ASM Online Member Community

I am interested in learning how individuals became consultants or started a business after they retired, their experience in building their consultancy or business, and their advice to others on how to avoid pitfalls. 

Hi anonymous,

I'm not retired (yet!), but I can tell you what I've observed.

First and foremost, establish yourself on LinkedIn. Set up a useful profile and comment on posts relevant to your expertise where you can.

In person networking is also great - get involved with your local chapter, and attend any nearby meetings and expos.

Another useful thing to do is review proposals for any relevant funding opportunities at government agencies. This is good for networking and also keeping current on technology developments. Plus, it can be quite well paid for reading full applications. 

Relatedly, I'm currently recruiting reviewers for a funding opportunity for research in zero-carbon ironmaking. Anyone interested, please drop me a line?

Best wishes!

Could you expand on the subject of reviewing proposals? What does this entail?

Hi Ken,

Many government programs rely on knowledgeable external reviewers to evaluate the many applications they receive for funding. If you're not applying, you can offer to review. Agencies may provide travel and honoraria depending on the amount of time they're asking for. 

If you see a funding opportunity that looks particularly relevant to your expertise, you can send your credentials to the program manager - either on LinkedIn or via the agency website. 

It's admittedly very difficult to navigate the many government websites - most solicitations are posted on sam dot gov, where searching can turn up all kinds of things.

https://sam.gov/content/home

Hope that helps!

Toni