Information Technology consultants are usually highly trained and experienced individuals in the field of Information Technology..However, not all I.T. consultants are necessarily "experts" in every field of I.T.. In fact, it is highly unlikely that in this day and age with the proliferation of hundreds of new technologies that any one individual has all the skills and knowledge to advise and provide resources on every area.
Therefore do not be discouraged if you feel you don't have the necessary skills or knowledge to become a good I.T. consultant. The trick is to identify your specific I.T. skills, and find a niche in the market place for your particular brand of consulting.
On the other hand if you are fairly confident about your skills and knowledge and know where you are going, then it can be just a case of using a sound marketing strategy. Either way this Consultancy course will be able to identify the most appropriate paths and routes for you.
Just to give you a "taste" for what consultancy can be about, have you ever seen the series Hell's kitchen on TV with Gordon Ramsey? In Hell's Kitchen Mr Ramsey provides consultancy in the business of serving up good food and running a restaurant. Gordon Ramsey is an expert in his field. He usually lets his clients know (in no uncertain terms) where they are failing and advises them how to turn their business from making a loss, into a resounding profit. He has appeared on TV many times and has written numerous books on the subject.
Although we would not use the "Gordon Ramsey" approach in I.T. (after all, swearing, such as his on his "F" word program would not go down well with I.T. business owners) he does get his message across. The underlying theme of his work is emphasised by one word, (No not the "F" word as he likes to call it!), but "Passion"! To be a consultant you need to be able to provide expertise in your chosen area, and be passionate about it. Consultancy is not for the half hearted!
I also recommend the film "Hitch" with Will Smith. He provides consultancy on dating to prospective clients. However, in the end he has to resort to NOT using his skills on his prospective partner, as in this case it was a clear case of business and pleasure not being able to mix! If you are going to be a good consultant, the underlying theme is generally do not mix business with pleasure, unless you are taking a prospective client out to dinner or for a drink and trying to sell them your services. You should always have your "business" head on in this field.
However, if the thought of working for yourself, choosing your own hours, how much you will get paid, and being you own boss appeals to you then this will all help you in your cause, and it can be fun in it's own right.
This introduction hopes to be able to assist you in answering the following questions:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of I.T. consultancy?
What are your lifestyle and earning goals?
What are the factors that go into freelance work?
How do you gain experience prior to I.T. consultancy?
We can refine this further into the "Who", "What", "Why" and "How" of I.T. consulting.
Who are your prospective clients i.e your target audience?
What skills and knowledge can you offer?
Why do you want to do this?
How do you go about it?
We will aim to answer all these questions during this part of the course.
We will now aim to see what your motivations are, and where you think your I.T. skills can be utilised fully as a consultant. We have a questionnaire and a skills grid. Please answer these as honestly as you can. The questionnaire looks at your motivation for wanting to become an I.T. consultant, and the second identifies key areas, and skills in I.T. which could potentially be used in a consulting career.
By using the questionnaire and skills matrix you can recognise your own motivations and identify key technology areas where you may feel you could benefit from further training, or enhance the skills you currently have..
The I.T. Consultants Challenge Quiz
Here is the consultants challenge questionnaire. Read each question and circle the answer (A,B,C,D or E) that comes closest to your personal feelings. Please be honest in your responses, in order to gain the maximum benefit from the analysis of your responses, which is provided at the end of the quiz.
Q1 Do you enjoy solving I.T. problems?
- A) I don't mind solving I.T. problems during working hours, but when I go home I like to forget it.
- B) I always try to delegate the I.T. problem when I can. Let's just say I am using resources available to me.
- C) Yes, providing I.T. solutions on a technical or business level is all I am about.
- D) Yes, I like solving technical or business I.T. problems, but not both.
- E) I like to think that everything works, so that I don't have to solve anything
