WHY IT CONSULTING IS THE BEST JOB YOU NEVER KNEW YOU WANTED

Admit it. You are tired of your current IT job. You have been looking through job boards, scouring LinkedIn for leads, and sending out your resume to any technical staffing solutions provider that will consider you. Your reasons for leaving are a mix of classic complaints, but you are just as uncertain about whether another unchanging job is enough to keep you satisfied. Now is the exact time to consider an IT consulting job.

Why become an IT consultant? The answers vary, but we feel there are three cornerstones that make the IT consulting lifestyle appealing. Best of all, each one can help to sustain your passion beyond the honeymoon phase of your traditional IT job.

YOU CAN CHOOSE THE PROJECTS THAT INTEREST YOU
We find one common thread between many of our first-time IT consultants: their old jobs no longer felt challenging. Frankly, their projects had become routine, and their victories hollow. Worst of all, boredom threatened to take a toll on their performance.

Surprising? University studies back up the idea that boredom can decimate productivity. People push themselves to where their effort is needed. If their day to day work has a “challenge-deficiency,” they will only push themselves as far as necessary. Honestly, how dedicated will you be to a task that does not appear to matter in the 30,000 ft. view of your career?

As an IT Consultant, the choice to pursue challenges is all yours. Whether working independently or for a reputable IT service provider, you will never be coerced into a job that fails to excite you. Interested in SPA application projects? Want to refine your software testing skills? Eager to hone your DevOps practices? IT consulting allows you to pick your challenges, direct your career, and grow your knowledge in ways that matter to your long-term goals.

YOU CAN KEEP YOUR BEST SKILLS SHARP
A fear of skills erosion also pushed many of our IT consultants from their old jobs. After working hard to acquire expertise, who wants to let that effort rust?

Imagine if soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo sat idle for several months. His reflexes would decrease, his endurance would dwindle, and his aim would suffer. The same rules apply universally. Any skill left unused takes time to regain. The good news is that according to Timothy Pychyl, Director at the Centre of Initiatives in Education, “the length of time it takes to lose a skill is proportional to the time it took you to learn the skill.” So, if you leave a boring job quickly, your skills decay will be minimal.

The benefit of IT consulting is that you get to choose which skills are most important in the projects you take. You can put an emphasis on certain technical or interpersonal skills over others. Moreover, since your work situation is more flexible, you have the opportunity to expose yourself to a greater variety of technologies, tools, and ways of thinking. New ideas are more fluidly learned when your working environment is dynamic.

YOU CAN WORK WITH A MIX OF GREAT PEOPLE
One benefit that many IT consultants are surprised about is their ability to work with a greater variety of people. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having a set group of reliable coworkers. Our own internal team receives great testimonials from those who have worked with us. However, the value gained from being exposed to a vast group of professionals is undeniable.

Innovation, through solitary means, requires a lot of trial and error. New ideas come faster when other people are involved. When Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,” he admits his exposure to the ideas of others elevated his beyond their previous thresholds. Though most of us cannot boast Newton’s intellect, we still benefit from the same principle. By interacting with more people, our ideas and capabilities can exponentially grow.

Think of IT consulting as being a particle accelerator for your knowledge. The longer you remain a part of the IT consulting world, the more people you encounter and the faster your skillset grows. By working with the industry’s top talent, you can learn anything. And where that takes your career is all in your hands.

WHY IT CONSULTING WITH AIT IS YOUR TICKET
Does all of this sound too good to be true? There are a few concerns to keep in mind. As an independent IT consultant, you need to consistently be selling your skills. Right as a project winds down, you need to be out searching for another. That takes time, effort, and strong sales acumen. Additionally, independent IT consultants need to provide for their own benefits. Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance are all on your dollar. However, none of those are concerns for AIT’s IT consultants.

We have assembled a dedicated sales team and Managed IT Support team to find projects for our talented IT professionals, freeing them up to focus on using their technical expertise. Plus, we provide all of our consultants with a full array of benefits. What do you do to get started? Explore our jobs page to find out which IT consulting positions we are hiring for now.