Getting a Big Data Job For Dummies

Chapter 8

Life as a Consultant

In This Chapter

Considering the career progression in consulting

Breaking into the consulting field

Looking at a typical day in the consultant’s life

Consultants. You see them in the airports, speeding through security lines like George Clooney in Up in the Air, jetting around the globe, and advising leaders of the most important organizations on the planet. They seem to have all the answers and hold the secrets that will make your business a huge success. If you happen to be seated next to a consultant on the plane, you’ll hear stories of long hours spent in nameless towns with weeks on the road and no glory.

The truth is that life as a consultant can be all these things and more. In terms of big data career paths, the life of a consultant can take many different turns. If you’re interested in pursuing this path, make sure you understand how consultants fit into an organization’s strategy from both top-down planning to bottom-up execution. Consulting careers have the potential to be rewarding, both financially and intellectually. But that high reward comes with high demands. For example, you’re expected to spend 80 percent of your time conducting ...