The Climate of the times

Caution seems to be the word of the year thus far.  Manufacturers in the United States are hesitant to pull the trigger on full time employees.  We may want to re-consider the traditional full-time engineer and speed up the timeline to the world of independent consulting.  For someone not planning on a career in consulting so soon, I can see the benefits for both the employer and employee.  As with any change it comes down to a level of comfort with the "new thing".  In my instance it may seem like I have been destined to be a consultant.  For my entire career, working as a divisional or corporate engineer, I've been groomed in the lifestyle of supporting multiple facilities to address several challenges in the design, development and manufacturing of products and processes.  I have also led product and process implementation strategies to align customer wants and needs with acceptance criteria, specifications, and validation plans.