Misty Schmidt ⋅ Marietta, GA CONA Services, LLC ⋅ 20 years experience

Hello,

I was an SAP consultant for several years prior to accepting a full-time position that significantly reduced the amount of time I spent traveling every month. When consulting, how much time you spend doing technical work versus interacting directly with the customer depends entirely on your role on the project and the project itself. I had some projects where I probably spent 80% of my time doing heads-down configuration work and others where I spent so much time meeting with the customer trying to clarify requirements and deliverables that I felt like I hardly had any time to do the actual technical work associated with it. I also had a few projects where I was brought in specially to work with the customer and help them understand the SAP functionality available to them, SAP Best Practices, and help them gather requirements without doing any technical work at all. The thing that makes consulting both interesting and challenging at the same time is that your potential projects can vary so much, and the environment is constantly changing as you transition from one project/customer to another. You kind of have to be prepared for anything.

If you have a preference for what you want (or don't want) to do, you can target projects that fit within your desired criteria. Just be aware that if you're working for a consulting company, your control over the projects you're assigned to may be somewhat limited. Consulting companies want you out generating revenue, so they'll strive to make sure you're "on the bench" as little as possible. (That generally works to your advantage as well though, as bonuses are typically tied to the number of billable hours you book.) Being well-rounded in both technical expertise as well as customer engagement is a huge advantage in the world of consulting.

Sorry my answer is so ambiguous, but that's just the nature of technical consulting. Some customers are really tech savvy and know exactly what they want from a technical consultant. Others need more assistance in figuring out what it is they really need.

Katie Tamarelli ⋅ Newport, KY Strategy& ⋅ 8 years experience

Hi,

I think it really depends. Based on my experience, it depends on the role and your skills. As a former developer and comparing what my day looked like compared with my peers, it really varied significantly. I used to about 35% project management, 35% developer, and 35% of business analyst (e.g. getting requirements, problem solving business issues) whereas I have friends that were much more 100% development.

Sorry that answer probably doesn't help much!

Jennifer P ⋅ Fort Campbell, KY U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 7 years served

Thank you SO much for your insight, Misty and Katie!