Also, "having a friend" and "choosing to be around" certain people are 2 totally different things. There are many ways to be around people including volunteering, playing sports, and especially taking a job. Those people can exert great positive influence on you regardless of whether you become friends with them.
Obviously, there are many people that we're very close friends with, even though we're rarely surrounded by them.
So its generally when you're choosing your friends around some utilitarian metric that you begin tread into sycophantic waters.
Right. I think that there are two kinds of developers within agencies. One group that is fundamentally mediocre and will tolerate churn. And another group that is extremely talented and senior in order to produce great work in the context of churn, unreasonable requirements, etc.
It seems that the dichotomy between Advertising vs Startups is: Short projects that live to support a campaign vs stable products that target customer acquisition and an eventual exit for the company.
Speaking as someone who has worked in and outside of an agency, they are great places for some very specific things.
Yes, generally you can command a higher "agency" rate than with most other clients. They have deeper pockets generally, but raising your rates just because you can is a little unethical. The reality is that the agency is at the mercy of the client and both parties are fighting hundreds of constantly changing (usually unseen) variables, and so they are willing to pay a premium in the interest of getting things done on time and done well. So yes, you will have to unexpectedly work on weekends, or work on requirements that sound backwards or are overly complex, but you will be compensated for that extra effort.
Also, unlike some of your non-agency clients, you may often be exposed to projects that are "award-winning", or will have an enormous audience, or take advantage of some new, hot technology. If you have the luxury to pick and choose these projects, then absolutely work with agencies. Otherwise, be very cautious about getting your schedule overrun with bizarre requests and drawn-out initiatives, and not being able to focus on your consulting practice or product development.
Fair. Based on the excitement and carnage from the downgrade, its great that theres a dialogue going on about the politics behind the situation, including the S&P's errors and what the rating really means.
Obviously, there are many people that we're very close friends with, even though we're rarely surrounded by them.
So its generally when you're choosing your friends around some utilitarian metric that you begin tread into sycophantic waters.