Reports suggest that less than 20% percent of people working in IT are female, and a similarly low amount take IT related further education. It’s something that a lot of people want to change as the IT industry grows, and it’s something you can have an impact on. If you’ve got a passion for IT, then there’s no reason you can’t make a success of things, even if it’s traditionally a male-dominated industry.
Being a Specialist
Now, being an IT consultant is not an easy route to business ownership. The requirements are really quite tough, primarily because specialist knowledge is absolutely essential. Some level of education is therefore going to be necessary. If you’re reading this without any qualifications in the field, then you’ll either need to rectify that, or look at establishing yourself in another industry. The competition is fierce, and you need to stand out with excellent knowledge. There may also be legal requirements that you have to meet to issue certain types of advice, especially pertaining to data security.
So what is it that an IT consultant does? You are essentially the fountain of all knowledge for your clients, allowing them to run their businesses without issue, and guiding them in everything they do with computers and telecoms. This can range from providing basic support to users in managing their emails, to establishing complex security processes to ensure data is secure. There’s a good list of the different types of IT consultant here.
Overheads
Fortunately, aside from the personal requirements, your physical needs to get started are actually quite low. An example office might contain the following for instance:
- Multiple computers running multiple operating systems to understand issues for a range of users. A PC, Mac, and computer running Linux are the norm here.
- Servers, if you think that your clients may need to use them.
- Robust power supplies and breakers to ensure that your equipment is always online when it needs to be and that it’s safe from surges. This may require a small back-up critical power supply just in case there’s a power cut.
On top of these things, you will also need some sort of marketing strategy, both digital and traditional, to get yourself going. This is generally easier if you target yourself locally to begin with.
So there you have it. Being a self-employed IT consultant isn’t easy; there are high barriers to entry, but you’ll certainly have a strong sense of achievement being successful in a tech industry that women don’t traditionally work in.