Where to Search for Engineering Services Type Work? 1

[jetlagged]

I accidentally stumbled onto this website a couple of weeks ago and I must say that it's been a blessing.

For a while now I've been thinking of doing some consulting work on the side but I don't know where to look for available work. Is there a forum where firm's post "Request for Engineering Services" or do you have to approach them individually about available work. What is a good source for this kind of information.

My plan is to do some design work on the side while still remaining gainfully employed.

Any hints will be appreciated.

Thanks !

 

[zdas04]

There's a site that used to be called RoadWhore.com, but now it is at

http://www.roadtechs.com/

that lists a bunch of jobs for people willing to travel A LOT.

Beyond that, the most common source of work I've found has been folks I worked with before I retired or people who went to classes I taught in the past.

David

 

[RDK]

If you want to be a consultant than quit your day job and be a consultant. If you are not ready to make that commitment then forget about being a consultant.

There are simply too many potential conflicts for someone to successfully be a full time employee and a part time consultant.

Would you use your employee’s reference material to do design work? Would you look up some design code clause in your employer’s manuals at your employer’s office and perhaps on your employer’s time? If so than you would be guilty of theft of time and resources from your employer and subject to disciplinary action by your engineering association and your employer.

Even if the lookup was on your own time then you would be guilty of unfair competition with the consultants who have to buy these resources themselves.

Same goes for telephone calls at work.

What would you do if a client wanted to meet with you while you were expected to be at the employer’s workplace? Would you ignore the needs of the client and fail in your obligations to the client or would you skip work to meet with the client and break your obligations to your employer?

What if one of your employer’s clients wanted to hire you on the side to do some work? Would you steal a client from your employer or turn down the client?

Would you request attendance at courses and conferences not so much for your employer’s benefit but for the networking and business opportunities available? If offered a conference by your employer that was of benefit for your consulting, would you offer to split the cost of attendance? Would you pick the sessions to attend based on the consulting needs or on your employer’s interests.

Even if you were able to be perfect in all your actions between your employer and your consulting, could you defend every action that you took where there was a potential conflict of interest even some time after the action when memories have started to fade regarding your reasoning and actions?






Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[nbucska]

There was a site <

http://www.hellobrain.com>

as you describe.

<nbucska@pcperipherals.com>

 

[AndrewTX]

Jetlagged,

I have had similar thoughts about doing some side work while still keeping my job. I have a couple other colleagues who take on similar small side jobs. Most have found the jobs through previous acquantances.

I have not moved on this much, but my first approach will be to search the local papers and possibly place an ad. If you live in a city with a local business journal that would be another good place to look.

 

[JoeTank]

Mr Kitson,
Lighten up... one can take on work on the side without going over to the dark side. I dabbled in it many years ago while working for a steel plate fabrication firm. I dealt with all of the important issues you raised buy simply not doing the kinds of things I did at work. I did it only on weekends and communicated only after work hours. I didn't even use my company calculator for private stuff. I avoided the conflict of interest issues by ethical treatment of my employer and my client.

Steve Braune
Tank Industry Consultants

http://www.tankindustry.com

 

[zdas04]

Steve,
I gotta go with RDK on this one. It sounds like you took every reasonable step to clearly separate your work for your employeer from your work for clients. Few do. It is normal in this sort of activity to start out by coming in a bit early and using the company copier. Then you're pulling references from company resources - for areas that don't conflict with your job for your employeer, but still...

I think that Rick was spot on - while I drew a paycheck I refused to even talk about service-contract terms for my future business (even after I had given notice and set a startup date). It made the first month of my business a lot duller than it otherwise would have been, but there was zero chance I was stealing from my employeer and that felt right.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

http://www.muleshoe-eng.com

 

[RDK]

Moonlighting can work. It takes a special set of circumstances and a lot of attention to that fine line between moonlighting and a conflict of interest and unethical behaviour to make it work.

You need a day job that has no conflict and no potential with the moonlighting. That means no competition or no common clients. They should be in two separate industries for this to occur. For example if you were an in house engineer providing maintenance services to your employer and were consulting on construction outside of normal hours it might work.

Not only could there be no common clients there also should also be no common suppliers as well. In the above example if a local construction contractor was providing services to your employer under your direction or with some involvement then the contractor could not be providing construction services to you moonlighting clients without putting you in a potential conflict of interest situation. If you are getting a cut rate on supplies for your moonlighting by buying from the same supplier, that also could be a conflict.

To use your employer’s resources even with your supervisor’s permission is wrong. The only person who could give you that permission would be the owner of the company, a supervisor cannot give away that which he does not own.

Even using your current employment as proof of your competence can be wrong. It might lead a client to believe that your employer is offering the service and that he is hiring a large firm and not an individual.

Mostly I am against moonlighters because they tend to service the same client base that I as a one-man operation try to service. If you do not need to cover overhead, licenses, insurance etc then you are competing against a fellow engineer on an unequal basis and this can by itself be unethical.

If you want to be a consultant then be a consultant. If you want to be an employee then be an employee. If you want to be both then watch out because it is difficult to do both and be fully ethical.





Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[JAE]

I agree with RDK on this as well. Moonlighting is very dangerous, both for you and for your employer.

If you get sued (it does happen) for a project you did while moonlighting, your company could be dragged into court with you and that would spell the end of your employment (unless your firm is OK with your moonlighting, which I doubt).

In addition, any mistake or lawsuit would be also directed at you personally and that means all your personal wealth and home are at risk unless you incorporate. By incorporating, you are definitely acting unethically by serving two separate &quot;masters&quot; in the same business field.