So you’ve probably heard the term “software consultancy” thrown around a lot. A software consultancy is essentially a company that doesn’t make its own in-house software but instead creates software for other companies. You might wonder why someone would want to work for such a company. Well, let me give you three reasons to work at a software consultancy from my experience.
1. Make an impact.
One of the big reasons to work for a software consultancy is that your job is centered around making an impact. At the core of being a consultant means that your job is more outwardly focused. This makes your priorities your clients, their employees, and their customers.
During projects and working for your client, you get to directly impact not only the product but also all the people involved in that product.
As a consultant, you do so much more than just build a product. You get to share and apply your expertise, knowledge, and practices to deliver the most value to your clients. That can look like:
- helping your client discover their software needs
- helping them apply the best practices for running a team and building product
- working closely with your clients from start to finish
As a consultant, you get to make an impact on behalf of your clients, and, as a result, that trickles down to making an impact on the customers using that product. And, as a consultant, you get to work with new people and get to be a part of the processes of another company. Being a consultant creates opportunities to make an impact.
2. Develop your people skills.
Working at a software consultancy involves working with people, and lots of it at that. The nature of your job is being able to communicate with the clients that you are working with. As a consultant its really important to have good people skills to:
- consult with the clients on the product that they are building and any problems that may arise
- help direct and lead conversations inside and outside of meetings
- developing interpersonal relationships with your clients and coworkers
Working at a consultancy exposes you to many situations. That means you’ll have many opportunities to hone your people skills as you work with a variety of people from vastly different industries. It really challenges you to think on your feet to navigate the different situations and scenarios that arise working on different teams.
Compared to other jobs where you only work with your company’s internal team, a consultancy creates opportunities to work with a larger variety of people and cultures. This creates an environment that can improve and build on your people skills.
3. Gain exposure to a lot of different technologies.
As a software consultant, you don’t use just one single technology. Consultants are constantly adapting to the needs of their clients. This often means learning new technologies or improving upon current ones. There are always opportunities to grow and learn something new.
You also get the flexibility to work on every aspect of the software. Whether that’s the front end, the back end, or infrastructure, you gain exposure to all of it. This is great for those who enjoy learning and gives you the avenue to explore a wide variety of tech. All of this together will help you grow into a more well-rounded software developer.
Let’s wrap up!
These are just three of many reasons to work at a software consultancy. Let me wrap up by saying that this list is not exhaustive, and I am not saying that a software consultancy is necessarily better than other companies. Ultimately software consulting is not for everyone. It may appeal to a certain subset of people and not to another.
All in all, I hope this resonates and sheds some light on what it’s like to work at a software consultancy. If you liked this post and are a new grad, feel free to also check out my previous post where I talk about three different things to look for when choosing the right job.