ASM Online Member Community

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

David,

You can always look into forensic engineering/expert witness work.  I will admit, the attorney and critiquing aspect is not always enjoyed by people, especially engineers.

Good luck!

------------------------------
Todd Springer
Senior Consulting Engineer
Augspurger Komm Engineering
Phoenix AZ
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Todd,

I've done a lot of forensic/expert witness work. I've never had a problem with the attorney/critiquing aspect.

However, this is a very hard field to get into. I spent about a decade as a consultant in this field, and know first hand the difficulty involved. If I had stayed there, it would be a lot easier today to simply cut back on clients rather then to ratchet up new clients. It takes years to develop relationships within the  legal world to be actively sought out as an expert in a field. 

Perhaps you might have suggestions as to how to lower that threshold?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-30-2023 11:57
From: Todd Springer
Subject: Consultants

David,

You can always look into forensic engineering/expert witness work.  I will admit, the attorney and critiquing aspect is not always enjoyed by people, especially engineers.

Good luck!

------------------------------
Todd Springer
Senior Consulting Engineer
Augspurger Komm Engineering
Phoenix AZ

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

David,
     I'm not certain if it would be of interest, but you might consider segueing into quality system auditing/assessment. PRI adminsters ,the MedAcred program and is often looking for auditors with technical experience for that program. Organizations such as ANAB certify materials testing labs to ISO 17025:2017 and are often looking for assessors. The down side to becoming an ISO 17025 assessor is that training in being an ISO 17025 lead assessor is required, which represents an out of pocket cost. For ISO 17025 assessing, I found that ANAB was the easiest group to join. I have no experience with PRI's MedAcred program, I'm just aware that it exists - I currently perfomr auality system audits of materials testing labs for PRI's Nadcap program (aerospace material).
Regards

------------------------------
Kevin Haffey
Nadcap MTL Auditor
Self Employed,Universal Stainless
Evans City PA
(412) 629-7367
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Kevin,

That's a very interesting idea. That very well may be a good avenue to explore. I am quite aware of the MedAccred program as I sit on the heat treating committee and am the chair of the welding committee for that program. I've been involved in both of those committees since they started. 

dj

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-31-2023 09:20
From: Kevin Haffey
Subject: Consultants

David,
     I'm not certain if it would be of interest, but you might consider segueing into quality system auditing/assessment. PRI adminsters ,the MedAcred program and is often looking for auditors with technical experience for that program. Organizations such as ANAB certify materials testing labs to ISO 17025:2017 and are often looking for assessors. The down side to becoming an ISO 17025 assessor is that training in being an ISO 17025 lead assessor is required, which represents an out of pocket cost. For ISO 17025 assessing, I found that ANAB was the easiest group to join. I have no experience with PRI's MedAcred program, I'm just aware that it exists - I currently perfomr auality system audits of materials testing labs for PRI's Nadcap program (aerospace material).
Regards

------------------------------
Kevin Haffey
Nadcap MTL Auditor
Self Employed,Universal Stainless
Evans City PA
(412) 629-7367

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

David,

I am currently a semi-retired consultant in my mid-70's and am enjoying this phase of my career and life immensely. 
Based on my 46 years of experience as a senior R&D scientist, and that includes having a consulting business for the past 20 years, I found the following to be helpful:
1. Always have an updated resume; I have a two-pager and also a much more comprehensive 12-page resume.
2. Create a website. (After I did this, I have never had to seek out clients. The clients have always approached me. That includes all types of clients, including several Fortune 500 clients. Your comprehensive resume should be on your website.) Also, create a business plan. This will help you to become organized, to set goals and will address issues such as consulting contracts, taxes, etc.
3. Make use of any professional society benefits, social media sites, and/or educational alumni directories and/or career-connections/networking. (I have membership in six scientific societies and have found many career-related aspects associated with each society.  Also, I'm on LinkedIn and ResearchGate; the latter is focused on science-related professionals.)
4. My own preference has been to not specialize in one narrow area.  I have used my experience/accomplishments to obtain excellent consulting projects in areas including: expert witness, consulting for Wall Street and investment firms, chemistry, polymers, 3D printing, semiconductor processing, corrosion science, ceramics, etc. Formally, my Ph.D. is in chemistry. Having work experience in diverse industries has been a major plus for me in attracting consulting clients. 
5. Set realistic fees; hourly, per project, etc. Don't hesitate to do some pro bono work, if you feel it will help the client to select you for future projects. (I did an initial pro bono project for a Fortune 500 company, and that quickly resulted in a lucrative consulting contract that was renewed for more than 10 years.) 
6. Decide where you want to work from and how much you want to travel. (Personally, I've done all of my consulting from my home, mainly because it's convenient and I don't enjoy travel. With the Internet, video conferencing, phone and email, I have been able to maintain clients on several continents.) 
7. Read books about getting started in consulting. (Do a search on "how to become a consultant." There are many websites and also books on the subject.


------------------------------
Ronald Myers
President/Owner
Myers Consulting Services
Strongsville OH
(440) 572-9592
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

This is excellent advice! Thank you! So you run your own web site? Or do yo hire someone to make it for you? 

dj

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-31-2023 13:28
From: Ronald Myers
Subject: Consultants

David,

I am currently a semi-retired consultant in my mid-70's and am enjoying this phase of my career and life immensely. 
Based on my 46 years of experience as a senior R&D scientist, and that includes having a consulting business for the past 20 years, I found the following to be helpful:
1. Always have an updated resume; I have a two-pager and also a much more comprehensive 12-page resume.
2. Create a website. (After I did this, I have never had to seek out clients. The clients have always approached me. That includes all types of clients, including several Fortune 500 clients. Your comprehensive resume should be on your website.) Also, create a business plan. This will help you to become organized, to set goals and will address issues such as consulting contracts, taxes, etc.
3. Make use of any professional society benefits, social media sites, and/or educational alumni directories and/or career-connections/networking. (I have membership in six scientific societies and have found many career-related aspects associated with each society.  Also, I'm on LinkedIn and ResearchGate; the latter is focused on science-related professionals.)
4. My own preference has been to not specialize in one narrow area.  I have used my experience/accomplishments to obtain excellent consulting projects in areas including: expert witness, consulting for Wall Street and investment firms, chemistry, polymers, 3D printing, semiconductor processing, corrosion science, ceramics, etc. Formally, my Ph.D. is in chemistry. Having work experience in diverse industries has been a major plus for me in attracting consulting clients. 
5. Set realistic fees; hourly, per project, etc. Don't hesitate to do some pro bono work, if you feel it will help the client to select you for future projects. (I did an initial pro bono project for a Fortune 500 company, and that quickly resulted in a lucrative consulting contract that was renewed for more than 10 years.) 
6. Decide where you want to work from and how much you want to travel. (Personally, I've done all of my consulting from my home, mainly because it's convenient and I don't enjoy travel. With the Internet, video conferencing, phone and email, I have been able to maintain clients on several continents.) 
7. Read books about getting started in consulting. (Do a search on "how to become a consultant." There are many websites and also books on the subject.


------------------------------
Ronald Myers
President/Owner
Myers Consulting Services
Strongsville OH
(440) 572-9592

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

You might also want to consider registering with TASA (www.tasanet.com), which matches engineers with attorneys seeking expert witnesses. Their cut is reasonable and you have a desirable background.

------------------------------
Aaron Tanzer
Principal Research Engineer
University of Dayton Research Institute
Beavercreek OH
(407) 247-9557
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Aaron,

Thank you, I did not know about TASA. I'll take a look at it. Good tip!

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-01-2023 17:48
From: Aaron Tanzer
Subject: Consultants

You might also want to consider registering with TASA (www.tasanet.com), which matches engineers with attorneys seeking expert witnesses. Their cut is reasonable and you have a desirable background.

------------------------------
Aaron Tanzer
Principal Research Engineer
University of Dayton Research Institute
Beavercreek OH
(407) 247-9557

Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 09:28
From: David Jones
Subject: Consultants

I would like to ask how to become a consultant after retiring from "normal" work.

Any advice?

------------------------------
David Jones
Senior Principal Materials Engineer
Stryker Orthopeadics
Mahwah NJ
(914) 469-2958
------------------------------