Making your inaugural foray into consulting a success.
Whether you've worked in IT for years, or are just entering the field, nothing can truly prepare a techie for that first year as a consultant.
It doesn't matter whether you're transitioning from a full-time staff position as a network engineer or software programmer, or stepping into the real world from an internship experience - becoming a consultant brings its own set of job requirements and personal work/life changes.
The first year in consulting is the "make it or break it" period, say some consultants who've survived and remained in the field. The constant travel demands made, the relocation commitments required, and working independently, often with little supervisory support, send many newbie consultants back into full-time staff ranks. And even if a consulting firm provides training and support programs, many consultants say it's often not the best work-life situation for those looking to settle down in one place and those with heavy family commitments.
Yet, if you can handle the travel, communicate well, and go with the flow, the rewards and opportunities in consulting can be well worth the hurdles faced at the start. There are opportunities to work on leading-edge technologies, specialize in a specific area, and work on a variety of projects that can expand a set of skills and experiences.
Getting on board
But the most important step toward a successful consultant career is the first step - choosing the right firm to join. Here's a list of what you should research before taking that first consultancy position:
- Find out if the firm offers solid new-hire training (at least two to three weeks) and has established support mechanisms, such as a mentoring program. If not, you could easily find yourself traveling to a client site the second day on the job, completely on your own and with few skills for handling a variety of possible problems. One big hurdle is dealing with clients and establishing a working relationship. Consultants say that clients sometimes view consultants as their "employer," which causes some communication and expectation glitches. Make sure the firm trains and educates you on how to work with clients and the expectations in reporting project efforts.
- If there is extensive training, make sure you read the employee agreement very carefully, as many firms require new hires to repay training costs if they decide to leave or resign within a year or a specific time frame. Some consultants call this contract a "golden handcuff," since the cost is usually too prohibitive to take on, especially for college graduates.
- What types of work-life balance programs are available, and how much input do consultants have on project assignments at the firm? Many employers are boosting employee services to help employees deal with increasing time constraints and job demands.
Consulting provides a strong opportunity to become an expert in a specific tech area, and to work on leading edge projects and applications. But it's definitely a special working environment, which you have to be prepared for, say the experts.
