When you are trying to become an IT consultant, do you get computer consulting training first and then look for clients or do you start out looking for clients and then work on getting training?  

The answer is simply, “Both.”

Become an IT Consultant by Getting Training and Clients

Client recruitment and skills development should really be done simultaneously when you are on the road to become an IT consultant.  Don’t take many months off to do training or you will find yourself unable to pay the bills.  You NEED paying clients.  

However, if you let six months pass and you neglect to keep technical skills sharp, you will eventually lose the ability to take on the high-end projects you need to survive.  

Achieve a Balance

The average person that tries to become an IT consultant usually balances training and obtaining clients in a variety of ways.  Some consultants might spend a couple days a month or weeks a year going to formal classroom training.

Many consultants also have lab systems that give them the ability to test and train in their offices so they can work with basic entry-level server hardware on a regular basis.  

What’s Your Program?

You can belong to a lot of different programs that give you access to copies of software that can be used internally for training purposes.  Many vendor partners, such as Microsoft do this as part of their annual program membership fee.  

Evaluation software can be a great way to keep your technical skills up to speed as you become an IT consultant.  You can make sure you are proficient on the software before you go out into the field and work with it.  

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg