Consulting is a lucrative job, no matter which particular field you choose. With the prevalence of information technology in the modern world, an IT consulting job sounds even more lucrative, doesn’t it? However, money can’t be the only driver or you’ll be throwing up your hands and walking away from the job within a year or two. There should be other motivation to consider this career path. Therefore, without further ado, here are some reasons you should consider becoming an IT consultant.
No More 9 to 5
Do you feel restrained by the usual routine? Perhaps, you are someone who feels tied down if you have to follow a set number of working hours. Maybe your creativity and work efficiency peak at times that are not ‘normal’ by other people’s standards. If all this describes you, then you definitely should look at IT consulting as a career option. Consulting means no more 9 to 5 routines and being tied to timings that just don’t work for you. However, watch out for burnout!
Constant Change
This is a concept that is very dear to the world of consulting. Thanks to what IT consulting is, you will find that you are working with a wide variety of problems, clients, and technologies. In a regular job, once you join, it takes you a few months to conquer the learning curve. Once you have done that, you settle into a routine, with little to no challenges presented to tax your skills or move you out of your comfort zone. Consulting, however, is a whole different ball game. You are the subject matter expert. You will constantly be challenged by issues that your clients will bring in front of you. It’s not all glamor and you may end up with projects that involve the latest technology or with those that involve legacy code that can get quite tedious. But the biggest thing here is that the varied nature of the challenges you face will ensure that you have a skill set that is broad and that you stay up-to-date with technologies that are cutting edge and just out on the market.
Travel
Oh yes, this one is true. Of course, it is based on the company you work for and whether it follows the local model or the travel model. However, if you do work for a company with a travel model, you can expect to be asked to travel quite a bit both around your country and internationally. We all know, of course, that travel is a great way to broaden one’s horizons. You will get to meet people of different nationalities, understand different systems and, who knows, maybe even catch the local sights! If you have been bitten by the travel bug and love solving IT problems, IT consulting may very well be the job for you.
Networking
Success is determined by a lot of things – your dedication, skill, people skills and so on. One of the factors that you do need to keep in mind is a good network. In the IT field, a good network can propel you to the top of the ladder and give you the success that you can only dream of otherwise. Consulting is a great way to build your network because think about it. The nature of the job demands that you meet a larger number of people than you would have through an ordinary job. The more you interact with people, the more likely you are to learn about new opportunities coming your way. Whether it is senior people in various organizations or colleagues who move into other career paths, you will have a network that may end up spanning the globe.
The Content has been written by Justin Goh for MyPrivateTutor Malaysia.
Justin Goh is a former teacher and prolific writer, penning blogs to help the parents, students and the educators alike. Regularly contributing articles for MyPrivateTutor Malaysia, he prefers to write on varying aspects of education ranging from learning strategies and preparation tips to the ways to reach out to the students better.
