How to Become an Independent Contractor
Frustrated with the longer time it can take them to find new jobs, many older workers are thinking about setting themselves up as independent consultants . However, they don’t all realize that involves more than technical smarts: A lack of business and marketing acumen will doom even the most […] Click to view full article
Panel: Practical Realities of Consulting
Looking for new opportunities? If you are considering consulting as a career learn about the practical realities of consulting. The recorded session below offers insights into what it takes to launch a consulting practice and persevere. This is intended for engineers and managers who are considering a change to consulting. The panel shares their personal […]
The Camera: It’s Not for Photos Anymore
Cameras – we all have them. They used to be for taking pictures. Now, they are all around us and not just for taking pictures anymore. The actual and the forecasted growth in number of cameras is phenomenal. Most of the growth will be for uses we do not think about. This on-line presentation discusses […]
A Little Introduction to the New Citizens BroadBand Radio Service (CBRS)
If you remember Smokey and the Bandit, you might be thinking of: “That’s a 10-4 good buddy. Come back.”, or similar trucker CB radio talk. According to the FCC, “CBRS” is an acronym for: The Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS) — a private, two-way, short-distance voice communications service for personal or business activities of the general […]
What Should I Post to LinkedIn?
I often hear the question, “What should I post to LinkedIn?” Here are ten ideas that consultants might share on LinkedIn. Although LinkedIn isn’t the largest of all social media networks, it’s highly trusted and therefore it’s a big opportunity for you to bolster your standing as an expert in your field. LinkedIn is a […]
PATCA Webinar: Marc Albin on Upcoming Demand for Consultants
In the video below, Marc Albin shares his view of the current conditions for engineering teams in Silicon Valley. He provides an update on what he sees for companies and projects. He forecast upcoming demand for consultants and how soon business and projects will be picking up. Marc Albin is the founder of Albin Engineering […]
PATCA Featured Consultant: Omar Fahmi Khalid
Omar Fahmi Khalid Company: Vortex Innovation Labs LLC located in Dublin CA Omar Fahmi Khalid provides cloud-native microservice architecture and development consulting for infrastructure servicing machine learning and intelligent systems. He has been a professional software developer for twenty years, an independent consultant for the last ten, and has been a PATCA member since […]
Are you an Independent Contractor or an Employee? – The IRS 20 Questions Test
The IRS wants to make sure you pay your fair share of income taxes, and they would rather get it sooner than later. If you are classified as an employee, the employer must withhold taxes – and you may not be able to take the business expense deductions associated with your business that you are […]
Independent Contractor Agreement
Below are two sources where you can create an Independent Contractor Agreement. The INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT is an agreement between a Customer and a Service Provider, setting out the services to be provided and the terms of payment or compensation.” The links provided are for informational purposes only. LawDepot: Independent Contractor Agreement LegalZoom: Easy online […]
The Effective Proposal
Download pdf by Perry West Automated Vision Systems, Inc. Presented at a PATCA meeting on January 8, 2015 Many consultants get along without any special consideration to how they write proposals. However, your ability to write an effective proposal can be one tool to demonstrate your professionalism, compete or shut out competition, build relationships, and […]
Three Ways to Present Yourself Professionally on Video
It is essential that you find your authentic voice and learn to communicate in a clear, courageous, effective way in today’s hyper-paced global business climate. In our every-day-changing-world, we are being called upon to do business over video and this will become the premiere business platform. Video meetings are different than in-person meetings, do you […]