<p>Okay, after much posting on both engineering and the biz forums, I think that I’ve settled on a career…Informational Tech Consulting or IT management. Is this a suitable plan: Get a degree in Software or EE at University of Washington, work a couple of years at a bank or w/e industry I choose as an analyst or an entry level worker essentially, get an MBA at a decent biz school (lets say at worst I go to UW again, not exactly kellog, but it isnt really bad either…I’m shooting for stanford…good luck with that lol), get a job in consulting or management? Also I have a couple more qs:</p>
<li><p>If I want to do consulting, do you have to go to a HWS school like for normal consulting, or are companies a bit more forgiving in the IT speciality?</p></li>
<li><p>Is my undergrad degree right? If not, what should I major in?</p></li>
<li><p>How good of pay do IT people earn, and how long does it take to move up into a managing position? Since I’ll probably be at rock bottom right after undergrad, how much can I expect to earn, and after how many years after my MBA will I begin earning 100k?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>thanks a lot guys…I know I’ve asked wayyy too many questions lately, but I really want to find out more about this field.</p>
<p>There are entry level consulting positions (and similiar software vendor positions) for undergrads. Also, you don't have to have an MBA to be a manager. It makes the path easier, but it is certainly not required. My cousin is under 40 years old and is a VP for one of the huge (fortune 500) IT consulting companies. He has no MBA (just an undergraduate degree in economics).</p>
<p>but for those entry level positions do you need to go to an ivy or T10 for undergrad then to become an IT consultant? Also, for consulting, how many years of "work experience" does one need before he or she can get into a top tier MBA school?</p>
<p>I can't really speak of the market today as I have been out of school for quite some time. However, most recruiting for IT consulting is regional, so one certainly doesn't have to go to be Ivy League to get in.</p>
<p>In 2001, when I graduated from Texas Tech (don't think they are on any top lists), many of the big IT consulting companies recruited us such as: IBM, EDS, PWC (no longer IT), Accenture, Deloitte, Computer Sciences Corp. Additionally, there were several small consulting companies (ie companies under 500 people) that recruited us also.</p>
<p>BTW, my cousin who is a VP (never was a consultant) for a major consulting company attended UT but didn't even have good enough grades to transfer into the school of business there. Once you get your foot in the door, your undergrad education means very little. It's all about production then. </p>
<p>My friend graduated from Tech in '03 and is already a IT Audit manager for a "Big 4" accounting firm. At a company like that, you need a CPA to make partner and an MBA is pretty meaningless.</p>
<p>so are you an IT consultant? I don't want to ask you personally how much you make because thats a personal question, and I don't feel like I have the right to ask you, but do you think you can tell me around how much people similar to you made out of undergrad (who are consultants) as well as hours? Also, just for consulting in general, how does the job work? Like my dad is a contracter, but then what do people mean by consulting firms? Do you still get compensated when you aren't hired by a company or something because you are in a firm, or what happens when you aren't being contracted to work.</p>
<p>thanks again wega</p>
<p>I am not a consultant and never was.</p>
<p>I graduated in 2001 and I would say that most IT consultants (from MIS background) were making 50-55k starting (out of Texas Tech). One student had done two internships with Accenture and received around 65k (and that student was literally the dumbest person in our class..no joke). </p>
<p>A lot has happened since then, and I really don't know what entry level consultants make now. However, I do know that entry level IT auditors make 48-52k so I would expect it to be around there or perhaps higher. The good thing about consulting is that you have an opportunity to escalate your pay quickly (and you become highly marketable). Keep in mind that the pay will vary based on location.</p>
<p>U get paid sitting on the bench, but if u don't get hired by a company soon it is likely that you will be fired.</p>
<p>50k? thats it? After all the hype on this site and according to this site:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.careers-in-business.com/consulting/mcsal.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.careers-in-business.com/consulting/mcsal.htm</a></p>
<p>I expected more than just 50k. Also, since IT is supposed to be a soon booming industry, I thought that the demand would drive salaries up a bit more. Is it perhaps IT that doesn't pay well, or is it maybe that what you are referring to is DIRECTLY after undergrad (which is on par with the site), while CCers refer to after getting the MBA?</p>
<p>Finally (sorry man, I've asked you soooo many questions), how is the job security in this field. If IT is in fact a booming industry, does that mean there will be more jobs available in the future and that by the time I graduate (2012) it will be a fairly stable field, because I've heard that consulting is a fairly fickle industry?</p>
<p>Many of the IT jobs are going to India and corporate bigwigs (like Bill Gates) are lobbying to increase H1B Visas. I do not believe IT is a stable industry at all. That's not to say one can't be highly successful in it though.</p>
<p>Anyways, the site stated: $40,000 to $80,000 including bonuses. My numbers didn't include bonuses. Also, salaries vary by location. 50k in Dallas is like making $85k to $95k in LA.</p>
<p>well is it worse than other fields, because most engineering disciplines are getting outsourced? Also, isn't it mostly the average or not that great people that get layed off? I mean if you are in the top 20% or so you should be solid since you are above the competition right? Besides, aren't those mostly for analyst jobs and not so much for more specialized services (like consulting and management?)</p>
<p>There will always be opportunities but it is still a risk. Good employees do get laid off. There is no doubt about that.</p>
<p>One of the fastest growing companies in the world is Infosys which is a huge Indian consulting company (75k employees). They continue to increase their presence in the US and other consulting companies will look at outsourcing more to compete more effectively.</p>
<p>India has positioned itself to be a global powerhouse in service industries. Consulting is one such service. (on average) Indians do it well and they do it cheaply. </p>
<p>The one area where Indians are "generally" weak is their communication skills (including English skills), which means that is an area where Americans can prosper (ie interacting more with customers..managing communication issues, etc). However, when comparing IT employees I'd say that on average Indians have better technical skills and are willing to work harder than their American counterparts.</p>
<p>yeah I'm indian and I've seen how amazingly smart sooo many of them are, but they all are kinda socially awkward though. I can see them getting along with each other, but they're kind of like a group of nerds living together lol.</p>
<p>But anyways, so what happens if you get laid off? If I get a technical degree like Engineering or CS can I work as one of those, or what do laid of people usually do? I'm pretty sure most of them dont slowly get killed off as poverty consumes their souls, so what do the people do to stay alive?</p>
<p>Just as kind of note on where the jobs are, here are some of the top IT consulting firms:</p>
<p>India-based firms (mostly offshoring):Tata, Wipro, Infosys</p>
<p>Company-technology based (meaning the company sells a technology, but then sells consulting on using it or implementing it): Cisco, Oracle, Lockheed, IBM, HP, Keane, Computer Sciences, Unisys, Sapient, Siemens, Fijitsu </p>
<p>Big-4 accounting spin-offs (since the Big 4 are no longer allowed to have consulting arms to advise, and then also audit the results afterwards, these firms spun off from the Big 4 back in 2001/2002: Bearing Point, Cap Gemini, Deloitte Consulting, Booz Allen Hamilton (the largest of all the IT firms according to vault)</p>
<p>Offshoring, but US based--Cognizant</p>
<p>General IT consulting--EDS, Perot Systems, Accenture, LogicaCMC</p>
<p>One note concerning the salaries mentioned above. Different areas of the country have very different pay scales based upon costs in that area.</p>
<p>For this reason, it is not fair to compare a $65K job out of Texas A&M to a $65K job out of New York or San Jose. The $65K will go miles farther in Dallas and Houston than in New York or California.</p>
<p>Accordingly, salaries in these last two areas are generally higher than in Texas.</p>