Book: "Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies..." - appears to speak to US

[The Gorn]

The full title:

Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies: Itinerant Experts in a Knowledge Economy

Anyone ever run across this book or have it or read it?

I found this link on a broker's web site home page (believe it or not.)

The reviews make this book sound like it speaks directly to the stuff that we chew over here all the time about the distinctions between "mere contractors" and "realconsultants" (c).

[Peter Gibbons]

This book talks about the situation in the late nineties.


In 2003:

"Of these twenty-three informants, 65 percent were still contracting, 30 percent had taken permanent position, and one had left employment entirely to raise a family."

"Those informants who continued to contract universally said that contracting jobs has become more scarce, rates had fallen, and they had experienced longer period of downtime that they reported earlier."

"However analogous claims could be made for full-time employment."

[Richardk]

This book talks about the situation in the late nineties.

If that's the case then how is this book even relevant today?

[The Gorn]

I didn't research this book in-depth. I did see that it apparently had a 2006 publication date so I was thinking that it could be somewhat relevant.

The title is really what attracted me. Guru, hired gun and warm body is exactly how the contracting world is partitioned.

[Carrie Cobol]

These days the FTE world is also partitioned that way.  In the last two-ish years there's been only small legal distinction between 1099 and w2 work.  The treatment is pretty much the same.  FTE's are not allowed any ramp up time but are expected to hit the ground running on day one, and are disposed of the instant they're no longer felt to be useful.  YMMV depending on the company of course, but this is generally the way the industry is.

[Richardk]

In the last two-ish years there's been only small legal distinction between 1099 and w2 work.  The treatment is pretty much the same.

But they are not the same. It seems like employers still haven't figured it out though even as a contractor through a broker, it was the same story. You acted like an employee and now you had two entities on your butt if you didn't.

FTE's are not allowed any ramp up time but are expected to hit the ground running on day one, and are disposed of the instant they're no longer felt to be useful.  YMMV depending on the company of course, but this is generally the way the industry is.

What ever happened to 'training' your employees? Does this imply that today's employee's are better, the work is easier or just under more stress to perform?

As stated above, the book "could be somewhat relevant" even if the specifics are out of date. I suspect the human side of the working relationships is still very relevant today.

[Walter Mitty]

These days the FTE world is also partitioned that way.  In the last two-ish years there's been only small legal distinction between 1099 and w2 work. 

Huh??? Has the IRS stopped going after clients that hire a bunch of 1099s?

That's the underlying reason for the creation of so many W-2 temp positions to begin with.

[Carrie Cobol]

Sorry, I muddied the waters by using the 1099/w2 legal distinctions when I simply meant FTE's versus contractors.  They are legally different, of course.  But these days employers treat them just the same.  You're brought in for what you can do *today* and disposed of when you don't have what they need tomorrow.  That's why job descriptions on the job boards are so ridiculous and the term "purple squirrel" has come into almost popular usage.  (I've heard non-IT people use the term!) 

And yes, nobody is willing to train anybody.  You're expected to do that on your own time, in between jobs.  Good luck guessing what the most marketable skills are next year, if you dive into a year-long training program.  And if you're older than 29, training without work experience simply doesn't count.  They all want 2 - 5 years of experience with each of their long lists of "skills".  That's why the corporate giants like Bill Gates keep lamenting to the press that they can't find skilled workers.  They just can't find squirrels of the particular species and specific shade of purple that they want today.

[Origisaurus]

And yes, nobody is willing to train anybody. 

Of course!  You don't invest any money in a throwaway object, whether it's a snot-tissue or a programmer or engineer.

They all want 2 - 5 years of experience with each of their long lists of "skills".  That's why the corporate giants like Bill Gates keep lamenting to the press that they can't find skilled workers.  They just can't find squirrels of the particular species and specific shade of purple that they want today.

First noted in the 1950s. 

Wanted: PhD engineer under 25.  Draft exempt, stable family, free to travel.  Typing 75 wpm.