Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

internetworkers - Re: [internetworkers] You know your state's in trouble

internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Michael Czeiszperger <michael AT czeiszperger.org>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] You know your state's in trouble
  • Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:34:19 -0500


On Jan 6, 2009, at 4:03 PM, Tanner Lovelace wrote:

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 1:56 PM, Michael Czeiszperger
<michael AT czeiszperger.org> wrote:
Well, the reason it came up is my company does web performance testing
and tuning, and there's two classes of customers, those who call
months ahead of a release deadline and schedule in 4-6 weeks of
measure/tune/measure cycles, and those who call at 5PM on Friday
wanting their site tested 2AM Saturday morning so they can get ready
for an 8AM Monday release.

Let me guess. Do you have two different pricing schedules to match
the two classes of customers? :-)


Actually just giving the normal prices usually scares away the late Friday callers :-) Not that we're expensive for this type of work, mind you.

Out of curiosity, how's business these days? Have you noticed any
effects of the economic slowdown yet?

Last year our web performance services business tripled, even accelerating in the 4th quarter with a great December. We were all double and triple booked, working late nights and weekends to keep up. We're doing bigger jobs now, too, such as for the US Congress and larger companies.

I started collecting resumes mid-way through 2008, with the intent on hiring recent CS or engineering graduates of local institutions, but I couldn't find anyone willing to work in this field at any price. No idea why, as it takes quite a bit of knowledge and experience to know what you're doing.

I gave up on recent grads and was finally able to hire just one experienced person in mid-November who just been laid off, and now he too is double booked for all of January. If the economic outlook wasn't looking so bad I'd hire at least another person right away, but as it is, it feels safer to work longer hours and see what's going to happen.

_________________________________________________________

Michael Czeiszperger
Chapel Hill, NC

"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - H. Simpson
__________________________________________________________







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page