I have been a consultant for about nine years; this is a sizeable chunk of my career. Not everyone is suited to consulting, but I love it. Why do I love it? Let me count the ways…
Variety
The #1 reason I love being a consultant is its variety of experiences. As a consultant, I don’t have to worry about getting “stuck” in any one industry, technology, market, or geography. As an employee of a company, you often get pigeonholed into one space or become an expert in either a specific business area or technology. No, thank you!
People
Like the variety of work, the diversity of people is another excellent benefit of being a consultant. By being a consultant, I not only get to do all sorts of different types of work, but I also get to meet many people I might otherwise never have had the opportunity to meet. Through the years, I have built out a robust network of client contacts, many of whom I consider friends.
Learning New Things
I am a voracious learner. I constantly seek out new things to learn, and as a consultant, I regularly get to do this. Whenever I start a new “gig,” I am often unfamiliar with the company. I may not have any experience with what the company does, and when I get there, I must learn as quickly as possible to become effective.
The “Out” Button
While I enjoy variety, I also dread the feeling of being stuck. I have been in situations as a consultant where I thought I had “done my time.” When I feel this way, I can always talk to my coach or leader and ask for a change. Usually, there are many other opportunities available, and I can pick and choose what sounds most interesting to me.
Challenging Work
Usually, when a company hires consultants, it’s for a few reasons. In most cases, they don’t have the people or the right skills to do the work. The company hires so-called “experts” (consultants) who can solve their problems. These projects tend to be wide-spanning and are generally quite complex, which makes them challenging (and rewarding). Who doesn’t love a good challenge?
Making a Difference
Yes, as a consultant, I feel I make a difference. I have helped many organizations with a wide array of projects and products; some are more meaningful than others. People want purpose in what they do, and while it doesn’t happen every day or on every engagement, as a consultant, I have been able to do some of the most rewarding work of my life.
Choosing Your Clients
Having the ability to choose my clients doesn’t directly apply to me, but of the independent consultants I have worked with, it gives them the freedom to be picky about which clients they work for. Not only can you choose who you work for, but you can also set your schedule. I’ve known many people who work for a few months, then take a few off, and so forth. While I’m not [yet] ready to start my own consulting company, it seems to be a very flexible and rewarding pursuit for some.
Try Before you Buy
I’m not saying I’m in the market to do this, but being a consultant lets you “try before you buy,” so to speak. I mean you can work for a company as a consultant, giving you direct observation and insights into the organization. If you should ever decide to leave consulting and work for a specific firm, you will already know what the culture is like and whether you would want to be an employee there. I can tell you that there are some companies I would never work for, while others are fantastic.
Build your Personal Brand
Companies hire consulting firms based on reputation; customers and clients may request you specifically if you are good at what you do. And although you represent your consulting company, you can also use your time as a consultant to build your brand. By doing this, you will stand out amongst a crowd and be top-of-mind when people think about the needs of their organization.
Bench Time
As a consultant, I sometimes sit on the “bench.” Being on the bench means I don’t have a current client assignment and can take time to rest and recover between gigs. During this time, I can self-direct my learning, renew my certifications, do market research, work on internal projects, prepare presentations, mentor others, build new service offerings, contribute to proposals, etc. I still pull a paycheck during this period, but it also allows my firm to have the flexibility to quickly staff new work when we win a new contract.
Being Mentored and Mentoring
As an experienced consultant, I have been around the block several times. My experiences have given me a rich repertoire of skills that allow me to be a successful consultant, but I couldn’t have succeeded without excellent mentors. And while there is always more for me to learn, I am also able to mentor junior consultants to coach them and teach them the ropes.
Compensation
I would be lying if I said that you don’t make more money as a consultant – I believe you do. But that’s because of the highly adaptable skills needed to succeed in this role. It also tends to be high-stress, often with long hours, and sometimes travel (much more so pre-COVID). And while I work to earn a paycheck – it’s on the bottom of this list for a reason.
Final Thoughts
As I opened with, not everyone is suited to being a consultant. It’s different from being a direct employee, but it allows you to learn new things and explore areas that might interest you. If you resonate with any of the reasons in this blog, I encourage you not to rule consulting out. If you’re interested in becoming a consultant, please message me, and let’s chat!