Comments on: I Hate Consultants.

By: Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter » If The Advice Isn’t Working, Maybe It’s Bad Advice

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:01:03 +0000

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By: Mary’s Blog » Feeling GOOD About Failure!

Mary’s Blog » Feeling GOOD About Failure! — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:31:49 +0000

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By: mary

mary — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 16:05:11 +0000

Thanks, Mike – for your candid comments and also for further illuminating my point. You moved far beyond your initial major/education path – unfortunately, a lot of people don’t – including so-called consultants. An education (regardless of the major) is only as good as the person getting it. Further, education should be an ongoing process (such as you have done.)

I “hate” consultants since I see so much abuse of titles and pieces of paper that aren’t backed by years of experience & growth, such as yours with HP. And, I all too often have folks come to me for help that have already paid another consultant thousands and gotten – well – nothing much.

FYI – I’m a former pre-med/social work/sociology major and believe all the curriculum helped me be a better biz person…and consultant.

Thanks and drop by again – would love to hear more of your perspective.

By: Mike Short

Mike Short — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:30:23 +0000

Hi Mary,

I agree with your simple assertions here except one…

your blog struck a cord….unfortunately a bad one when you used a ;psys ed major as your example.

I was a PE major from a prominant California university because I couldnt complete a 4 year degree in math (my orignial major) on transfer from a junior college during the Vietnam war and needed to graduate in the next two years or be dropped from my Navy flight program.

To shorten this story some I just retired from Hewlett-Packard after a 21 year highly successful career in the computer software business. I spent my 4 years in the Navy pointing toward achievement, studied Earl Nightingale tape and vocabulary when on deployments, spent my time in Vietname during the war, and was hired by Ross Perot’s EDS firm where I worked for 6 years in ever increasing positions. Next was 3 years in Cable Data Corp the largest billing firm in the world and next had my own software business until selling out with a positive cash flow at the end of 2.5 years and joining HP.

I have written software in 11 different languages, built my own computer back when you had to do your own soldering and in the last 2 years had the software product that I managed see a 400% combined annual growth rate while putting out 2 releases a year.

So please dont disparage the PE major. My math science background from junior college and my life science courses from PE have given me a terrific education. I know a lot of double E’s that have not progressed as far.

All lecturing aside I get your point but it would have been better to just say a Phd that has not direct application. By the way, I have met MANY PhDs that think their degree makes them smart and useful when their attitude makes them arrogant and of no use to a client.

Thanks for reading this far,

Mike Short

I am now a software marketing consultant