{"id":1826,"date":"2023-03-28T03:51:13","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T03:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/?p=1826"},"modified":"2023-03-28T03:51:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T03:51:15","slug":"a-guide-to-becoming-an-it-consultant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/2023\/03\/28\/a-guide-to-becoming-an-it-consultant\/","title":{"rendered":"A guide to becoming an IT Consultant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<h2><b>The responsibilities of an IT consultant<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, it is important to understand the responsibilities involved in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.purplelattice.com\/it-consultants-london-services\/\">IT consultancy<\/a>, so that you can determine whether this is a career that is suitable for you. As an IT consultant, you will be expected to\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Meet with clients to determine their requirements<br \/>\u2013 Assess IT requirements and provide objective and independent advice<br \/>\u2013 Define network, hardware and software requirements<br \/>\u2013 Identify potential clients and maintain good relationships with existing clients<br \/>\u2013 Be involved in IT support and sales where appropriate<br \/>\u2013 Organise training for users<br \/>\u2013 Prepare documentation, including progress reports<br \/>\u2013 Design, test, install and monitor new systems<br \/>\u2013 Purchase systems where appropriate<br \/>\u2013 Help clients with activities pertaining to change-management<br \/>\u2013 Present solutions in both oral and written reports<br \/>\u2013 Develop agreed solutions and put new systems in place<br \/>\u2013 Communicate with staff at all levels of the business you are working with<br \/>\u2013 Travel to customer sites<br \/>\u2013 Clarify system specifications, understand the client\u2019s business and the work they carry out<br \/>\u2013 Plan resources and timescales<br \/>\u2013 Produce project scopes alongside the client<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><b>What do I need to do to become an IT consultant?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are a number of steps you will need to take to become an IT consultant, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/propc.tech\/\">ProPC.tech<\/a>. Firstly, you will need to attain a relevant degree, for example, a degree in engineering or computer science will be deemed acceptable. Of course, taking a degree in IT will be a massive plus. While a Bachelor\u2019s Degree is seen as a standard, higher levels of qualifications are also commonplace and can help you to stand out from other candidates. Some employers will prefer a Master\u2019s Degree. You will also be expected to have relevant experience. Often consulting firms will look for individuals with at least five years of specialist experience, although this is not always the skill.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than being a jack-of-all-trades, most IT consultants will specialise in a specific area, while having exceptional all-round IT knowledge. For example, your area of specialism could be Oracle or SAP. There are a few other things that will give you an edge when looking for a job as an IT consultant, including your location. In the UK, 40 per cent of IT consultancy roles are in London and the South East, therefore you will have much greater opportunities as an IT consultant in London. You also need to have a number of personal skills and attributes, which we will discuss in the next paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><b>The skills and attributes you need to be an IT consultant<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In order to be a successful IT consultant, you need to be someone who has:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 The ability to meet deadlines and work within budget constraints<br \/>\u2013 Great people skills and can work with a variety of people at all levels in an organisation<br \/>\u2013 The ability to work well under pressure<br \/>\u2013 Great problem-solving skills<br \/>\u2013 Excellent communication skills<br \/>\u2013 The ability to analyse data and digest information successfully<br \/>\u2013 A high level of decisiveness<br \/>\u2013 Good listening skills<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><b>Salary and working hours<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the UK, the average salary for an IT consultant is \u00a352,272 per annum. Of course, there are a number of factors that will determine the rate of pay you receive, including your specialist skills, the IT services you provide, your client base, and experience. There are a lot of consultants that can earn up to \u00a390,000 per year. In terms of working hours, while you will generally work from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., you can expect to put in a lot of extra hours throughout the year in order to meet deadlines. You will also spend a lot of time travelling to and from your clients\u2019 sites. There are not a lot of part-time roles available for IT consultants, but self-employment is an option.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Most often asked questions in an interview for IT support technicians<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Technology evolves at breakneck speed, and as a prospective candidate for an IT support role, you will need to have a wide and varied knowledge of many different systems and provide evidence that you can support them. The job description is a great way to prime yourself on the questions you may be asked as it is likely that some interview questions will be focused on the software and hardware you will be supporting in the role. Here are some of the most common interview questions asked of potential IT support technicians:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 What is your troubleshooting process?<br \/>\u2013 What is DHCP and what is your experience in using it?<br \/>\u2013 Why is customer service an important part of IT support?<br \/>\u2013 What project management experience do you have?<br \/>\u2013 You have three support calls come in at the same time. How would you determine which to deal with first?<br \/>\u2013 Why do you want to work here?<br \/>\u2013 Do you have experience of using Citrix?<br \/>\u2013 Why is a change management process important?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Best books on IT support to get you started<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are many books available that will give you a good head start as an IT support engineer \u2013 some fact and some fiction. Many will give you the basics you need to enter the industry, while others will fast become your go-to manuals or \u201cbibles\u201d that you always keep to hand. Here are some of the best books on the market right now for IT support staff:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 For Dummies Series \u2013 There are many technical books in the For Dummies range and while their contents are simple by design, they really deliver when you need to memorise information or learn about new technology in layman\u2019s terms. From TCP\/IP for Dummies to Defensive Security for Dummies, these are books that even hardened professionals still turn to.<br \/>\u2013 O\u2019Reilly Media \u2013 When you want to take your learning to a new level, O\u2019Reilly Media books are the perfect solution. These are the books you will want to have around you in the dead of night when everybody has gone home and you have a complex server or network issue to attend to.<br \/>\u2013 The Cuckoo\u2019s Egg by Cliff Stoll \u2013 While this book is a fictional story, it gives a thrilling glimpse into the role of the IT support technician. A story of computer espionage and cat and mouse action, this is a must for anybody in a tech support role.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Best university courses for IT support consultants, technicians and engineers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 BSc (Honours) Computing and IT (Communications and Networking)<br \/>\u2013 BSc (Honours) Computing and Information Technology<br \/>\u2013 BSc (Honours) Computing and IT (Software)<br \/>\u2013 Top-up BSc (Honours) Computing and IT Practice<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Best online courses for IT Consultants<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 IT Support Technician Diploma with CompTIA<br \/>\u2013 Microsoft Professional Program for IT Support<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Best professional courses and qualifications for IT consultants, technicians and engineers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u2013 Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)<br \/>\u2013 Cisco Networking (CCNA)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Professional bodies for IT consultants, technicians and engineers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Association of Computer Professionals<\/p>\n<p>The Association of Computer Professionals (ACP) is a professional, independent examining body. Founded in 1984, this association\u2019s members work in both the commercial and education sectors of the computer industry.<\/p>\n<p>British Computer Society\/Chartered Institute for IT<\/p>\n<p>The British Computer Society was founded in 1957 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1984. The society\u2019s aim is to promote the study of computing technology and communications and to enhance the education and understanding of IT in modern society.<\/p>\n<p>ISACA<\/p>\n<p>The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) is an independent, global, nonprofit association that engages in the adoption, development and implementation of industry-leading practices and knowledge concerning information systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14428,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gallery","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14428"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1827,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1826\/revisions\/1827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}