IT Consulting Careers

Learn about how to start a career as an IT consultant.

Find Information Technology Degree Programs

Technological systems, structures and organizations can make or break a company. Time, profits and efficiency can be wasted if a company is using a technology platform that is outdated or doesn't serve their forward-thinking trends.

Those in an IT consulting career figure out how to make sure information technology serves a company's business objectives and goals.

A typical project for an IT consultant starts with client interviews. By talking with employees, managers and executives, IT consultants ascertain a company's current needs and future plans.

After completing interviews, IT consulting career professionals begin working on the project budget. Using the information gathered during this stage, an IT consultant can make appropriate hardware and software recommendations within the company's financial range or decide whether or not upgrades to existing systems and migrations to new information technology platforms may be the better plan.

Once a client has approved the IT consultant's recommendations, the consultant monitors the installation of new hardware and software and sets up any necessary training sessions to educate users of the new system.

IT Consulting Career Path

	Entry Level	Mid Level	Senior Level
Types of Roles	IT Engineer	Information services consultant	Business application delivery director
Experience	0 – 4 years	5 – 10 years	10+ years
Getting There	Information technology, computer sciences or management information systems bachelor's degree Strong understanding of current technological landscape	All entry-level requirements Hands-on experience with a wide range of current IT systems Good interviewing skills	All mid-level requirements MBA or Master's in IT Extensive industry-specific experience Exceptional creative thinking abilities
Salary*	$60,441	$95,500	$128,500
Description	Design and develop technical products and systems Make recommendations to improve systems quality and performance	Recommend systems that fit budgets and goals Develop training and maintenance plans for IT solutions	Direct development of successful business technology systems Work with top management to advance company technology strategy

_{* Depends on company size, specific job, and location}
_{Sources: Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA); Princeton Review; Salary.com, 2009; Bureau of Labor Statistics}