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Home > Archive > Certifications and IT jobs/Salaries > October 2002 > Starting as an IT Consultant?
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Starting as an IT Consultant?
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| Hi all,
I've been working as a Network Manager for over 5 years now. My plans are to gain my MCSE, and maybe go for a CCNA.
To be honest, I am fed up with supervising staff, getting caught in the middle of office politics, etc... At the end of the day, I'm a techie with a good business mind.
I want to work as a technical consultant so I can get hands on with the techie work, earn good money and avoid the day-to-day office crap.
Are there any consultants out there that can give advice on how to start? Anyone else have the same feelings as me?
I'm 26 now, but by the time I get my MCSE I'll be 27 with 6 years experience with a wide range of systems. Is this enough to start in this career track? | |
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| What can you offer to the company? What expertise do you have for them to hire you?
In general, they will position you as consultant if your firm is outsourcing function.
The market is tight, unless you have a very good solid experience on specific area. Otherwise, u know the rest...
Good Luck | |
| twister166 2002-10-12, 9:31 pm |
| There are two type of consultants, one is working for a consulting company, which you are where ever they put you and you go...
The other type is the independant consultant who has incrop as a company.
I have been in this business about 13 years, spend 6 in the Corp world, 6 as consultant for IT companies and work on my own last year...
Working as independant consultants is difficult to guage the incomes, you will have good months and bad months, displan is necessary.
To be an independant consult, you will need to establish a core customer base before you start, else you will be in trouble... It will not be pretty... | |
| Crutch 2002-10-14, 7:56 am |
| One thing that alot of independent consultants fail to realize is that they have to understand business. Aside from selling and supporting the latest and greatest whiz-bang system, you need to understand how this system will help your clients. Or, how your support will be better than the next guy. Most, if not all, companies biggest concerns is ROI (return on investment). If you can actually prove to a company that by buying into YOU, they will have less downtime, and more productivity, then you'll have done your clients a service.
You state that you are tired of the politics in your current position. Have you tried working around the different political environments of 6 different companies at the same time? It can be very tough and discouraging.
I worked for a firm as a consultant for a year and a half. It blew my mind when I found out that some consultants charge for their time, whether a fix is completed properly or not. Many people will scoff at this statement, but would you pay a mechanic, who worked on your vehicle for two days straight, and admitted there was a problem, but he couldn't fix it? I wouldn't.
The thing I didn't like was that many business owners don't understand technology and therefore, don't see IT as a real cost. So much haggling over bills, lowered my ROI, that I recently left the company for a Network Manager position with the defense dept.
One last thing. In my last job, I got alot of business by being available. In a year and a half, I never took a vacation day. Many of the clients that I succeeded in getting were because independent consultants would take a week or two's vacation, and their client would be without support. Have a backup plan, when your gone.
Just my $0.02 worth. Good luck in your decision. | |
| l9nux 2002-10-14, 11:02 am |
| I'm slowy going off the idea of going out on my own as a consultant. First of all, the uncertainty of each months income is worrying for somebody like me that has payments on my home, car, bills to think about.
I think my problem is that fact I work for a non-IT company, but for the IT department. At the end of the day, the company I work for isn't going to be at the forefront of IT.
Thanks for the comments guys! | |
| twister166 2002-10-14, 12:07 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by l9nux
I'm slowy going off the idea of going out on my own as a consultant. First of all, the uncertainty of each months income is worrying for somebody like me that has payments on my home, car, bills to think about.
I think my problem is that fact I work for a non-IT company, but for the IT department. At the end of the day, the company I work for isn't going to be at the forefront of IT.
Thanks for the comments guys!
Most of the IT people don't work for IT companies... For IT company, you are profit, they sell you. For non-IT company you're cost, they want to cut you. That is life... Politic are necessary evil in all company... | |
| JeremyWatts 2002-10-15, 9:22 am |
| consulting is rough I know been in the biz for awhile. I was a field service consultant and got laid off after a little over 3years. Still having trouble getting work took a job at the Dept of Corrections on Help Desk got laid off after a month they had no money to keep staff. other companies I've worked for have had trouble coming up with dough and keep putting you on hold for your pay one I almost had to sue for my money. It's a night mare trust me stay put for awhile. I keep getting the turned down for jobs because I was in Field Service and not Help Desk or in an office I know what crap. | |
| l9nux 2002-10-15, 12:55 pm |
| Thanx for the advice, the IT consulting world may not be the 'dream job' it sounded like.
What do you think of this then...
I work for a housing association in the UK with 300 users, 6 satalite offices and 50 remote users (VPN & Citrix) which I'm ultimately responsible for. We've got 25 servers (NT4, W2K, Unix), of which I'm responsible for the 'Microsoft' side including the pysical network itself (and all WAN links).
We're just about to start processes for a merger with a city based housing association of the same size. Thankfully, unlike other mergers I've been involved with, they run similar technologies; Exchange 5.5 (about to be upgraded to Ex 2000), NT4, W2K, Unix etc. Also, I just heard today that they do not have anyone in the IT department that is specifically skilled with W2K server.
That must put me in a good position right? If I work hard I'll be an MCSE by the end of next year, and as the existing Network Manager I will potentially be responsible for a network of 500+ users over 12 satalite offices!
I've been involved with one merger before that didn't go to plan and put the IT department 1 year behind with the technologies we should have implemented. I just don't want this to be a 'negative' side for my position at the company. | |
| JeremyWatts 2002-10-15, 1:14 pm |
| Your job now sounds greatkeep it man keep it office politics are normal | |
| twister166 2002-10-15, 1:55 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by l9nux
I've been involved with one merger before that didn't go to plan and put the IT department 1 year behind with the technologies we should have implemented. I just don't want this to be a 'negative' side for my position at the company.
No migration ever moves on target. It will be close to target. However, carful palnning and stick to the migration plan will allow the migration to finish. The most common mistake is not to take the water fall philosophy, as they keep on adding changes and new things to goal , and it never finish. Remember stick it to the plan finish then next project. | |
| CoffeeFreak 2002-10-15, 4:59 pm |
| I know a few CPA's that are not working for a company, BUT they call themselves a Consultant and put it on their resume. It's a good way to say your self-employed and not have a gap of not working on your resume. Just make sure you can back it up with company's or clients that you helped.
call yourself a Freelance computer consultant or something like that. |
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