There are a lot of people talking on the WWW about the economy these days. You'll see things like, "Keep your job: a 10 point survival guide", or "Protect yourself in a recession". While I don't think these sorts of commentary are destructive, I do think if you're all of a sudden altering your work habits because of a fear of losing your job, you may already be too late in your thinking. The concept of working hard is not dependent upon the status of the economy in my opinion. Good employees are good before things get bad.
With that said, I do have a few economical points to mention around SharePoint in a tough economy, and why I like being in this space during these difficult times. This is not a guide to becoming "irreplaceable" like other commentaries suggest you ought to strive toward (since that's a fool's errand in my opinion – nobody is irreplaceable). These thoughts are more simplistic in nature than that.
Why I'm glad to be in the SharePoint space: In a down economy, SharePoint still sells
SharePoint is a powerful tool, even out of box. What's more important for a business during a recession is how SharePoint provides a strong ROI immediately. For a relatively small investment, you can introduce a tool that greatly improves the collaborative efforts of your employees, which reduces costs and improves efficiency (and in some cases boosts revenue!).
All that boils down to is a tool that sells well. In a bad economy, I want to be employed around a technology that is still selling. Tools with strong ROI (low initial investment, short implementation time, and lots of value to the business) are such tools.
Case in point: RBA Consulting (my employer) has seen outstanding utilization marks in its SharePoint practice during Q4 of 2008. We've even had to pass up on work because we're not staffed for it. This is partly because of RBA's reputation and strong client relationships, but also because of the strong demand for SharePoint in general, even during a bad economy.
Why I'm glad to be a consultant: In a down economy, consulting still sells
When you see budget cuts, the stereotype typically is the consultants are the first to get cut. While I believe this is largely true, I also believe they're the first to come back when there is work that needs doing. My point is that when things get especially bad in a company, full time employees become a less and less viable option, and consultants become more and more attractive. After all, the IT department doesn't just stop on a dime.
SharePoint largely supports this thinking because of its relatively short project lifecycle. If you're up against a yearlong project, a full time employee may be a better buy (if a yearlong project survives the budget cuts that is). However, if you're looking at a 4-6 week project, demand for consultants skyrockets compared to full timers.
Summary: To me, if you're a developer in a recession, being a SharePoint consultant is one of the best places to be.
Well, that's my $0.02 folks! Let me know if you agree/disagree!
Sincerely,
Phil
PS: as I mentioned, RBA Consulting is eagerly looking to hire strong SharePoint developers given the demand that I previously mentioned. If you want to be a part of a great top-notch SharePoint team, and within a great company culture, consider applying today! Note: we office out of Dallas and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
