A Career in Consulting for Computer Science Majors Vince DeGiulio Accenture - Associate Partner Purdue CS ‘87

Types of Consultants n Application Programmer n System Administrator n Technical Specialist n IT Consultant/Analyst

Application Programmer n Description –Hired Guns of Programming - Contractor –Many Languages/Tools n Project Types –Application Development –Application Maintenance n Project Duration: Several Months to Years n Clients: Usually Large Companies n Demand: Always High, but Requires Periodic Re-tooling of Skills

System Administrator n Description –Provide Technical/User Support n Project Types –Set up/Maintain LANs, PCs, User IDs, etc. –Install Software –Support Help Desks n Project Duration: Years or Multiple Clients at Once n Clients: Large and Small Companies n Demand: High, Increasing as Companies Look More to Outsource Support Functions

Technical Specialist n Description –Expert in Specific Technology/Product (ie. Web Development, Object Oriented) n Project Types –Application Development/Maintenance –Performance Reviews –Product Sales Support n Project Duration: Days to Few Months n Clients: Large and Small Companies n Demand: High when Specialty is Hot

IT Consultant/Analyst n Description –Client’s Partner - True “Consultant” –Solve Business Problems through Technology n Project Types –Business Application Development –Technology Strategies n Project Duration: Many Months to Years n Clients: Usually Large Companies n Demand: High

Consulting = Variety n Technologies/Vendor Software n Industries/Clients n Applications n Geographic Locations n Responsibilities n People

Technologies/Vendor Software n Technologies Change - Only Limited by Yourself n Not Limited to Your Companies Products n Your Degree Suited for this Variety n My Experiences –Different DBMS (Oracle, DB2, Sybase, Teradata, MS- Access, IMS) –Different Platforms (Mainframes, Servers, PCs) –Different Languages (HTML, C, Visual Basic, COBOL, Vendor Specific)

Industries/Clients n What’s an Industry? n Type of Work can Vary by Industry n Can Change Industries/Clients Frequently n My Experiences –Insurance/Financial Services –Government (Federal & State) –Light Manufacturing –Distribution & Logistics –Transportation –Travel –Healthcare

Applications n Transaction Processing (i.e. Order Entry) n Knowledge Worker (i.e. EIS) n Database Systems n My Experiences –Patient Administration –Inmate Inventory –Unemployment Check Processing –Customer Information –Underwriter Decision Analysis –Logistics Network Analysis –Vehicle Tracking –Fleet Management

Geographic Locations n Opportunity for Travel n Domestic/International n Work Where Clients are Located n My Experiences –1/4 Career is Chicago and Suburbs –3/4 in Other Cities (Minneapolis, Springfield, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta, Louisville)

Responsibilities n Don’t Stagnate in Same Position Forever n Can Increase Authority Quickly n My Experiences –Programmer 1.5 Years –Analyst/Program Designer –Supervisor –System Architect –Team Leader –Project Manager

People n Meet Many Different People n Working with Different Groups of People from Year to Year n New Bosses Periodically n My Experiences –Many People throughout Consulting Field and Industry –People throughout Country –Met Some of Best Friends

Consulting Opens Doors n Jobs at Clients –Many Take Jobs at Clients –Allows Observation of Company Before Taking Job n Head Hunters –Always on Lists of People to Call –Contacted Constantly –Always Other Jobs Out There

Consulting Opens Doors n Non-Technical Career –Easy Transition to Management Consulting –Analytical Skills Applicable to Solving Business Process Problems –Support Functions at Technical Firms (i.e. Sales, HR) n Own Consulting Firm –Many Consultants Form Own Small Firms After Gaining Experience

Why I Chose Consulting n Didn’t Want to Program Forever n Looking for Advancement Opportunities n Looked at Long-Term Money vs Short-Term n Got Bored Easily n Saw People Sitting at a Desk that Looked Too Comfortable

Consulting - Not For Everyone n Hard Work/Long Hours n Requires Flexibility n Involves Travel n Requires Personal Skills n Clients Don’t Like or Trust You - At First

Last Advice n No Perfect Job Exists n Know What Is Important to You n Think Long-Term