A consulting job is an excellent way to cut loose from the nine-to-five grind and showcase your passion for a subject. You’ll work daily with people and get the satisfaction of helping others grow their businesses and find their own success. However, not all consulting jobs are created equal. Many can be far more time consuming and less satisfying than others.
Finding a comfortable, well-paying position is more important than many people realize. Of course, everyone wants a career they love and can’t wait to do for the rest of their lives. But finding a job that’s the right fit is more important than that. Finding such a fit also has a big impact on your physical and mental health.
According to research, when employees are working jobs they love, that pay well, and that are a comfortable fit for their skill set, they tend to experience greater health. Their risk for mental illnesses like depression and anxiety decrease, and they lower their risks for things like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and more.
Science indicates that consulting jobs can be the most comfortable and best for your health on the market. They offer the freedom of escaping the 9:00 to 5:00 dirge and allow you to work during your peak hours when you’re feeling most motivated.
But not all consulting jobs are created equal. Some are far more lucrative and cushy than others. Here are some of the top consulting jobs on the list.
1. Startup
Helping startups get going is not only gratifying, but it can also be profitable. Sam Ovens is one startup consultant who made his fortune in this form of consulting. By the age of 26, he had already made $10 million with his business.
To those looking to enter the startup market, his number one piece of advice is to build a personal brand quickly. “If people know and trust you and your personal brand, they’re more likely to trust your new business,†he told Entrepreneur. “Each media hit, speaking opportunity or social media post has the potential to bring you a new customer. Personal branding is an essential tool for business success.â€
2. Management
The role of a management consultant is to help clients better run their businesses. You’ll help them maximize growth opportunities, improve business performance, find solutions to major challenges, gain the respect of employees, and more. This consulting position requires copious amounts of experience if you hope to succeed. You also need a penchant for leadership and a nose for sniffing out problems and solutions.
3. Technology
There’s a lot of room for consulting in the IT sector, especially for mid-size businesses where it’s not possible for such companies to hire a full IT department. Your responsibilities here will include helping companies with information systems, systems applications, data management, and network consulting. You’ll also likely spend some time explaining simple IT principles to young businesses.
As a special caution, Erik Eckel, a long-time IT consultant and contributor to Tech Republic, would warn budding IT consultants that you’ll often be required to wear many hats in this position.
“Salaried IT staff members are frequently eliminated as organizations struggle to contain costs,†he wrote. “As a result, when a consultant shows up to eliminate a virus infection or install a software application, end users starved for support almost always pelt the technician with additional service requests. My consulting office has learned that the phenomenon is so widespread, we schedule additional time for engineers to complete ancillary unplanned tasks when responding to clients who don’t have in-house technical support.â€
4. Human Resources
This is the department in businesses that makes everything else go. They hire new employees, keep good blood between staff members, and facilitate management wishes. But far too many companies are lacking in the HR department. A consultant will arrive to help clean up messes, rewrite policies, train new employees, improve recruitment processes, provide human capital management, and more.
5. Marketing
Here’s a highly lucrative consulting career choice if you love anything to do with advertising, working with clients, spreading brand awareness, collaboration, improving marketing strategies and seeing profits skyrocket as a result of your efforts.
Marketing consulting is a rapidly growing industry thanks to the proliferation of the digital marketing industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consultants in this field make more than $81,000 per year on average with a 14 percent growth rate. The satisfaction and comfort of the position make it a highly coveted career.