Becoming an IT consultant

Contributed by James Slack Consulting

The most valuable asset for anyone in the IT industry is diversity. The more strings in your bow the more attractive you are not only to employers but also your own clients.

I finished VCE at The Geelong College in 1994 and computer science class consisted of Logo and Macintosh. The home PC was a high priced investment and laptops were practically made of gold. The internet was non-existent. Windows wasn’t XP for another seven years. At that time a career in IT was science and engineering based. I studied Arts at Bendigo and computers were still just typewriters with a screen.

The beginning of my career was at a major retailer in Geelong in 1999. I was involved in retail sales, warehouse auditing and maintaining the point of sale system. I was in a position to see all the new advances in technology as soon as they became available. It was essential to learn the language of computers to be able to translate the benefits to customers. The point of sale system introduced me to large networks and the complexities of security. I bought my first computer and began performing my own upgrades and built systems for friends. Computers quickly became my hobby.

In 2005 I started work at a specialist computer company servicing businesses in Geelong. My role was as a technical salesman and I sold and supported single PC’s up to schools and larger organisations. It was during this time that I achieved accreditations from Microsoft and VMware. These industry specific accreditations distinguish you from others.

In 2009 I went out on my own and was allowed to retain the client base I had built. My business does not specialise and I place great importance in understanding my client’s requirements and taking them through the complete journey. I provide personalised support and take pride in helping people get the most from their systems. My enthusiasm for computers is evident to my clients and it inspires them to achieve more and do more.

For more information, visit the James Slack Consulting website.