N.B. The danger in I.T. consultancy is claiming you know more than you do about a particular subject. This is fatal as you would very quickly be found out in the real world!
Numerous I.T. consultants started out as contract programmers or business analysts, and added consultancy to their roles. Therefore it does help if you have "expert" knowledge of a subject.
Do you have the x-factor in I.T. consultancy terms?
On a totally unrelated subject, if you have ever watched the "X" factor on television. This is a talent show to find the latest musical talent. How many singers have you seen on the "X" factor who think they are wonderful singers, just to find out at audition time they were not good enough. This is similar to being a consultant in I.T. You will be judged on your results and deliveries, not on your claims.
However, this is not intended to intimidate you, only to warn of the dangers. You will know what you can deliver, you will know the levels of experience and knowledge you can offer, and only you will know your target audience, although we try to assist you with this aspect in the rest of the course. If you have motivation to learn and develop, then it is possible you will become an excellent consultant without necessarily having all the required skills at the outset. What we mention about expertise here is an "ideal", but "honesty", with your prospective clients, colleagues and sub-contractors is a must if you are to succeed.
Other attributes which are essential are: confidence (not arrogance), empathy (putting yourself in your clients shoes), adaptibility/flexibility, focus and commitment. You need a positive attitude which is realistic in terms of your own objectives and those of your clients.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of I.T. consultancy?
We briefly discussed some of the advantages of I.T. consultancy in the overview. The idea of working for yourself, choosing where and how much you will get paid and being your own boss are all very appealing.
Once you become established you will be able to decide the types of client you would wish to work for, and the type of work you will undertake. All this helps to make your work more interesting. For example, what was formerly a hobby area of I.T. could become an area you now choose to work in.
Still more benefits involve the fact that you will be making a direct impact on people's lives and their businesses. This will help to give a great sense of achievement. There is also the potential to grow your business and have other people work for you and sub-contract skills you do not possess therefore providing a wider service. Although it's not an essential advantage it is possible that some of your clients could become friends in personal terms and if you don't mind being popular this can all help to boost your confidence!
If you're passionate about your work however, you will look forward to the alarm bell ringing in the morning instead of dreading it!
When we look at the disadvantages of I.T. consultancy we can see that not everyone is cut out for this line of work. As mentioned I.T. consultancy is not for the faint hearted, or for those particularly sensitive to criticism. When things go wrong very often the I.T. consultant will be held responsible, even if the problem was not a direct result of the service. It calls for a special set of skills that not everyone has. Some people are better being I.T. employees rather than consultants.
Some people make better programmers or analysts rather than consultants due to their makeup. For example, a highly skilled programmer may be very productive when producing and designing code, but may not be very good at presenting I.T. concepts to none-I.T. people. This does not mean that such a person is not excellent at what they do on a day-to-day basis.
Even if you are potentially a very good consultant it helps if you're passionate about what you do. Consultancy is hard work. It isn't just about fulfilling contracts and hopefully earning lots of money (which, in any case is not guaranteed)..At least a third of your time will be spent marketing for new prospects, especially at the beginning of your venture.You will also be responsible for your own accounting, book-keeping, and generally running of the business, in addition to performing the day-to-day consultancy work. It acquires a great deal of other skills that are not just about the consultancy work.
As previously discussed, it is not essential that you are an expert in every I.T. subject you should at least have specialist knowledge of a few topics you can use in your own niche market. This can be a disadvantage if your skill set is relatively small. It is not advised to enter into consultancy on the basis of your specialist skills in one area, unless you can find a suitable market. It is better to be a good all-rounder in I.T. on both a business and technical level if possible, but this is not essential. With experience your skills will naturally improve.
