What py-opportunities in Old Europe?

[Alex Martelli]

<posted & mailed>

MyPy wrote:

> I've been working as a C++ developer for several years and now I would
> like to start a one-man company in the software consultancy business.
> Some months ago I gave Python a try and apparently it seems
> well-suited for fast deployment of complex applications for all the
> reasons you're well aware of. 

So far, so good.

> But the point is: is there a *real*
> market for python consultants? I've had a look at the job board on
> python.org and searched some job sites (e.g. jobserve.com) but I could
> find only few open positions, besides my personal experience suggests
> that there are many (?) customers out there looking for VB, C++, Java
> people but no one even knows Python.  At least that is what happened
> to me here in Italy. So does anyone want to share his own
> feelings/thoughts/experience about  working as a py-freelance in
> Europe?

I'm in Italy, too, and technically a freelance.  In practice I
work mostly with AB Strakt in Sweden, basically "fulltime" (by
that company's enlightened standards -- 40 hours per week, no
more -- and plenty of "vacations", and all Swedish holidays...).

Add to that the time it takes to write and edit books and articles,
not to mention following c.l.py, and you'll easily see I'm not left 
with all that many billable hours left per year, even though my 
personal preferences for working hours per year are closer to 3,000
than to the AB Strakt - standard of well under 2,000 (it's all my
father's fault, as I explain in the Preface to the Python
Cookbook;-).  Still, there _is_ some slack -- some amount of hours
I can use to provide Python consultancy services to other customers.

Even though I don't do any "marketing" of my availability (I most
definitely don't have any time for *THAT*!-), it seems to me I'd
have no trouble making a reasonably comfortable living even if
all I did was satisfy the demand that comes to me on its own
accord.  In practice, given the above-mentioned constraints on
my time, I'm quite selective about which of these opportunities
I pursue (by the simplest of all devices -- raise hourly rates
requested, until the potential customers become few enough to
handle;-).  I try to ensure that SOME good Italian Pythonista
ends up handling the consultancies I can't/won't handle -- and
thanks to it.comp.lang, www.python.it and the Italian Python
mailing lists I do have some idea about who's such a person --
I'm *KEEN* for Python to spread, and particularly for it to
spread here in Italy, because I love good engineering, and I
love my country, after all.

As far as I know, none of those opportunities have been posted
to python.org, nor to "job sites", nor to the applicable
Italian newsgroups/mailing lists.  Rather, these people saw
(e.g.) my Python articles in "Linux&c" (a local magazine),
and decided it would be good to get a seminar about Python,
have some of their programmes trained, get my help with some
particularly difficult problem their people are tackling
with Python, and the like.  So, my observations may well not
be representative of what opportunities there would be for 
somebody without some "name recognition".  Still, even trying 
to compensate for that effect, I believe there is already a
small but growing Python consultancy market in Italy -- most
prospective clients being software development firms, and IT 
departments, and mostly for training and mentoring of existing 
personnel, or for particularly difficult tasks.

So, in terms of personal advice -- having Python skills to
sell *in addition* to skills in other languages is surely
a plus, but, at this point in time, I would suggest that
you try making a living in Italy as a freelance selling
*just* Python services _only if you have a particularly
favourable market connection_: i.e., name recognition for
whatever reason, or are well-known to and liked by many
potential customers, or are good at marketing yourself.


Alex