My name is Thomas Mercier, and, almost a year ago, I began a reskilling journey to become a web integrator and web designer.
My name is Thomas Mercier, alias “TomCodeur” on Youtube, and I am 24 years old. Almost a year ago, I began a reskilling journey to become a web integrator/web designer.
We are at the end of October. It is a little after 4 p.m., and I am in the office of my employer’s accountant in order to finally sign the termination of my contract.
I say “finally” because this transitional moment had been hard to accomplish. To undergo this reskilling, I had to find a way to finance my training.
My plan was simple: call on Fongecif, an organization accessible to employees wishing to retrain without having to terminate their employment contract.
Rather attractive, isn’t it?
Yes, except that I never managed to benefit from it. And I wasted over a year trying to put together cases that were all turned down.
So, I decided to change my plan and discuss it with my employer. Luckily, my boss was understanding and offered me a mutually agreed departure. The advantage? It provides access to aid for getting back to work, which includes financing for training.
Well, there was still an important step left:
Convincing the French governmental employment agency Pôle emploi of the seriousness of my reskilling project and show that this decision was not taken on a whim.
I told you that I wasted a year before starting my training. In reality, it was not completely the case: during this year, I took the time to inform myself and I discovered multiple web development training courses within the Haut-de-France region.
This research greatly helped me when I had to demonstrate to my government unemployment advisor that I was highly motivated and determined to carry out this project.
During this “lost” year, I also completed a few self-taught development projects. They were greatly appreciated by my advisor and it really made a difference.
My effort and serious commitment paid off in the end. My financing request has been accepted.
So, here I am in the accountant’s office. All the documents have been signed, the withdrawal period has passed and my month’s notice is over. I am finally leaving my company and my current position, on the way to developer training!
Want to know what happened next?
In the three months after I graduated from Pop School, a 6-month boot camp to become a Web & Mobile Web Developer, I had five interviews. Out of those five interviews, I received two offers. This proves that there is work for the reskilled profiles.
So, what do I take away from this whole story? Reskilling cannot be done overnight. It takes a long time, a time in which we doubt and we are afraid of failure. But it is all well worth the effort.
You just have to believe in it and don’t let go!
If I had to give four tips to someone who, like me, to completely change their career and start working as a developer, I would say:
1. Prepare to learn: your brain will be your best friend in this new adventure. So help it receive all the information you are going to feed it.
2. Set up a routine that suits your lifestyle.
3. Eliminate all distractions: organisational tools and lo-fi music … give yourself every chance to stay focused and be productive.
4. Test your future job: you must ask yourself if it is possible … but know that there are different ways to do it and that this initiative will teach you a lot about your future job.
The final word? Stay motivated and don’t give up!
For more advice on how to get started in your web developer career or transition into development, make sure to follow Thomas on YouTube and through his website.
Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns. We’ve outlined for you all the key aspects you should cover to find the perfect daily work routine.
Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns. If you live somewhere on planet Earth, chances are you are currently experiencing at least some level of confusion thanks to the constantly changing public guidelines and workplace arrangements. The evolving pandemic has us all struggling to keep up with daily news and company memos, our already-busy minds now having to shift from tracking soaring infection rates to figuring out when exactly this week’s curfew kicks in.
Amidst this apparent chaos, it can be challenging to
find balance in both your personal and professional lives – and also in between
them. Days at a half-empty office merge with fully remote ones at a
way-too-small flat you share with other people.
Establishing a stable and effective work routine is
not easy in this context. And, since we know that working in IT is hard enough
for you to be investing too much time into figuring this whole thing out, we’ve
outlined for you all the key aspects you should cover to find the perfect daily
work routine.
Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns? The right remote work formula
Each one of us beats at a different rhythm, and it´s
not always an easily identifiable one. Unless you’ve tried all possible work
schedule arrangements since the start of the pandemic, you’ll probably need to
do some more experimentation to find the right one for you. That is, of course,
if your current job allows for that level of flexibility.
Some companies are operating fully remote until
further notice, while others combine on-premises and remote work or let their
employees make the choice. If you are a freelance consultant or external
contractor, you are probably used to working remotely, but maybe you do so at a
co-working space or are thinking of trying one after being stuck at home for
too long.
Just make sure you find the combination works best for you.
Once you’ve got your weekly schedule figured out, it’s
time to focus on your home workspace. We all need our little bubble to be able
to concentrate on our to-do list and work more efficiently. Working at home
complicates that if you share it with other people.
Maybe you find yourself having to alternate replying
to work emails with watching over the kids. Or perhaps you only have one spare
bedroom in your apartment and there’s two or more of you working from home. At
another time, you’d go to the corner cafe and find some focus in the soft
background chatter of random phone calls and clinking cookware. Now there’s not
much escape.
Whatever your situation, it is vital that you claim
your own space within the house or flat. Whether it is a corner of the living
room or a make-up desktop you’ve built out of spare pieces of furniture, you
need to delimitate a space exclusively devoted to working. The couch, of
course, should be out of the question.
Proper use of white noise and music apps can also help
you focus and create that bubble.
The proper toolset
Having a good place to work won’t make much of a difference if you don’t have the right tools. In the back-and-forth context of on-and-off remote work, such tools are those that allow you to work seamlessly across locations and coordinate with your colleagues and clients. In other words: cloud-based collaboration solutions and organisational tools.
These apply to both universal organisational tools
like calendars and project tracking apps, to those targeted to IT professionals
like yourself. From ERP cloud solutions to ticketing and integrated software
development cloud tools, these can have a great positive impact on
productivity, especially when adopted by the whole team or company.
Catching a break
How and when you take breaks is one of the key factors impacting productivity. Some people prefer working for long stretches of time and taking a couple of long breaks a day; others alternate shorter, high-intensity stretches of work with more frequent, shorter breaks – a strategy made popular by the Pomodoro method. Find the formula that works best for you and never neglect breaks no matter how busy you are. A rested mind is a more productive and focused one.
And, since catching a real break can be a bit not
quite effective when you spend the whole day between the same four walls, try
being more flexible with what a break means to you. Exercise could make for a
very good break, so could a quick video game match. Some experts have even
started recommended going out on a fake commute even if we are working from
home. Going on a walk before starting your day and right after business closes
can apparently be very beneficial.
Nurturing you relationships when you are working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns
We are social animals, and the intermittent lockdowns
are making it harder for us to nurture our existing connections and developing
new ones. When it comes to work, and beyond satisfying our need for
socialising, developing solid relationships with colleagues and clients goes a
long way to making work easier, better and faster.
Being negated the opportunity to chit-chat by the
water cooler or go out for an after-work drink, you’ll need to be more
proactive to ensure you are not neglecting the social aspects of your
professional activity. Schedule frequent video calls to get that much-needed
face-to-face time with peers and clients. Reach out more than you would
normally do to cancel out the downsides of isolation.
As an IT expert, you must always keep your eyes peeled for the new top IT skills that will help you stay relevant and advance your career.
It’s renew or die in the world of technology. As an IT expert, you must always keep your eyes peeled for the new top IT skills that will help you stay relevant and advance your career. But the constant evolution of IT tools and the shifting business climate brought about by the pandemic can make it difficult. For example to decide where to focus your upskilling efforts in the year ahead.
So, where to begin? This list is a good starting point for anyone looking to strengthen their CV/resume or redirect their career.
Top IT skills:
Python: Unmatched Versatility and Popularity
Python continues to dominate the programming language landscape, solidifying its position as a must-have skill for IT professionals. With roots dating back to the late 1980s, Python has evolved into the leading language, especially in the developer community. Its applications in data science and machine learning make it indispensable, while its clean syntax remains appealing to coders.
Structured Query
Language (SQL) is a domain-specific language for handling data stored in a
relational database management system – a database structured in rows and
columns in which all data points are related to one another.
Developers and database administrators use the language’s code to perform actions such as inserting, retrieving and deleting data. Thanks to its database structure, SQL also allows for quick data processing and is used by some of the most popular database management systems, like Oracle’s MySQL or Microsoft’s SQL Server.
Java: A Quarter-Century of Relevance
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Java remains a powerhouse among programming languages. Renowned for its “write once, run anywhere” portability, Java retains its position as one of the top three most popular languages. Its vast ecosystem, ranging from the Spring Framework to enterprise application servers, underscores its adaptability and continual relevance. Regular updates and refinements further emphasize Java’s commitment to staying cutting-edge.
Cloud Computing with AWS and Microsoft Azure: Navigating the Sky
In the post-COVID business world, cloud computing has become more critical than ever. Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to lead the cloud platform space, with Microsoft Azure as a formidable competitor. Proficiency in either of these platforms enhances career prospects significantly. Whether it’s AWS’s established position or Azure’s rapid strides, having cloud expertise is a valuable asset in today’s tech landscape.
Would you like to know about life in the cloud? Check out our Microsoft Azure career overview and discover all the paths you could take.
Docker: Containerization for Modern Development
Lat but not least, Containerization, with Docker at the forefront, has become essential for future-oriented developers and IT teams. The benefits of scalability, rapid deployment, and enhanced security make Docker a vital skill. Containers enable the creation and deployment of applications in self-contained units, providing efficiency and bug-free operation across diverse computing environments. Understanding Docker’s capabilities is crucial for staying at the cutting edge of modern development practices.
The story I am about to tell you really happened to me. I changed some details for my clients’ privacy. Discover an unexpected freelance experience.
I am Lilian Alvarez, freelance iOS expert and manager of a training organisation specialising in supporting IT freelancers. The story I am about to tell you really happened to me. I have intentionally changed and left out some details out of respect for my clients’ privacy.Discover an unexpected freelance experience.
An unexpected freelance experience
It all started with a message on a professional networking platform.
Hello, Lilian.
We need a developer to update the version of a mobile application …
After a few messages were exchanged, I proposed a telephone meeting.
During the meeting, the person told me they ran a web agency. A few weeks before, they had inherited a project from another team, and they were having a lot of technical issues with it. They needed assistance.
So far, nothing surprising.
Right away, I offered to make an estimate of the cost of my services. To do this, I needed to analyse the source code.
And … That’s where things got tricky.
The person refused to share the project files with me.
That’s not odd by itself. Secrecy is vital for some companies (which I hear and respect). This is why I proposed signing a confidentiality agreement. But the person refused again.
I tried to explain myself better:
It’s like walking into the auto repair shops and saying, “My car won’t start anymore, how much will it cost me to fix it?”
That’s a difficult question to answer without first getting your hands dirty to identify the origin of the problem.
That’s when the person offered to come to my house after a full day of work. Because why not.
– This way, I can make sure that you are not making any copies of the source code.
– Uh, sorry?
Okay, I should have ended the discussion right there. But no.
Of an accommodating nature, I suggested meeting at a bar to assess the problem. The person accepted, only to end up cancelling 30 minutes before the appointment.
I learned a lesson from this experience. To say the least:
Not all leads that come to you are worth pursuing.
Spending 2 days doing pre-sales for a service that won’t last more than a week is just not worth it.
My advice
Beyond this little adventure, I would like to give you some advice on the 4 types of customers you should flee:
1. The torturer
They have been abusing providers ever since they read Steve Jobs’ biography.
They tend to change their mind about the colour of the connect button 45 times a day. Of course, they want these requests to be addressed immediately.
How to spot this kind of client? Their last 3 providers have disappeared without leaving any trace.
2. The bad payer
They refuse to pay any deposit before the start of the job.
3. The psychopath
They want to come to your home at 10 p.m. to watch you work. I speak knowingly…
4. The lawyer
They want you to sign a contract with penalties for non-compliance with delivery deadlines. In an of itself, this type of contract is not bad, and may well have its place in a client-freelancer relationship.
However, I must warn you: never sign such a document if you are dependent on resources and customer feedback to meet your deadlines.
And it can get worse. If the boundaries and deadlines of the project are blurry, this kind of commitment is the best way to end up working for free and under pressure.
Of course, it is possible to come across a serious customer who at first glance seems to fall into one of the categories mentioned above.
But, as I often tell participants of my training courses, a freelancer is not just a consultant. A freelancer is also the manager of a company. And a manager must work to do the best possible job while preparing for the worst.
And how about you, what’s your weirdest and unexpected freelance experience?
Before closing this web page, I invite you to follow my newsletter.
I regularly share advice on IT freelancing as well as my latest articles (one-click unsubscribe): ? https://bit.ly/3je2vvL ?
You can also explore my trainings and guidance for freelancers here: www.lilianalvarez.com (Eligible for financing)
To avoid ending up working with the bad type of client, you can also go through a partner such as Mindquest ?. Get access to the best jobs and benefit from personalised follow-up until the end of your contract. You focus on the project; they take care of the rest.
Discover why you should try to spend at least some time in the office each week. These are the advantages of working on-site.
What are the advantages of working on-site in times of Covid-19? Even with COVID-19 pushing companies to adopt higher levels of telework, as an IT professional you can really benefit from the closer contact that comes with physically joining your team at the company’s premises.
Although it might not
be your choice to make depending on your company’s policies, you should try to
spend at least some time in the office each week whether it is for meetings or
to work on your daily activities. These are the advantages of working on-site.
First of advantages of working at the office: a teamwork booster
Many companies prefer having their employees working from the office rather than remotely. The reasons behind this choice are numerous and tend to vary depending on the type of industry, the country’s regulations and company culture. It also depends on whether or not the company is able to facilitate a COVID-free space for employees to work safely.
The biggest advantage of working on site is that it makes it easier to interact
and bond with the rest of the team, promoting integration and speeding up
progress on your projects.
You can also take
advantage of all the company’s amenities: the printer, the Internet network,
the cafeteria, gym, etc. Small advantages which can contribute a great deal to your
general well-being and job satisfaction.
A remedy for
isolation
Remote workers often complain
about the feeling of loneliness and isolation that comes with working only from
home. Recent global lockdowns made us all quite aware of this problematic.
It can be difficult to be alone in front of your computer all day long. Going
to work at the office allows you to share your day with colleagues and set a stable
rhythm for both life and work.
It can be easy for home workers to become demotivated and procrastinate. Having to go into the office at fixed times and being able to leave once the job is finished allows for better time management while guaranteeing a real break between the private and professional worlds.
Working on-site gives
you greater access to all the key interlocutors involved in the
project and helps you not get stuck in case of doubt or lack of direction.
But, most importantly, being physically present lets you develop stronger links
with your colleagues and superiors and improves transparency.
Looking for the definitive S/4HANA careers guide? Here's everything you need to know about pursuing a career in the new incarnation of SAP's ERP
Looking for the definitive S/4HANA careers guide? Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about pursuing a career in the new incarnation of SAP’s ERP; S/4HANA.
The clock is ticking for companies across the globe to migrate to SAP’s next-generation ERP suite. With the German company discontinuing official support for its currently most used ERP (ECC6) in 2030; those businesses working with the legacy software must now go through the lengthy and resource-intensive process. And that is great news for you.
Although S/4 is the future of SAP ERP and organisations adopting SAP for the first time are jumping directly into the newer platform; expertise in S/4 remains elusive as many companies are still waiting to carry out the migration.
Whether you are interested in learning more about S/4HANA or you would like to expand your expertise, these are golden days for SAP specialists. The generational change in both the workforce and SAP’s ERP offers an unparalleled opportunity for consultants and in-house talent alike. Take advantage of it. Develop your S/4 expertise with this S/4HANA careers guide. The rewards will be plentiful.
Any S/4HANA careers guide should start by clarifying exactly what S/4HANA is.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are all-encompassing software toolsets with capabilities extending across most business functions and departments. From accounting and human resources to procurement and supply chain management, ERP software allows organisations to easily plan and execute operations from a single platform. The speed, efficiency and cohesiveness derived from its use have made ERP a staple of business management. As well as one of the most profitable specialisations in the IT world.
S/4HANA is SAP’s response to the enterprise’s move to the cloud and its need for faster data processing. Half of all business data is estimated to be already in the cloud. More and more companies are taking business-critical applications off-premises, and few applications are more critical than ERP systems. At the same time, the modern enterprise requires data insights and operational efficiency that were simply out of reach for legacy ERP software.
Labelled as SAP’s next-generation ERP, S/4HANA will effectively replace the ubiquitous ECC6 suite. When official support for the latter is discontinued in 2030.
Migration to S/4Hana
The migration to S/4HANA, has many steps and can accommodate several approaches. Companies moving into the new ecosystem can do so by building on top of already existing systems or by starting anew (brownfield vs. greenfield implementation). Regardless of the chosen approach, however, you can be sure of one thing: all projects start with the blueprinting
As a world-leading ERP provider, SAP provides a comprehensive catalogue of solutions that only experts can implement and help run smoothly. Accordingly, there is a constant stream of demand for IT professionals with SAP skills. What’s more: demand outweighs supply in some areas of expertise. Chief among these is S/4HANA.
According to a report by Resulting IT, only 8% of organisations using ECC have made the transition to the new iteration of SAP’s software suite. That is alarming, especially considering that the report estimates the current product set has over 400 million lines of code and many companies have invested millions customizing it. These will have to be re-written when moving to S/4HANA. But that’s just the beginning of the story.
When it comes to S/4HANA, the difficulties in finding talent that is well-versed in the new environment multiply. There is a generalised lack of experience in the live or near go-live stages of the transition. Although 48% of SAP specialists declare having been involved in S/4 projects. A significant portion of these are solutions architects. And therefore only have experience in the early blueprinting stages of the project.
Couple that with the fact that; just in the UK alone; 40% of SAP experts plan to retire within the next 10 years, and we are looking at the perfect storm.
The expertise that you will develop and need will vary depending on the type of projects you take.
Additionally, and just as with ECC6, there are two main categories of S/4HANA expert profiles: functional and technical. These two categories often overlap with one another, and the best specialists have a combination of the two.
Go beyond this S/4HANA careers guide and learn more about all the different roles within S/4HANA.
Developing your S/4HANA expertise
At the theoretical level, the best way to go about honing your S/4HANA skills is to resort to SAP’s official learning portal, SAP Training. There you can find a myriad of courses and certifications that will help you master the various tools in S/4.
While the courses are free, you must pay a fee to obtain the official certification. But we highly recommend you do so, since they are a great measurement of how prepared you are and validate your expertise in front of the SAP community. They will look great on your CV
The courses and certifications are a good option for newcomers to the SAP ecosystem. But also for seasoned professionals looking to upskill and add new S/4HANA capabilities to their toolset.
No matter how good your S/4HANA careers guide is, and in addition to learning the basics and getting certified, you must get real-world experience working with S/4HANA. The way to go about it will depend on how many S/4 projects you have previously collaborated with, as well as your knowledge of ERP systems and business domains.
To those who are completely new to S/4HANA, it can be challenging to get a job in a field that requires previous experience. But you can get around this barrier.
Be ready to take a pay cut in exchange for a role in S/4HANA projects, even if it is through positions that are more junior than those you would normally pursue. Think of it as an investment in your future. Make sure to highlight the suitable skills that you already possess, like ERP expertise or knowledge in and business.
The importance of attending events
You should also keep an eye open for any relevant industry and networking events. Attending will give you a better feel for what it is like to work in S/4 and will provide you with actionable tips on how to build your career. You can even often find companies looking for new talent among attendees.
Re-orient your CV to highlight your S/4 focus and skills. Present yourself not as an IT expert with S/4 know-how, but as an expert in S/4HANA. Try to get involved in a wider variety of projects that allow you to build deeper and more comprehensive expertise. Again, industry events are highly recommended to stay up-to-date with current trends and best practices and network with other professionals. Keep learning. Stay tuned regarding software updates, new certifications.
There is always room for improvement. Once you have some S/4HANA experience on your back, focus on becoming a true expert in the technology.
In addition to cultivating your S/4HANA skills, you must define a career strategy. What’s the best way of becoming a highly coveted expert? There is not a simple answer to this question. Especially since the rapid evolution of the talent market has blurred the traditional line between permanent contracts and freelancing.
Permanent position & Freelancing paths
A permanent position offers you greater stability and social protections. Giving you access to more economic benefits, like unemployment and certain contract regulations. It also lets you enjoy the totality of a company’s corporate benefits, whether it’s paid tuition or a gym membership. Something you wouldn’t have access to as an independent employee. This can be decisive in newer fields like S/4HANA, since you might be able to benefit from free training and career development programs.
On the other hand, freelancing makes it easier for you to develop a wider range of skills by working on different projects. This broader experience is very attractive to employers. At the same time, businesses are more likely to hire freelancers for S/4HANA projects, as there is a shortage of skilled workers and S/4 implementations often have a specific duration.
Independent workers must deal with limited social protections, fluctuating activity and internal red tape. However, the average daily rate of SAP freelancers is well above the average rate of salaried employees in most countries. They also express high levels of job satisfaction, with 4-out-of-5 freelancers claiming to be happy with their lifestyle.
Conclusion
Depending on the stage of your life cycle you find yourself in, you’ll tend to favour one option over the other, and that’s totally fine. Both paths are complementary and have their perks and disadvantages. Additionally, the relative novelty of S/4HANA is a key factor to consider when making your decision.
The World Has Stopped — Your Career Doesn’t Need To. Well, we have a message for you — don’t surrender. There is still plenty you can do.
Yes, the world has stopped. We are living through scary and uncertain times. Millions of people find themselves stuck at home for the foreseeable future. While businesses across the globe scramble to move their operations online and stay afloat. In this climate of uncertainty, economists and global institutions are telling us to brace for the worst crisis since 2008; some say even worse. Workers are losing their jobs, and whole activity sectors are freezing new hires.
If you were in the middle of a job hunt when all this started, nobody would blame you for becoming discouraged by the current situation. Or perhaps your current IT projects have been put on hold and you are fear you might not be able to find new ones anytime soon.
Well, we have a message for you — don’t surrender. There is still plenty you can do.
Thriving amid adversity
At the same time that industries like commercial aviation are going through the darkest days of their history, other businesses are thriving. From entertainment platforms and social networks to online retail and videoconferencing services, some companies are simply very well-positioned to take advantage of our society’s sudden change of habits. Even too well-positioned in some cases.
Enterprise cloud companies are experiencing lag and connectivity issues, while streaming services have had to downgrade their video quality to cope with the traffic increase. Meantime retailers are hiring in mass to meet the demand for online shopping and home deliveries. You can focus your job search on those sectors that are thriving in the middle of this chaos. There are plenty.
You can also join the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 by collaborating with the many technological initiatives now underway — from 3D-printed ventilators to AI and data modelling.
A global thirst for ITspecialists
The coronavirus outbreak has prompted a lot of companies to undergo light-speed digital transformation. Classes are going online, telemedicine is now a real thing, and you can visit museum exhibits through your laptop.
All of these organisations need skilled IT talent like yours. A recent study by London’s Imperial College suggests that, only in the UK alone, 48% of companies will prioritize technology hiring in the coming months.
Additionally, the soaring numbers of employees working remotely is accentuating an already existing problem: the cybersecurity skills shortage. If you have security experience or are thinking of obtaining some, now it’s the time.
The world has stopped: Gain new skills, take a closer look at your career
When was the last time you had so much time? Only the hours saved by not having to commute should be enough for you to benefit from the current situation.
Tons of free learning resources are available online these days, from coding bootcamps to university classes in all sorts of topics. Some eLearning portals like MasterClass have even started offering free courses for those at home because of to the pandemic. You can also develop your skills with a certain technology by using free official resources like openSAP or Microsoft Learn.
On the other hand, it’s not always that we get the chance to stop for a moment and re-evaluate our career’s direction while the world has stopped. Are you happy with what you currently do, or perhaps is it time to embrace other passions? Is there something you could do or improve on to advance your career?
If you wonder how to get a job in IT consulting, here are the top 5 most sought-after soft skills in IT that you should cultivate to thrive in consulting.
Soft skills are becoming more and more decisive in the IT world. Which traditionally valued technical or hard skills above all others. That made sense when IT departments were siloed from other areas of activity and seldom involved in everyday business decisions. But today, technology permeates all layers of our society and is integral to the success of most companies. As a result, IT consultants now more than ever need to possess a series of complementary traits. To stand out among their peers, work more effectively with others and secure the best contracts.
The first of the most sought-after soft skills in IT is the entrepreneurial spirit. One of the key qualities for consultants in any field is their entrepreneurial drive. Consultants need to be proactive in their efforts to find new projects and clients to work with. They should be able to identify and outline a career path, to find a niche suitable to their capabilities and where they can shine. New business development know-how is also important. To become an IT consultants you must stay on the lookout for contract opportunities and foster professional relationships that will lead to them.
At the same time, this very same proactiveness is one of the main reasons employers hire IT consultants in the first place. They want an expert that can operate autonomously and bring in a new perspective to a particular problem . Which brings us to the next point.
Creativity
Also referred to as problem-solving, the ability to approach scenarios with an open mind is very advantageous in fields like IT. In which the best path forward is not always obvious. Lateral thinking is one of the principles upon which innovation is built.
Making the most of the resources available to you is critical when time is of the essence and the map uncharted. If you like riddles and logic puzzles, you are on the right track.
Jumping from one project to the other requires flexibility. The to become an excellent IT consultants you need to be capable of succeeding across different teams and industries. Adapt to different company cultures and ways of working. As well as to the various IT infrastructures and development environments of the modern enterprise.
Furthermore, technology and businesses are constantly evolving. And consultants must update their skillset and knowledge accordingly if they want to stay relevant.
Interpersonal skills
Adaptability is closely tied to the ability to work collaboratively. IT consultants not only need to interact effectively with other engineers and managers; they also must engage with other stakeholders – like decision-makers and end users — who might not be proficient in certain technologies or jargon. A good IT consultant can communicate problems, solutions and needs in a clear and plain manner that everyone will understand.
On the other hand, possessing good interpersonal skills helps IT consultants better integrate into company teams. When you are brought into a pre-existing project, it is very important to be able to connect with other employees to both have a better experience and make sure all those involved are aware of the added value you are delivering.
From a business development perspective, social skills can greatly help in your networking efforts to find contracts.
Curiosity
The last of the soft skills most sought after by companies to hire an IT consultant is curiosity. Just as importantly, a good consultant should keep a hungry mind. The curiosity to learn new things, whether they are related to your area of expertise or to a specific business domain, is the engine that propels professional and personal development forward. Ask questions – to yourself and to others. Scratch the surface and always try to go the extra mile.
