Customer Reviews

Janet Ruhl's Answers for Computer Contractors: How to Get the Highest Rates and the Fairest Deals from Consulting Firms, Agencies, and Clients

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4 star:		(1)
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I was a newbie to the world of contracting and I wish I had this book *before* I started! It explains just about everything you'll need to know: the different types of employment status, the contracts, the negotiations, the rates, and contains tonnes of hard data to work with. Well written and easy to understand.

Thanks, Janet!

If you are currently an employee, starting to think about going independent, I recommend this book. I am in exactly this situation, and found this book to be a great introduction to contracting. It covers the legal, financial, tax, long-term career aspects of contracting, as well as letting you know the good and the bad about being an IC. I doubt you'll be able to hang your shingle out the day after you finish reading this book, but it is an excellent start.

This book is full of great advice and wonderful insight into the world of computer consulting. Janet spells out the pros and cons for the computer consultant but let's you make the decision on what's best for you. This book helps you understand what to expect and what not to expect in the world of computer consulting.

If you are new to computer consulting, buy this book as it will pay for itself 10 times over with your first contract. If you are an experienced computer consultant, buy this book as it will help your consulting career move forward and upward.

I read The Computer Consultant's Workbook first because my supervisor handed that book to me . However, I learned an enormous amount of tips from Answers for Computer Contractors because Ms. Ruhl provides an in-depth knowledge about rates, information about what organizations to join etc. In addition, I have promoted our consulting firm based on her book because I believe her advice is on target for the consulting world. Her book also provides her website address, and other helpful websites you will probably want to visit. And If you are an established consulting firm, I would also recommend this book for excellent ideas to set yourself apart from other consulting firm's that Janet Ruhl warns her reader's of. In the future, I would not be surprised if this book becomes the handbook for all consulting firms.

I have to admit that this book was one of my major incentives to move from full-time employment into technical contracting. Janet Ruhl spells out all of the things you need to consider before deciding to make the break, from contracts to finances to taxes to market.

The book is well organized, complete, and just a good read. I hate non-fiction, but actually read this book in two days.

I especially like the chapter on marketing your services. Although I've been involved in marketing the professional services of other for a number of years, there were ideas in this book that I hadn't heard of before. Great ideas!

If you're new to computer contracting, moving from a W-2 contract to becoming an independent, or already there but looking for ways to refine your business, this is a great reference.

Answers for Computer Contractors is the ultimate FAQ for ALL contract employees, not just computer contractors. It is the ONLY book you can buy that specifically emphasizes the ins and outs of working with consulting firms, contract brokers and recruiting firms. The book is obviously inspired by questions and answers posted by actual contractors on Janet Ruhl's Computer Consultant's Message Board, the incredibly popular on-line forum for computer contractors. This isn't a compendium of idle theory folks. This is information that works, reported straight from the trenches.

Virtually all recruiting firms operate by a self-serving code of silence that denies contractors access to the very information they need to succeed. This book levels the playing field by telling you how to select a contract broker, how to work with them to your advantage, how to get the best rates, and how to evaluate and negotiate an employment contract that is fair and equitable to both sides. There is a chapter that explains the mysteries of W-2 vs. 1099 vs. Corp. status. Another chapter gives you the basic information you need to take that next big step to direct consulting.

This book is not a contractor's bible or a comprehensive instruction manual. Nor is it meant to be. The book's straightforward Q & A format and logical organization make it easy to read, and easy to locate answers to your specific questions. Answers for Computer Contractors is must reading for every recently downsized corporate employee, newbie contractor, and anyone else considering a career in contracting. Highly Recommended.

--James R. Ziegler

I thought the book gave great information on where and who you should talk to when first going into consulting. I was impressed. It explained in full the differences in 1099, W2, incorporating. I was then clear to make a good choice. I would recommand this book to all!

In my first book, "The Secret Path to Contract Programming Riches", I chose Janet Ruhl's earlier book, "The Computer Consultant's Guide", as required reading for an overview of the ins & outs of the consulting lifestyle, because it was the ideal complement to the highly specific and technical instruction for the raw beginners targeted in my book.

"Janet Ruhl's Answers for Computer Contractors" will now replace it, as required reading in the next edition of my book, for many reasons:

1) It gives promising contractors everything they need to maximize and maintain a contracting career.

2) It reveals the absolutely important insiders' tips on working with consulting firms, contract brokers and recruiting firms - I've been contracting for over ten years, and I've seen some really wonderful brokers and some really shady brokers. Read this book and put yourself a step ahead of them all.

3) It has answers to practically every important contracting question one can imagine.

4) It helps you decide if the contracting lifestyle is right for you and helps eliminate fears about moving into contracting.

5) By design, it is much more specific to contractors than her earlier book.

Bottom Line
If you are already a salaried computer professional or want an in-depth look at the contracting profession and have an itch for a more flexible, potentially more rewarding and higher-paying career, then I have no doubt that this book will be worth its weight in gold to your career! Now that we have this beneficial guide, I see no reason for anyone to have any unanswered questions about the contracting profession.

~ Michael Nigohosian, Author - "The Secret Path to Contract Programming Riches"

This book is great for computer contractors or for those considering going into computer contracting. I read this book when I first contracting about five years ago (I thought I had already reviewed it, but my review does not show up). The information is still current and is greatly helpful for those, like me, who want to cross every 't' and dot every 'i', or at least to try to. A great deal of valuable information inside.

This is Janet Ruhl's companion book to her "The Computer Consultant's Workbook". Both were published in 1999, but the content of each is as relevant today as it was back then.

Janet poses some of the most commonly asked questions of computer contractors - 1) W-2 or 1099?, 2) How much should I charge?, 3) What should I look for in a consulting contract?, and many others. She then offers her expert advice on how to address specific issues that affect computer contractors. She backs up her advice with numerous charts and graphs.

I hope that Janet updates both of these books soon. As is, they contain valuable information and are well worth the money.

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant