An Information Technology consultant is a broad term used in the industry. People in this job can play a broader role in an organization or specific roles like system architects, programmer analysts, automation specialists, implementation specialists, etc. An IT consultant may work for an IT consultancy firm, or they can be independent contractor. As technology continuously changes, constantly staying top of new technologies is very critical to success. The services offered by IT consultants can vary from strategic to architectural or operational. Strategic consulting helps clients to plan for changes required to handle future growth. Architecture consulting helps in implementing strategies based on technology trends and the infrastructure required to handle a client’s business growth. Operational services focus on operational optimization, performance and capacity management.
Education and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems or software engineering; other majors such as engineering or mathematics are also considered.
- Master’s degree in business administration or computer science is recommended for those considering management roles or specialized roles like security.
- Though not required, certifications are recommended to differentiate one from a competitive pool of job applicants. Some popular certifications include the following:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
Responsibilities and a Day in the Life
The typical work week is about 40 hours a week, but most of the time, the job demands more hours. If some sort of computer system maintenance must be performed, this is usually done over the weekend or not during business hours; but this mostly applies to those engaged in operations services. IT consultants also spend a decent amount of time in meetings to gather requirements, review various data points, and decide on next steps, etc.
Though Covid has reduced travel significantly, in normal conditions, IT consultants travel a lot of times so they can work with clients at their location.
Responsibilities of a consultant could significantly vary based on the client and project; but most projects might entail the following:
- Meeting with client to understand business needs
- Acting as a liaison between the IT and business aspects of an organizations
- Understanding current IT systems
- Designing and proposing new systems and technologies to meet a client’s current needs and expected future growth
- Planning a project to implement the new technology systems or upgrade current ones
- Implementing the project with no or minimal interruption to the client or its customersÂ
- Analyzing current security and compliance status
- Recommending best practices to keep all systems secure
- Training IT team members on the new tech systems and future tech to be implemented
- Constantly monitoring, auditing and fine tuning IT systems and networks for optimal performance
- Learning technological advancements
Other Necessary Skills
- Leadership skills
- Attention to detail
- Decision making skills
- Problem-solving and critical thinking skills
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Good time-management and organizational skills.
Career Progression
- Consultant/Analyst –>
- Senior consultant/Associate –>
- Manager –>
- Principal/Associate Partner –>
- Partner/Senior Partner
Salary
- Consultant: $80K+ with 10 to 15% bonus
- Senior Consultant: $120K+ with 10 to 25% bonus
- Manager: $130 to $175K with 10 to 25% bonus
- Principal/Associate Partner: $150 to 200K with 10 to 25% bonus
- Partner/Senior Partner: $200 to $500K; bonus could vary based on the total revenue and other performances.
Job Growth
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not separately track IT Consultants. This role is covered under ‘Computer System Analysts’.
- 607K+ jobs in 2020
- Outlooks 7% (2020 to 30)
- Employment change 43K (2020 to 30)
Summary
If you are someone who finds the following characteristics of this job appealing, you should probably consider IT Consulting as your future career:
- Working with a new client every few months
- Love constantly traveling, staying in hotels, and eating in restaurants (and only returning home on weekends)
- Working with computers, network, IT infrastructure and cloud computing
- Constant changes in technology and staying on top of those.
