In this article, we will explain the specific ways to become an IT consultant and the career path to become an IT consultant.
- 1.About IT consultants
- 1-1.The role of IT consultants
- 1-2.Skills required for IT consultants
- 2. Difficulty of changing jobs to become an IT consultant
- 3. There is no required educational background or qualification to become an IT consultant
- 4. How to become an IT consultant
- 4-1. Get a job at a company that has IT consultants
- 4-2. Use a job search agency or job search site
- 5. Career path to become an IT consultant
- 5-1. If you are aiming to become a systems engineer
- 5-2. If you are aiming for IT without any experience
- 6. The rewards of being an IT consultant
- 6-1. I feel a great sense of accomplishment
- 6-2. High annual income can be expected
- 7. Characteristics of people suited to being IT consultants
- 7-1. People who can work for others and for the company
- 7-2. People who can analyze things objectively
- 7-3. People who are physically and mentally tough
- 8. It is important to develop a specialty in order to become a marketable IT consultant
An “IT consultant” is someone who is well versed in IT and management knowledge and helps companies solve their problems. Many people work as IT engineers and aim to become an IT consultant as a future career.
Since IT consultants are directly involved in corporate management, they are required to have advanced knowledge and skills. What kind of career path should one take to become an IT consultant?
In this article, we will explain the specific methods to become an IT consultant and the career path to become an IT consultant. We will also touch on the suitability of IT consultants, so if you are worried about your future career, please refer to this article.
About IT Consultants
First, let’s look at the role of an IT consultant and the skills required.
The role of IT consultants
An IT consultant is an expert who uses IT technology to help clients solve their problems and concerns. They are well versed in both IT technology and management, and are known for making proposals centered on the use of IT.
IT consultants are involved in a variety of tasks, including interviewing clients, clarifying corporate issues, formulating IT strategies in line with business strategies, and making proposals to management.
They also perform project management, such as managing and supervising project progress. IT consultants can be said to provide comprehensive support to clients in solving corporate issues.
Skills required for IT consultants
IT consultants need to handle a wide range of tasks and are required to have knowledge and skills in a wide range of fields.
・Wide range of knowledge about IT
・Specialized management knowledge
・Industry knowledge of client companies
・Communication skills
・Presentation skills
・Management skills
-Ability to collect and analyze information
・Logical thinking
In addition to the above, if you are familiar with cutting-edge technologies such as AI and IoT, you will be able to make more advanced proposals. Also, if you have a lot of consulting experience, you will be able to make persuasive proposals that utilize your know-how.
Difficulty of changing jobs to become an IT consultant
There are many companies that need IT consultants and there is high demand, so it is not that difficult to change jobs.
However, recently, the number of people aiming to become IT consultants is increasing, and job openings with favorable conditions tend to attract a large number of applicants. Therefore, it can be said that “it is not easy to find a job with the conditions you want.”
If you are aiming to change jobs on favorable conditions, it is important to have an appealing point that differentiates you from other IT consultants, such as a specialized area of expertise.
There is no required educational background or qualification to become an IT consultant.
There is no required educational background or qualifications to work as an IT consultant.
Rather than focusing on educational background, what is important for IT consultants is that they have the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to carry out the work of an IT consultant and be able to contribute immediately.
Therefore, if you want to become an IT consultant, it is common to acquire IT skills through work on a development site, gain experience in project management, and then become an IT consultant.
How to become an IT consultant
There are two ways to work as an IT consultant: “getting a job at a company that has IT consultants” or “using a recruitment agency or recruitment site.” Let’s take a look at each method.
Get a job at a company that employs IT consultants
To work as an IT consultant, you can get a job at a company that employs IT consultants.
By working for a company that handles large-scale projects, you can gain the skills and achievements required for an IT consultant. In this case, you will probably aim to find employment at a consulting company (consulting firm) or a system integrator (SIer).
Use a recruitment agency or a recruitment site
Even if you have no experience as an IT consultant, if you have experience as a consultant or system engineer, you can become an IT consultant by using a recruitment agency.
When choosing a recruitment agency, it is a good idea to look at whether the agency has a lot of IT consultant cases. Agencies that specialize in IT industry recruitment can provide higher quality support.
Career path to become an IT consultant
We will explain two career paths to become an IT consultant: “starting as a systems engineer” and “aiming for those with no IT experience.”
If you are aiming for a career as a systems engineer
Many people who work as systems engineers aim to become IT consultants.
If you are aiming to become an IT consultant starting from a systems engineer, the typical progression is to participate in various projects as a systems engineer, then gain experience in the upstream processes of system development as a project manager, and finally move on to become an IT consultant.
If you would like to know more about the job content of a project manager and the career path from system engineer to product manager, please read the following articles.
If you are aiming for IT without experience
IT consultants are required to have advanced and wide-ranging specialized knowledge, so it would be difficult for someone with no IT experience to suddenly become an IT consultant.
If you are aiming to become an IT consultant without any prior IT experience, there are two main ways to go about it.
One is to get a job at an IT company and aim to become an IT consultant as a systems engineer. Recently, more and more companies are hiring people with no IT experience as engineers. It is not uncommon for people to gain experience as programmers and then move up to become systems engineers.
Another way is to get a job as an IT salesperson, hone your proposal skills, and aim to become an IT consultant. You will gain IT knowledge while dealing with IT products. It is also important to proactively keep up with information other than your own company’s products.
The rewards of being an IT consultant
There are many rewarding aspects to being an IT consultant. Here, we will explain the rewarding aspects of being an IT consultant, focusing on the sense of accomplishment and annual salary.
There is a great sense of accomplishment
IT consultants work together with clients to solve their problems. Because they are directly involved in the management of a company, they often feel pressured, but they also feel a great sense of accomplishment when they solve the problem.
Also, because IT consultants are close to their clients, they are often able to convey words of gratitude directly to them. If you want to help someone or solve a problem, you will find the work of an IT consultant very rewarding.
High annual income can be expected
For those motivated by income, IT consulting can be a rewarding job.
IT consultants need advanced skills and are entrusted with responsible work, so salaries tend to be high. Some people earn more than 10 million yen a year, so IT consultants can be said to be a job where you can aim for a high annual salary.
Characteristics of a person suited to be an IT consultant
Many people who want to become IT consultants may be unsure whether they are suited to the job.
Many people who work as IT consultants have common characteristics. Here, we will look at three characteristics of people who are suited to being IT consultants.
People who can work for others and for the company
An IT consultant’s job is to help clients solve their problems, so they are suited to people who can understand their clients’ concerns and provide dedicated support.
If you are able to work for people and for a company, you will find great fulfillment in working as an IT consultant.
Someone who can analyze things objectively
IT consultants are required to have the ability to view things objectively and analyze them.
To solve business problems, it is necessary to objectively analyze market needs and the goals of the company and propose optimal solutions. It is important to draw out the client’s needs, but it is also important to be able to calmly analyze the client’s requests.
A person who is physically and mentally tough
There is a set period during which IT consultants can support client companies, and since they must solve problems within that period, it is not uncommon for them to be pressed for time.
IT consultants are required to have the physical strength to cope with a demanding work style and the mental strength to produce results even under pressure.
It is important to develop a specialty in order to become a marketable IT consultant
If you want to become an IT consultant, it is common to start as a systems engineer and then move on to become an IT consultant. If you have no experience in IT, it is a good idea to first acquire programming skills and gain experience as a programmer, and then map out a career path to become an IT consultant in the future.
IT consultants are in high demand, but because there is a high demand for jobs with favorable conditions, it is not easy to find a job with the conditions you want. It is important to develop a specialty that you can be good at and take measures to differentiate yourself from others.
Pasona introduces IT job opportunities with favorable conditions for high-class and middle-class people. With over 20 years of experience, we handle many job offers from major, reputable companies. Our career consultants will carefully support you to realize the work style that suits your desires, such as remote work and area.