IT consultant study path

[Inn3rs3lf]

Hey all, and a good morning!

What I would like to know from my fellow mybb users is the following:

Next year, I am branching off by myself to do your standard run of the mill IT support for end users, and some server admin and setup. Problem is, is that I have a family to support, and the starting salary for an IT technician is dismal. Cannot support a family on R6000. This will be a career change for me, but I have some exp in the field helping people whenever they need it. And doing the IT aspect here where I work. But its extremely limited.

So, I have set forth and obtained my A+ and N+, and now on my way to get my MCITP. I am thinking about getting the EA, but not sure if it will be overkill? the SA is a few exams shy of the EA, so I'm sure I should just carry on and get the EA. Can't hurt, and you never know what happens in the future. My business could be the next Dimension Data. lol.

After obtaining the MCITP, should I head on over and get a Project management cert under my belt? I would like to know your opinions on what would help me out there. From people who are already in the field.

For now, as I said, it will be the end user stuff that I will be doing, until the exp has been built to carry on over into medium sized business support.


I've been doing my homework for the past 4 or so months on what I should be doing in order to carry on with the plans to venture out, but most websites and people that I speak to are not telling me the full story, they make it out as if its basically a piece of cake. Which I know its not. There is so much competition in the market today, and it's tough to stand out in the sea of IT faces. But there truly is no other option, as stated, I have a family to support. And anyone in the same position as me knows how that changes your view on life.

So, please, anyone ON THEIR OWN, working as a consultant or the like, please give me your viewpoints on what would be the best path to study, and what. It would be such a tremendous help. No point in posting on overseas websites, as their field, in my opinion, is vastly different to how we operate.

 

[NightShift]

you might be looking at this in the wrong way. There is no harm in educating yourself and getting certifications, developing your skillset. The question is will that skillset match what your customers actually want and need? I think for end users and even small businesses, you'll find that the skillset required is not so advanced, but more peculiar quirky sort of requests that dont conform to what you'd find in bigger businesses. But I dont know for sure. If you know who your customers are going to be (like you have some already maybe?) then give them a call and research it a bit more. You might find that they are constantly challenged by using Adobe Photoshop Elements and assistance/training on that will add more value to them (i.e. they'll pay more bucks for it) than doing some other stuff. Being able to meet that specific need helps you to stand out from the sea of generics who cant. It's niche, perhaps, but its your gap.

I dont think you need a certification on project management, unless you're going to help businesses to develop their own pm competency. I have PM certification and its generally not relevant or suitable for small and even medium sized business. Those types of organisations are generally alot more flexible and what matters is getting the job done. By all means, pickup a book to read at your leasure. You'll find its not rocket science.

Im going to be branching out on my own in about a year from now, and the above is my approach.

 

[Inn3rs3lf]

Thanks for the reply Markd.

This is basically what I want to know. What would be that deciding factor that places me ahead of the dial-a-nerd group and what not. I think A lot of small businesses are starting to use servers as opposed to workgroups. Therefore, the need for an MCITP cert. I will do the SA first and see where it takes me. As in, will there be a need for the EA. I will be taking your advice in regards to the PM courses, and put that on the backburner. Just thought it would come in handy....but as you say, slightly overkill.

However, my initial post stated that it will be end users and the like, but I do want to grow. Naturally. So anything that can prepare me for that growth will only be beneficial in the long run.

What i also see is a need for cloud storage, and not the simple dropbox and whatnot. So I'm thinking of also delving into that, on a more advanced level. Getting a CCP or something. That is becoming a main concern for the end user, and small business. I think the hassle of tape backups is something out of their grasp.

The clients I have now, a whole whopping 3, are all the typical printer wont print, drivers missing etc. So thats not really going to count for my experience needed and experience that I would like to gain. Trying to take granny and grandpa out of the equation and replace them with the wanna be geek that bites off more than he can chew.

I want to replace the in-house IT techie in the company that doesn't need a ccna or ccnp quilified individual, thus saving them money, but delivering them the exact same goods that are being offered. more for less basically.

 

[Sapphiron]

IT is a weird business, experience and existing happy customers generate way more successful business than qualifications.

knowledge trumps qualifications every time.

From a skills development point of view it is way more important to have well developed solutions to common business problems.

A client does not care that you can use DNS lookups and a content based web filter to prevent people from surfing porn at work. They want to know that 5 of of your other clients, with the same problem, has successfully addresses it with solutions X at this cost.

Market knowledge is also essential. for example, I insist to my client that they buy PC's and servers with onsite warranties, or at the very least from someone with a service centre in their local city. No good having the send the MD's laptop to Jo'burg to get fixed and he is without it for 3 weeks.

Another good option is to partner with someone who already has the background knowledge

 

[macxsanity]

Experience accounts far more than paper work . i brunched off about 2 years ago and do not regret it .once you get one or two regular clients everything else falls into place all you have to do is keep your clients happy and know what you are doing

 

[paulcolmer]

Add the provision of VoIP services to your existing and future client base, its not too much of a difficult transition if you got a solid IT background. The advantage of this is you can become a reseller for one of the providers and earn an ongoing anuity income from your clients. 10% of your clients phone bills a month will certainly help feed your family ! Take a look at www.whichvoip.co.za for general VoIP info and a comparison of the providers, if you need any help give me a shout.

 

[Jimmeh]

Started on my own last year and it was well worth the risk. I am still learning but this is what I have learnt:

- Using qualifications as a marketing tool does not help. I have a few years experience with a diploma and various industry certifications but SME's could not care less. Big companies have the "show me your CV" attitude while the smaller guys have the "can you get the job done or not?" mindframe when making decisions.
- Its not nearly as competitive as I expected. Just deliver on promises and keep the client informed.
- Business owners tend to be buddies with other business owners. Word of mouth is the best way to get business. Zero marketing.
- It takes time.
- Accounting sucks

Also agree with what the others are saying about the qualifications. Only do a course if you feel that you will be able to transfer the knowledge into $$$. Right now you need to save as much money as possible. Rather read ebooks and do research by yourself.

Having said all that I think that you should give the following some thought:

- Save as much money as possible and cut expenses
- When you are ready to kick off look for a job as a techie at an IT support company. Aim for one that supports SME's. This you dont do for the salary but for the exposure to how other businesses make use of IT. Learn as much as possible as soon as possible. Stick your nose in everywhere and ask questions till you are told to shut up. Then resign. Think of it as getting paid to study rather than working for peanuts. You will have to raid the piggy bank to support the family during this time but at least you get a little income too.

My reason for this is that you mention limited real world experience in your post. Experience is key when facing clients and knowing how others do things has helped me a lot more than any course.