Technology agnostic vs Client agnostic
This question recently hit me like a .50 calibre bullet, and it really hurts when I try to figure out how to strike a balance between the two.
Being in the IT industry (and especially consulting), I have been able to be technologically agnostic. I am always ready to adapt to changes in the technology I use to solve problems, and am always willing to learn new technologies when it come around. I am even ready to use LISP (although the curly braces will leave me seeking asylum in a few weeks, but that’s another story) if it means it is the most effective way to solve a problem!!!
However, I have not been able to be completely 100% (probably am 97%) client agnostic. Being a mercenary that I am, I wasn’t that enthusiastic about working for my new client during the reassignment. It’s probably because they have gotten a fair bit of bad publicity on the media, and may be largely due to the fact that I have been waiting for my refund of 189 dollars since 4 years ago!!!!
Whichever way, I wasn’t all that interested in helping them driving their share values up in the market.
Then how could I call myself a consultant/mercenary in such a case? Well, this is getting philosophical….(not talking about life and death, or about Jesus or Buddha or Muhammad). It’s about the living philosophy of being a technology consultant (client and technology agnostic) and at the same time have the courage to reject a client based on the basis of ethics.
How can a balance be strike between being client agnostic and upholding personal ethics? Is this possible at all? Maybe I need to just drop all my “ethical-hoohas” and just live with it. I have seen some colleagues who are willing to resign from the consulting firm because they are stuck with a bad client. I hope this will NEVER EVER happen to me. I love my new company too much to throw away my career just because of a nasty client.
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