how to become a ITSM consultant and that too a good one

Hi Mister Wizard

I have just done my graduation and earning an average salary. I am interested in ITIL and want to learn more about ITSM consultation. Could you please help me on how to become a ITSM consultant and that too a good one.

Regards:
Deb

Dear Deb,

With an interest in ITIL you have all you need to be an ITSM consultant.

You might think you need to be an ITIL Expert. Since you are a young graduate with only an "average" income, you will find ITIL certification paths very expensive. Beyond Foundation level, the ITIL certification scheme exists primarily so the large vendors and consulting firms can justify their astonishing hourly rates for ITSM experts, and so that they can use their superior wealth to enforce a form of monopolistic stranglehold by establishing an elite club that only they can afford (such clubs often use the symbol of a pyramid or prism).

So the only way you can feasibly get a high-level ITIL certification is to join one of the large consulting firms. Don't worry that you don't have any experience. So long as you have a degree, a suit and a willingness to work like a slave, they will hire you. They have experienced and impressive pre-sales people who will do all the talking to close the deal. Then they will equip you with pretty ring-binders full of what to say and write when you are "consulting". You'll be on your own then - don't expect to see the real experts again until you screw up.

If seventy-hour weeks, misrepresentation, and being left to make a fool of yourself don't appeal as a career path, the next option is to get a job in IT operations somewhere. Make sure it is a small organisation and/or a remote location so that you can get an impressive-sounding job title within a short period of time. Don't worry how bad a job you do, just hang in there. Nobody ever checks references - you just need the experience on your CV. Try to collect some certifications at your employer's expense while you are there. Once you have been "Service Delivery Manager" or "Data Centre Manager" or even "Service Desk Team Leader" for a while, you are equipped to launch a consulting career.

The last option is to get a degree in Service Management, but the IT industry has nothing but contempt for academic qualifications and nobody would believe a SM degree was real, so I wouldn't go that way.

Whichever path you take, you'll be ready to consult in no time. All you need is a business card and an iPhone. Set your rates high enough to live without being a prat about it. Don't worry about actual knowledge; consulting can be defined as learning at someone else's expense.

Good luck!
The ITIL Wizard

Comments

Arf! :D

Arf! :D

Syndicate content