, I like learning more than anything else, and arguing is a really good way to learn something. The problem is, you have to argue your point fervently, while keeping your mind open to the possibility that you’re wrong and be ready to stop on a dime and say, “Hey, I think you may be right!” The flip side of that is, being ready for the other person to say that you may be right without being a jerk about it.

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger

First, Be ready to answer all questions, and don’t EVER be afraid to say you don’t know something. Faking your way through an answer or an argument is a surefire way to get someone not to trust your arguments, and possibly lose interest in arguing with you altogether.

It is also important to be aware of your arguing style and warn others, however. I have a very animated arguing style, and I am six-foot-five and 350lbs. Seeing me wave my arms and raise my voice may throw people off, but I am truly harmless, and I am NOT using this style as a tactic to win an argument. (At least not a technical argument.)

So feel free to argue with me, and if you prove me wrong, I learned something and I owe you one.