What is it like being an IT Professional Services (Delivery) Consultant for a major software vendor?

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I’ve been an Information Technology Professional Services (Delivery) Consultant for a major American software and solutions vendor for many years now. My tenure at this company is my longest stay at any company, so you would think I must really like the job, the answer is yes and no.

Likes:

  • I like the technology. The company I work for really do have some of the best solutions out there.
  • I like the variety. The company I work for has many products; I never get bored of working with the same product all the time, or products that never change (the change is constant and good.)
  • I like the challenge(s).
  • I like the people and culture. I cannot think of anyone I have met in the company I do not like. And the culture is about getting stuff done and generally being helpful (to customers and colleagues). If you make a mistake, fine, just own up to it.
  • I like the customers. We have some great customers. And I greatly like helping these customers.
  • I like the salary and benefits! This makes it hard to leave.
  • I like that I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have this role.
 Dislikes:
  • I dislike the obsession with being billable. Being a billable resource is something I dislike a lot. My team as a whole needs to be over 70% billable. When you are not billable you feel bad, but it should not be  that way. There is a lot of luck in being in the right place at the right time to get certain projects. As someone who is willing to do anything, if I am not billable, I do not feel blame, as I know that so many of the projects my colleagues are busy on, I could easily be doing those projects and they could have been on the bench if timings had been different.
  • I dislike not having more control over the projects I am given. As a good employee, I do what I am told. Many times a colleague has got to do a particularly interesting project which I would have loved to have been involved in, but it has not gone my way. This could be my own fault, I don’t like to make a fuss, but sometimes it is good to make a fuss.
  • I dislike day after day sat on my backside staring at a computer screen. Sometimes I get to go to customer sites (not much since Covid), and sometimes I get to do physical installations which is a nice break from being stuck behind a keyboard. It simply doesn’t feel like a particularly healthy lifestyle, alas, this is the way much of the world works now. A well paid and fulfilling job where I didn’t have to stare at a computer all day long, now that would be something.
  • I dislike not being able to nurture something. One of the problems of a PS Consultant role - especially noticeable if you have come from an Infrastructure Engineer background - is that you never really get to see your babies grow - once you’ve finished one project you are off on the next. This is the trade off you get for having variety.
So 7 likes and 4 dislikes I could think of.