Job Responsibilities
I work in Public Services, which means that we are responsible for
IT work for government agencies. Currently I'm on a project for a
US government agency where we are reorganizing everything -
Finance, Budget, HR, IT, etc. I am on the systems group, and
currently my job is as a SME (subject matter expert) and I lead a
tech team. What all this lingo means is that it is my job to
"become" the client; learn their current system entirely,
understand all of their processes, work with them to envision a
new system, and then I direct a team of 4 technical programmers
and graphical design folks who will build the system. It's a very
demanding job... Right now we are putting paper forms into a web
application, and you'd be surprised how many forms the US
government has! On top of that, you have to ensure that your new
system integrates seamlessly into the existing infrastructure- so
it is also my job to become familiar with the systems that the
client already has in place... the goal is for me to be able to
"Play" the client- and when looking at this new system, I will see
every rule, form, data field, etc., that does not fit or needs to
be changed. This is so we can insure that the clients walk away
ecstatic- that the new system is perfectly fitted to their needs
and wants, both aesthetically and functionally.
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Job Requirements
I just have a basic liberal arts degree... I had a Computer
Science minor, which undoubtedly helped, and a summer internship
at an Investment Bank. However, I think if you want to work in
consulting, particularly IT consulting, you should major in CS or
Engineering, or else have some job experience in consulting
(summer internship is fine, even if it's a boutique firm run by
your uncle).
As a consultant myself, I also want to say that you should be very
well-rounded, quick on your feet. Be prepared to learn new skills
and work long hours.
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Uppers
The best part of my job, without question, is being able to talk to the client,
have them tell me what doesn't work or what they want, and then build it from the
ground up. I love seeing the looks on their faces when they say "oooooh, neat!"
when I show them new technology that will make their jobs faster, easier, or just
plain cool. I like it when they say, "this [existing] system is crap, isn't it?"
and I can smile and respond, "we'll fix it."
I love the people I work with, because generally they are an extremely
interesting and diverse bunch. I like our clients - working for Government
Agencies, you generally get laid back, down to earth folks who truly care about
their jobs, and thus are extremely interested in the project, and are very
helpful.
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Downers
The hours can be incredibly long.
The travel, even for Public Services, is about 75%. And while
travel seems cool at first, you get tired of airplanes and
sleeping in hotels.
I've had two days of vacation in a year - not because I'm not
allowed to take vacation, but because I am just too busy.
Teamwork.Even though it is great some of the time, if you are
stuck on a team with people you don't like or who are competitive,
your life will become a hell.
However, it can also be frustrating because you do become very
attached to persons you work with or the client, and after 2 years
or less, the project is over, and people you developed connections
with move on to other projects (as do you). It's hard to make
solid friendships with people, knowing that.
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Lifestyle
Work week for public services is lower than private, it's generally about 50 -
60 hours per week, though I have worked more than that a few times. Business
travel depends on what project you are on, but for me as I said it is about 3
weeks per month. Company social events are few, partly because everyone is
travelling, but also because most people want to spend time with their families
when they are local. Dress code is business casual, and sometimes even more
casual than that, depending on what the client's typical attire is. Diversity is
... hmmm. It's good, but only because in IT consulting about half the workers are
from India. Other than Indian, I have met two Chinese employees in the last year.
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Compensation
Base salary $42K, with stock options (I don't remember what they
are, I didn't take advantage of it). Benefits are reallly good,
with all the bases covered except life insurance. Most people are
promoted within a year to $50k. Twice annually you are reviewed
and can be given a raise or promoted. If your project does well,
you may be awarded extra compensation by your Managing Director
(for example, my last project pulled in a couple thousand dollars
under budget and ahead of schedule, so as a result we each got
$500 added to our paycheck).
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Advice to Jobseekers
I think the outlook is strong for IT consulting. It's a great
field and one that I'm extremely glad to be in, even though I
don't consider myself to be a "technical" person.
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