I began to suspect I was in the wrong business about 13 years ago, when I was an entry-level reporter at a semi-daily newspaper. Sure, I'd been warned I wouldn't make money as a journalist - but I should have asked for specifics.

Vague comments about enough money are meaningless to a 20-year-old. Real examples, such as "You won't be able to pay your rent and make your car payment," or "Pick one: Food or running water" would've been more helpful, I think.

After reading a recent ZapThink report, it occurs to me that I'm still in the wrong business. If only someone had said to me, "Loraine, forget writing. Go learn about SOA," life would be good. Real good.

How good? According to ZapThink, senior SOA consultants can charge up to $500 per hour. A typical onshore SOA architecture team will cost around $200-300 per hour as an average per-person cost for the team as a whole, it notes. You'll get a slight discount for offshore consultants - the price drops to a "mere" $100-200.

But as this article explains, many bids for SOA consultants may not reflect the true costs. In fact, you're likely to get widely different quotes from SOA consultants and, oddly, the big firms are likely to bid incredibly lower than mid-size and boutique SOA consultancies.

You'll be tempted to think that there's some sort of efficiency of scale going on there, but ZapThink says that's not the case.

ZapThink contends large firms are pulling a bait-and-switch on clients by bringing in top-notch SOA consultants to sell the service, but when it comes time to deliver, these big companies bring in college graduates to do that actual work. And, as you might expect, they tend to lack the experience and training needed to deliver a full SOA.

Just as I should have asked for more specifics when I started journalism, companies should ask for more specifics before hiring a SOA consultant. It's not enough to ask, "How much?" You also need to ask:

• Who will do the work for that rate? Will it be you, Mr. SOA expert - or a team of junior architects?
• What is the experience level and credentials of the actual team who will work on my SOA?
• What are the deliverables I can expect and when can I expect them?

The ZapThink article explains the problem more fully and offers a few tips for how you can get around this problem. The first tip, of course, is to realize any bid that's less than the going rate is not a real bargain at all. In fact, you'll probably wind up short-changed, according to ZapThink.

This can be tricky advice to follow, since some government agencies must accept the low bid. Recognizing this, ZapThink suggests you move to a per-project bid price with identifiable deliverables, rather than an hourly rate.

The article is well worth reading, and goes into some depth about why this is happening and why both onshore and offshore SOA consultants can charge so much.

You might also want to check out these past pieces about hiring a SOA consultant:

Searching for, and landing that one special job is going to require you to write a well prepared resume. Yes, the thought of writing about yourself can be very intimidating, especially not knowing where to start or what to include. Here is a list of 10 tips that will help you in writing that perfect resume.

1. One of the most important things to remember is that you are marketing yourself. The resume is only going to enhance your best qualities. That being said, you need to focus on one specific objective, or bull's-eye. This is what is going to make you stand out from the crowd. With out having a plan, or objective your final product will not be clear, it will seem unfocused. So take some time before you start to write, and focus on a objective, or bull's-eye.

2. As mentioned above you are marketing yourself to a prospective employer, and the resume is the marketing tool that is going get you; the product in the hands of the employers. This is where you want to put your best-self at the for-front. You are going to market your self through your resume. This is where you list your benefits and features. Show what makes you unique, these benefits and features should resonate through your resume.

3. Remember this tool is used to get you an interview, it is not intended to get you the job. Avoid going into detail about every accomplishment you have achieved. You want to be clear and concise. Tease the employer, peak his or her interest with your resume in order to get the interview. The interview is where you will go into more detail about yourself.

4. The construction of your resume is very important. First of all you want to make sure that you make it only 1-2 pages long, and the reading of it flows smoothly. Use proper grammar, and please make sure that your punctuation is correct. Also make sure that you leave white space between paragraphs, and your font size should not go any lower /higher than 10.

5. Next you want to choose your words carefully, Remember it takes the employer anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute to review your resume. This is a short period of time, so you need to make sure your strong points are at the beginning, and they capture the attention of the employer. You can do this simply by accenting your strengths with bullet points. When using bullet points make sure you use short strong sentences.

6. Now you want to show that you know what you are talking about. Stay away from only one strong point. Show the depth of your knowledge, highlight the different strengths that you have and just touch on them. You will want to accent the positive, and leave off the negative if you feel they will prejudice your chances of an interview.

7. This next step is very important, as mentioned above you want to make sure that your resume flows smoothly. By this I mean that the reading has to be smooth, not choppy and going in different directions. Remember you are writing around your bull's eye so everything has to be relevant, and flow from one step to the next.

8. Once you have a finished product you want to review it and make any changes that are warranted. You want to make sure that you read it as if you are the person making the decision as to who will get interviews. If it does not make sense to you, then it will most likely not make sense to that person.

9. Another good idea would be to let other people read it. They will probably see things that should be changed, plus they will not be as easy on you than you would be on your self. this will make for a better, and higher quality finished product. Remember to make changes based on the input you get from the other people's input.

10. Now it's time to submit your resume to prospective employers. When submitting your resume remember that your odds increase with the number that you submit. Do not be afraid to submit them. You want to submit to jobs that are what you are looking for, some that are just below what you are looking for, and some that seem to be a bit out of reach, You never know where you will find that jewel of a job,

By following these few steps you can create a resume that will point out your strengths and get the attention of the prospective employers.

In a competitive world every employee seeks to increase his/her job success skills and thereby increase their promotional prospects. These seven success secrets will help you.

Be early or arrive 10 minutes before time!

Let your employer know you are valuable. Doing an excellent job is of no help if the boss who promotes you doesn't know it, or thinks otherwise! It may even hinder your promotion. You'll feel good to do a good job, but unless it's backed by a promotion you'll feel frustrated and let down. So let your employer know by volunteering for any problems in the office and let your boss know who did it. Collect the credit to your account!

Show initiative. Be the new idea bringer! And then offer to take charge and implement them. Show leadership qualities here. Go the extra mile, even the extra millimeter. It's all sometimes you'll need to stand out from the pack! And do this all with a smile, let it be a joy, not a burden. Come up with fresh concepts and ideas and convince your colleagues to support your ideas. Never shy from a good challenge and when your colleagues say it cant be done, show them its possible and do it. Believe and bet on yourself, but always be accountable. Value yourself. When your boss looks out for a new project leader, guess who he'll choose!

Keep personal problems at home and personal. So if your boy/girl friend has dumped you deal with it outside of office hours and talk. Remember business is business and personal is personal. Some the most effective business leaders have been those who have successfully separated the two.

Never say words like "IT'S not my job" to a co-worker or the customer. Be prepared to work and when given a task give it your all, whether big or small. Be flexible and try to assist wherever possible to the best of your ability. This attitude will not go un-noticed in the long run.

Show an attitude of follow-up for all jobs undertaken. Delegate well to show good leadership skills. Collaborate with all the company's methods, goals, new working policies and generally play the team man. Be a team player but an inspiring leader at the same time. Keep your inbox to a minimum and keep all pending jobs to an appropriate folder. No employer likes to see a huge "pending" tray.

Keep up with the latest by reading books in your field. Keeping abreast of new ways to work, operate will show your boss you're seeking to improve your 'on the job success skills'. Be like a sponge and always keep a open mind. Observe, listen, read and ask questions. Know all you can about your company, its history, and its mistakes. Know your brand how it's made, what goes into its production. Otherwise, study you job in all its aspects. Above all know your goals or aspirations. Knowing them will give you a strong reason to excel in whatever field you choose and rise up.

When you deserve a promotion go to your boss with an updated list of proof and reasons to support your appeal. Don't be afraid to show the progress you've made the projects you've put together and your accomplishments. Otherwise these may go unnoticed. In other words. SELL YOURSELF!