Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

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ThankYouJack
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Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by ThankYouJack »

I've been getting contacted by recruiters and one recently (with a small consulting company) said the pay is up to an amount that is 50-70% more than what I currently make. However, my concern is that the benefits and work life balance won't be nearly as good as my current set up. I think I'd prefer consulting work over what I currently do, although consulting would likely be longer hours, more intense and stressful.

I know it's general and anecdotal, but for those who have worked with consulting firms what has your experience been like?
Pitagoras
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by Pitagoras »

I did not, but I considered it when I was laid off by my previous company. I touched base with two consultants I knew, different companies...and yes, salary is good and even higher, but the benefits are not as good as in my company. May the big 5 offer similar benefits, these were niche firms...but one of them was even 1099 contractor working for that company, was very happy doing significant money, but forget about health insurance, 401k, etc.
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ClevrChico
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by ClevrChico »

Is this a managed service provider (MSP)? W2 or 1099?
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ThankYouJack
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by ThankYouJack »

ClevrChico wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 1:17 pm Is this a managed service provider (MSP)? W2 or 1099?
I don't think they're an MSP and think it would be W2.
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ClevrChico
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by ClevrChico »

ThankYouJack wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 2:14 pm
ClevrChico wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 1:17 pm Is this a managed service provider (MSP)? W2 or 1099?
I don't think they're an MSP and think it would be W2.
Working with consulting firms as a MegaCorp tech employee, I think your assumptions are correct: Potentially higher pay and inferior benefits. Also, WLB can be better, as sometimes contractors are barred from on-call. But, you also lose out on job security and potential training.
manuvns
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by manuvns »

the benefit of consulting is that your client is your boss and if you don't like him/her you can change your boss ( if your firm has multiple engagements ).
Thanks!
heywhoathere
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by heywhoathere »

I spent a few years working at consulting firms before moving back in-house, and personally wouldn't go back to consulting unless I had no other options.

Pros:
  • You'll be exposed to many different environments and technologies (provided you aren't "dedicated" to one client)
  • You'll potentially work with some extremely smart and experienced people
  • If the firm maintains partnerships with IT vendors, they'll likely need to maintain a certain amount of certifications, so you may get compensated for training materials and exam fees
  • Sometimes the work dries up and you're getting paid to do nothing, although this isn't always a positive
Cons:
  • You'll be touted as an "expert" in whatever technology a client needs for a given project regardless of your experience with it. There's quite a bit of figuring things out on the fly while also having to pretend you know what you're doing in front of the client
  • Depending on what projects you have, the working hours can be insane. I remember one night where I had 10:00PM, 1:00AM, and 3:00AM maintenance windows for three different clients. With a 7:30AM client-facing call the next morning
  • Timesheets. As a consultant your time is billable, so every hour of your time needs to be accounted for. During dry-spells of work you may end up submitting a timesheet with only a handful of billable hours and be wondering if you'll still have a job on Monday
  • You'll have to pick up the pieces after non-technical salespeople and "solutions architects" flat out lie to customers about how something works or what's possible with a given technology
  • There's much less emphasis on "doing things right" and instead it's more "doing it well enough for the client to pay us". You can pick up a lot of bad habits around designs and anti-patterns
Can't give specifics on the differences between pay or benefits as those are always company specific. Although anecdotally I'm paid far more in-house than I ever was being a consultant.
heywhoathere
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by heywhoathere »

manuvns wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 3:36 pm the benefit of consulting is that your client is your boss and if you don't like him/her you can change your boss ( if your firm has multiple engagements ).
At least in my experience, the technical staff has absolutely zero say in which clients they work with. Unless the client is being abusive or something in which case the client may be "fired".
phxjcc
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by phxjcc »

Definition of terms:

Consulting - giving advice and guidance on strategy and tactics.

Contracting - acting as additional staff for completion of a project or projects.

Consulting, in the context above, is nice work with good companies with good benefits. Booz Allen, etc.

Contracting, in the context above can be extremely lucrative with good benefits...but WLB is likely to be less than a salaried position. I used to run a group of 50+ "hired guns" during the Internet bubble era craziness. They knew what they were getting into and were happy to make HUGE money working 50-70 hours per week. The clients were happy--they were getting cutting edge expertise without having to screen and hire staff and then lay off when the project was over. We told the new hires that 50 hours/week was the minimum. Many engagements were out of town and would last 3-6 months. But we had kids (mid 2's) with no college education that knew tech making $120,000/year in 1999 dollars. They loved it, we tried to get them home once a month, for two days.

ETA: If you want job security and warm and fuzzy in your job space, Consulting/contracting is not for you.

If the client does not like you, then you are gone--period, their money, their choice, you are an "SVB" (Stupid Vendor Boy) to them. Cheer for the METS? Like the Red Sox? You are gone. No, I am NOT kidding.

I don't know your particulars, but age discrimination is huge...no millennial wants and old guy (gen-x'er) fixing their network.
Last edited by phxjcc on Thu May 19, 2022 5:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
edge
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by edge »

Is it actually ‘consulting’ or is it ‘contracting’?

Which of these do you want to do.

In both cases they are the first to be cut (consultants probably first above all) when cuts need to be made.
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Elsebet
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by Elsebet »

heywhoathere wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 3:49 pm I spent a few years working at consulting firms before moving back in-house, and personally wouldn't go back to consulting unless I had no other options.

Pros:
  • You'll be exposed to many different environments and technologies (provided you aren't "dedicated" to one client)
  • You'll potentially work with some extremely smart and experienced people
  • If the firm maintains partnerships with IT vendors, they'll likely need to maintain a certain amount of certifications, so you may get compensated for training materials and exam fees
  • Sometimes the work dries up and you're getting paid to do nothing, although this isn't always a positive
Cons:
  • You'll be touted as an "expert" in whatever technology a client needs for a given project regardless of your experience with it. There's quite a bit of figuring things out on the fly while also having to pretend you know what you're doing in front of the client
  • Depending on what projects you have, the working hours can be insane. I remember one night where I had 10:00PM, 1:00AM, and 3:00AM maintenance windows for three different clients. With a 7:30AM client-facing call the next morning
  • Timesheets. As a consultant your time is billable, so every hour of your time needs to be accounted for. During dry-spells of work you may end up submitting a timesheet with only a handful of billable hours and be wondering if you'll still have a job on Monday
  • You'll have to pick up the pieces after non-technical salespeople and "solutions architects" flat out lie to customers about how something works or what's possible with a given technology
  • There's much less emphasis on "doing things right" and instead it's more "doing it well enough for the client to pay us". You can pick up a lot of bad habits around designs and anti-patterns
Can't give specifics on the differences between pay or benefits as those are always company specific. Although anecdotally I'm paid far more in-house than I ever was being a consultant. The best perk for me is not having to do support, there is nothing I hate more than working on some new/interesting tech and constantly getting pinged about old stuff I have to support.
This is a pretty good list. I was at my current company for only a few days when I was touted to a customer as a DevOps expert and had to jump on a call to advise them. That was a little nerve-wracking but sometimes you have to fake it 'til you make it. :)

When I started out working in my 20's I was often contract-to-hire (3 different companies) and ended up getting hired on permanently by all 3. In all 3 cases, while I was a contractor I was not on call and worked 40 hours/week max, so WLB was better. Pay was higher as a contractor but benefits were worse/non-existent.

I then went about 15 years where I was a FTE at major companies. I often felt my skills started getting out of date due to having to do more support related tasks on old technology and deal with red tape and politics. I did make a lot of friends, but that was in the days where people worked in the office. At my last job I never worked in the office due to COVID. I got fed up in my last company with how slow it was and am now working for a very small, niche technology company. It's a risk but at this stage in my life I have enough buffer in my finances to make it through a sudden job loss. We don't have kids so extra/odd hours and the job is fully remote so odd/extra hours aren't as much of an issue if they do come up (not yet).

I've only been there a month but I've already been exposed to so much more than I would have been at my old megacorp. If you like to learn on your feet and be exposed to all kinds of "interesting" situations, consulting is definitely the place to be. I also don't miss having to be on-call and constantly getting pinged for issues on old tech while I'm trying to concentrate and learn/implement something new.
"...the man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man..." ~Seneca
ALinLI
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by ALinLI »

It's been many years but I remember my IT consulting experience vividly. Lots of stress , anxiety and long hours stemmed from our Sales Team overpromising what we could reasonably deliver and accomplish for a fixed price. When we had to reduce scope or extend the timeline the clients were not very happy. Also remember you are under more of a microscope vs In-house since the client is actually cutting a check for real dollars instead of in-house where it's all monopoly money and no real checks are being cut to the IT department. The long hours and stress just follow.

Some positives - some clients were more chill and liked to spend money and entertain themselves and us at hotels for meetings, restaurants and comped meals and travel were common.

That was my experience YMMV. Good luck. I would not go this route personally and prefer the In-house IT route.
DarkHelmetII
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by DarkHelmetII »

I agree with others' sentiment to clarify if this is "trusted advisor" consulting or just a euphemism for staff augmentation contracting.
NabSh
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by NabSh »

If it's Managed Service Provider, it depends what service they are providing and who is your customer. If it's a hosting service and your client is an investment bank, then you can imagine SLA, is going to be critical.
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ThankYouJack
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by ThankYouJack »

Thanks all. They offer a number services including staff augmentation but it doesn't seem like that's their bread & butter.

Based on the feedback, I don't think it would be worth the time and stress at this point in my life. I also try to undersell / over-perform at work so if I was on projects that are being oversold by sales that wouldn't be ideal either.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by JoeRetire »

ThankYouJack wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 12:05 pm I've been getting contacted by recruiters and one recently (with a small consulting company) said the pay is up to an amount that is 50-70% more than what I currently make. However, my concern is that the benefits and work life balance won't be nearly as good as my current set up. I think I'd prefer consulting work over what I currently do, although consulting would likely be longer hours, more intense and stressful.

I know it's general and anecdotal, but for those who have worked with consulting firms what has your experience been like?
There are tons if "IT consulting firms" and they have a wide range of roles and expectations for their employees.
With some companies you could be on the road for 3 out of every 4 weeks, and working a ton of hours.
For others, you could work from home at a very leisurely pace.

You need to talk with the specific company to have any idea what that particular job would be like. Then compare it to whatever your current "benefits and work life balance" are.
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InvestorHowie
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by InvestorHowie »

I spent 15+ years of my early career with two IT consulting firms and the experience was largely positive. Young and single for the majority of that time I loved the variation of projects, travel and social aspects of that life. Long hours at times but highly dependent on the particular project. The many projects to which I was assigned during that time provided a great foundation for a very broad knowledge of technology, project management and simply working with a wide range of people and personalities. I had a project at a rural paper mill followed by one at a bank in a high rise in a major urban center. I loved that variation of experiences and interactions and it was nice to feel like I never really had time to experience burnout at any particular project. It stayed 'fresh' for me throughout.

I agree in general with the pros and cons list offered above and your experience may certainly vary depending on the employer and projects but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if the comp package was attractive enough.

Best of luck if you make the leap!
Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy. --John C. Bogle
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InvestorHowie
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Re: Your experience working for an IT Consulting Firm

Post by InvestorHowie »

One thing I would add is that in IT consulting you *might* find yourself at higher risk during economic downturns. There are times in all consulting jobs when you may find yourself temporarily unassigned and that 'bench time' can induce some anxiety as you run the risk of being laid off if your employer can't find you your next project quickly enough. I think of 2008-2009 when many may have been laid off during that downturn but might have been safer in a long-term gig where tenure/loyalty *may* move the needle. No guarantees with any job, of course, but something else to consider.
Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy. --John C. Bogle
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