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IT consultant: Steve

This Case Study belongs to IT consultant.

Steve graduated with a degree in computing but feels it was the skills he developed rather than the actual topics he studied that have benefited him most in his role as an IT consultant.

I always enjoyed IT during my school years and it was my strongest subject, so it seemed a natural progression for me to continue in this field. During my studies at university, I was given the opportunity to undertake a placement year with a local company and after my graduation I contacted the same company and successfully secured a full-time permanent position with them. My degree in computing gave me an understanding of IT in general, which proved to be very useful in securing this position, but I feel it was the skills I developed rather than the actual topics I studied that have benefited me most in this job role.

In my experience, I’ve found qualities such as ambition and drive have been important factors in my success to date. It’s also important to have good time management skills and to be flexible at all times. It’s essential to have a positive, problem-solving approach to the work. For example, if I come across a problem, my first thought is ‘What do I need to do to fix this?’ Other required skills include spoken and written communication skills, the ability to work independently or as part of a team, planning and prioritising workloads and managing day-to-day tasks effectively.

My role is to project manage a range of IT implementations for our customers, as well as performing business analysis to determine the best solution and to be able to give effective advice to our clients. My role has developed due to a need for people who could manage others whilst becoming the master user of a system regularly used by a team of 50+ people. I’m now responsible for training this team in the use of this system.

I enjoy the fact that every new project is different and provides new challenges, although it can be difficult working with concepts I have limited knowledge of. Fortunately, I work with a team of very knowledgeable individuals who are very supportive and happy to help. As for the future, I’d like to continue developing my skills in project management and become an experienced project manager.

Case Study sourced by Marie Miller of De Montfort University, 19 February 2010.