After Work - Work w/Alibre Questions

[leeave96]

After Work - Work w/Alibre Questions

I use to work with a guy who made his day job living doing custom engineering/design stuff and feed me some of his excess work to help-out with, however, that deal is over now that he is frying other fish for a living!

Sooooo, I'm struggling with how to keep some work on my table during my evening hours - after my day job. Aside from designing-up some hobby related stuff and generating a few very small $$$, I'd like more!

My question is - how do you folks who are doing Alibre part-time after hours apart from your day job, find work and what are you doing? My biggest obsticle has been that the customers who would LIKE to use me are not interested in working with someone who is around after they go home for the day. No one wants to stay around after work and wait for the contract guy to come by for design ideas, review, questions, etc. How did you overcome this?

Just courious!

Bill

 

[cclark440]

Well I guess I got lucky becuase the people I have done work for were ok with it being after hours, or on weekends. It seems like most people that have asked me do help them, or do work for them are small buisnesses that usaully work late and long hours.

 

[swertel]

I have every other Friday off from my day job. So. like Clint, my clients have been comfortable with me working after hours and if a face-to-face is needed, we can make arrangements every other Friday.

What I use as a selling point is not that I do complete designs for them, but I assist them with their in-house work. Through controlled FTP sights or VPNs, I can work at night while they work during the day. It requires a lot of communication but allows them to meet faster schedules.

--Scott

 

[jwknecht]

Re: After Work - Work w/Alibre Questions

Sooooo, I'm struggling with how to keep some work on my table during my evening hours - after my day job. Aside from designing-up some hobby related stuff and generating a few very small $$$, I'd like more!

My question is - how do you folks who are doing Alibre part-time after hours apart from your day job, find work and what are you doing?

Bill

Hey Bill,

I am struggling with similar circumstances. I work a full time job, don't have Friday's off, am not near retirement, like Design, have started my own side business.... I have just a few clients. All of my work has come outside of my own State of TN via contacts through Alibre. I have done zero marketing. I would like to have more clients and am struggling with how to find them (or how they can find me).

I am placing much hope in the soon to be improvements to the Alibre Consultant Program. I have taken and passed the certification test, and have given input via a special Forum Section for Consultants. You may want to give the Consultant Program a try (or wait to see the improvements to the program).

Working full time, I don't want to grow too fast on the side. If I have to turn down work due to time limitations, I feel that clients will not return. So, I don't want to mass market (google ads, zine ads, etc.).

Anyway, my goals for the business are to grow it slow, keep my design skills high, to generate enough revenue to pay for my investments (with some tax breaks as a bonus), but mostly to keep having fun (yes, I found something I enjoy and want to keep doing it even if it means it one step beyond a hobby).

Good luck. Stay in touch with a PM if you want.

 

[MagneO]

Hello!

It seems that many people think along the same lines and have the same problems. Also it seems that marketing is perhaps the main problem for part-timers. I only have xpress but would like to have the pro version, but feel that buying without some chance of have it pay for itself is not something I would like to do.

So the consultant program is perhaps the way to go, but

1) is there any activity outside the US?

2) Does anybody know something about the improvements?

Best Regards,

MagneO

 

[leeave96]

Well, it is encouraging to know that others are in the same boat as am I. My intent is to contact and push clients that are local into handing out some work. I'll have to sell them on the notion that EVEN with my after hours schedule that there is value for their business to work with me.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[Anonymous]

Put together a brochure and drop it off at all of the local machine and fabrication shops. You would surprised at the number of drawings they get on napkins. You'll have more work than you know what to do with!!! You'll probably endup creating a good working relationship with a couple of shops and won't be able to take on any more. Keep your rates around $50/hr and you will beat all of the professional design houses that charge $65-$120/hr. I've never had a problem getting the work. The problem is not having enough time to get it all done when already fully employed.

 

[Sip]

After work

Perhaps not exactly the right forum, but this thread set me to thinking.

My question is this:
How do you deal with the matter of liability?

I wanted to get insurance for my computer. The insurance broker wanted to know what I do with it. As soon as I mentioned design (and I have no engineering degree) no one would touch it. It seems you have to be a member of a professional organization, then they can insure it. It is a package deal.

When you make an error on a drawing, and something goes wrong, can your client hold you responsible? Can they come back to sue you? Would a signed waiver from a client give you protection?

How do I get insurance for my computer without having to jump through these hoops?


Sip

 

[leeave96]

My intent is to pitch my work as mechanical design NOT engineering. Second, there will be an understanding IN WRITING that in exchange for my LOW rates, they assume ALL liability and there is NO money back guarantee.

Bill

 

[marc]

Insurance and Mechanical Design

Sip, you can add your computer to your homeowner's or renter's insurance, but that does not handle the errors and omissions insurance. That would fall under Professional Liability insurance.

Bill, as far as pitching your work as a Mechanical Designer and NOT an Engineer, be careful. In Texas, the State Board of Professional Engineers is pretty firm about this situation. You MUST be under direct supervision of a licensed P.E. in order to perform any services that they deem as engineering. Direct supervision, as the Board defines it, must be an employer-employee relationship, not a contract one. I do not agree with this interpretation of the law, but don't ask me how I know. Just kidding, but I do FEA and was doing that before I got my license. They fined me for practicing engineering without a license even though the person who hired me, a licensed P.E., was sitting at my desk with me while we did the analysis! They did not deem that to be direct supervision. There are many ways to market yourself to the public without violating the law. Just be sure to follow the rules of your state. I would recommend advertising your drafting and detailing services.

Marc A. Meadows, P.E.
Meadows Analysis & Design, LLC
Fort Worth, Texas

 

[jwknecht]

I also am careful to offer design services rather than engineering services. Although I am a degreed Mechanical Engineer, I am not a PE. I do not want to take on the liability associated with certification of the designs. There are many jobs that are strictly design services, which happen to be the types that I have taken. These include creation of templates for the client to use to create their own designs, and recreation of already existing designs (for use of 3D models or photo rendering). When I invoice, I am careful to word the invoice as such. In the correspondence of the delivered designs, I make sure to mention that the client should check all work before using.

Should I come across business that I feel is in a grey zone, I will make sure we have a signed agreement whereby the client agrees to accept full responsibilty for providing his/her own PE services.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with everybody here. Stay away from calculations and analysis if you don't have a license. I simply put a customers designs from napkins and scratch paper into nice cad files with pretty drawings. Even though I have a BSME and do structural analysis on composites at work I don't offer these types of services because I don't have a P.E.. The government is very picky about the distinction between the words design and engineering.

 

[sdalessi]

After Hours Work

It is great to see so many of you offering design services after hours. Finding customers is not easy, however as a company the often uses "Freelance" designers here are the things we look for before hiring:

1. Project portfolio from concept to final drawings.

2. Do you have a design control procedure in place.

3. Ability to send files via the internet. Net Meeting is a big plus with us.

4. Available to discuss issues before work or up to 9:00 PM at night.

Thanks

 

[rocksvold]

Re:

...Even though I have a BSME and do structural analysis on composites at work I don't offer these types of services because I don't have a P.E.

My First post. :mrgreen:

What about doing that analysis for work? Do you have to report to a PE? I am in a similar situation but no PE at my work. Just my ME degree and EIT.

 

[swertel]

Getting slightly off-topic, but I'll field the question.

What industry are you in? When doing analysis for work, as long as the work stays within the company, usually no P.E. is required because it is industry exempt and not within the public domain. When the public's health, safety, and wellfare are at stake, then a P.E. signature is required.

The tricky part is when you are doing analysis for a product you sell. Buildings, HVAC, bridges, roads, etc. pretty obviously effect public safety and therefore a PE is required. A toaster oven on the other hand, although used by the public, can't really do much harm except for electricuting oneself. Now if the toaster oven starts a fire, burns the house down, and kills someone in the process, would a PE have helped. Probably not and therefore consumer products are usually industry exempt from requiring a PE stamp. Check with your state board to make sure.

As someone who passed the FE exam and is working towards a PE, I'm quite concerned about your lack of knowledge in this area. No good mentors nearby?

 

[Jimpulse]

As far as products are concerned the protection for the consumer lies with other bodies. For instance, gas heating products are built and certified to standards arbitrated by the AGA. Most electrical products, your toster for instance, are build and tested to UL standards.
IMHO the involvement of a licensed engineer has a very limited place in the design of manufactured products since few would have the resources that could equal the job done by typical Agency approval.

Certainly though, PEs will have necessary input on the application of these things (well hopefully not toasters!)

 

[rocksvold]

Re:

As someone who passed the FE exam and is working towards a PE, I'm quite concerned about your lack of knowledge in this area. No good mentors nearby?

I went immediately into construction-management after school. Worked under several PE's for about 2 yrs... but I was in the field reading prints and coordinating construction (big industrial & automotive factories). Then the bottom fell out of our company so I've jumped around.

Now; I'm in the automotive manufacturing aftermarket making parts that are actually designs that have been in operation...not designing anything yet. We basically make existing parts with our name on them...It's common in the industry. So, no. I have no mentors in my environment to work under. My boss is a computer programmer running operations and I'm the only ME and recently hired on. Small company, under 30 people.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I am 5-yrs. out of school. I feel I have a pretty strong grasp of engineering in my field, and more importantly, a bit of common sense.

 

[swertel]

Send me a PM if you want to discuss PE issues. It's not quite in the scope of these forums.

I recently moved and am still finding a new ISP that serves my needs, so no contact via email yet.

 

[rocksvold]

Ok. PM sent. Try ISP.com They're cheap dialup ($8.95) and the service has been pretty good.