On the first day of my first consulting gig, as I was getting set up, an argument ensued over which server I should be doing my work on. In my old job I would have got caught up in the nonsense. This time I could just say: "OK, you guys figure it out, I'll just wait over here".
Sitting and reading while you count the dollars someone else is burning through can be rather therapeutic.
This time I could just say: "OK, you guys figure it out, I'll just wait over here".
You could have said that before in other situations. Regardless of what your work situation is, you can always do this. I haven't but in retrospect realize I could have in more situations than I want to acknowledge. The downside to that is you end up having to live with someone else's decisions for far longer than they spent making the decision, which may often stink. But as an independent consultant you still have to do the same thing. The only primary difference I see is that you usually can see an end in sight when you won't have to deal with decision X, whether it's jumping to another client for the afternoon work, or getting a different contract 6 months from now.
You can, and I do. The difficulty is catching yourself in time before you are drawn into the conflict. It's amazing when you see it happening "from the outside" and you realize how much time you were formerly wasting by participating in what are, in the end, usually pointless arguments.
Disengage, then say "let me know by XX:YY when you make a decision" and find something else to work on. Truly liberating.
As a fellow consultant, I would like to add that the temporary nature of consulting work makes this sort of infighting and politics a lot more palatable to me. I know that in 3-6 months I can laugh at it...(or at least forget about it)
So I sort of suffer from the same symptoms as the OP. Consulting has proven to be a good choice for me, as I do get some variety and dont get as bored as I did when I was a FTE somewhere...
Well for me, I just fell into it. I was a .NET developer and ended up working for a company that taught me a niche skill (CTRM/ETRM). I then learned how to customize two of the larger applications in this field.(RightAngle and Allegro) Now I do some development but it is more implementation/integration/customization. My development skills definitely help, but its not the main focus of my work anymore.(unless I start a hobby project)
I think having a niche specialized skill certainly helps, but you could probably find work at a "big 4" firm without it. Being either technical or functional AND personable helps. I am pretty easy going so I can get along with most, and have a pretty positive attitude most of the time. That said Im not overly extroverted, so that isnt a requirement. If you want to do it, work towards making it happen. Linked in(for better or worse) can be a good resource here. Join a professional group there, go to hh events, make connections. I dont think it is a tough field to break into.
Sitting and reading while you count the dollars someone else is burning through can be rather therapeutic.