When forging a lifelong tech career, working at least part of the time as a consultant is a strong possibility. This includes operating independently on a contract basis or even as a permanent employee. Understanding the unique skills of consulting serves as a nice compliment to your technical acumen.
With an eye towards your career development, here are a few consulting skills worthy of attention. Leverage these concepts to take your IT career to even higher levels. They offer a great way to continue your professional growth.
Long-term career success in IT becomes easier when you learn how to pay close attention to the details. They might be the code in a mobile application or the requirements document for a large website redesign. A good consultant knows how to dive right in and deal with issues in a granular manner.
Sure, the ability to understand the big picture also matters in IT, but when focused on being a valued team member, successful handling of the details keeps your career trending upwards.
Cultivating an expert-level ability in an in-demand tech skill positions you for lucrative consulting opportunities. For example, high-end SAP consultants enjoy high hourly rates with a massive amount of interesting gigs at the ready. In short, you’ll likely never be out of work.
This same rule also applies to esoteric programming languages, NoSQL databases and more. Research what IT skills are currently trending. Take any training opportunities presented to you and earn a relevant certification to start down this path.
An important skill for any successful consultant – IT or not – is being able to ask the right questions of clients and stakeholders. This is extremely vital during requirements gathering in software development, whether working on an Agile project or one following the older Waterfall methodology. Making sure everyone shares the same understanding is crucial for a successful outcome.
Always approach questioning in a friendly, inquisitive manner, as taking a more arrogant or condescending approach is likely to get you or your company fired from a project. Once again, keeping everyone on the same page – including team members and clients – is what’s important.
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Whenever you need additional advice on building a lifelong career in the tech world, talk with the expert team at Technology Partners. As one of the top IT staffing agencies in St. Louis, we understand the business and can help you succeed. Schedule some time with us as soon as possible.