5 – Alternative Career Paths – Consulting

With this podcast, we are kicking off a podcast series that is focused on how to innovate your career.

In this series, we are going to share various career alternatives to help you to push the boundaries of your thinking and your job seeking.

Today we are focusing on consulting as a career alternative.

For many people who have spent decades in corporate, the prospect of consulting on their own – or as a member of a firm – may seem frightening, but there are many advantages that you should consider.

Today Mary Michael team member, Linda, our resident catalyst, connector and collaborator, will share some insights from the book she co-authored called, “Wit and Wisdom: Journeys through Career Transition.”

By the way, you can find the book on Amazon, but be sure to type in the full title to locate it.

As we search to discover our “why” or passion, it is helpful to be willing to stretch our boundaries.  In this series, we are striving to help listeners to stretch themselves by sharing stories of others who did so.

We will offer various ways in which people pushed their boundaries and what they learned along the way that may be helpful to our listeners.

When we stretch beyond our comfort level, we learn about ourselves: what energizes us and what drains us.

Too often when people are in the market for another job, they feel an urgency that leads them to simply change the scenery.

That is, they land a job that is just like the one they are leaving.

So, jumping too soon may mean a person is just at a new company in the same unpleasant situation.

Let’s begin our focus on consulting with a featured role model, Rose Cook, CEO and Founder of The FlexPro Group, a project management consulting firm.

Rose Cook began her career working for various corporations as a packaging engineer.  She soon realized that getting ahead in corporate meant acquiring skills across a variety of roles in the organization.  Rose demonstrated her proficiency, and steadily moved up the corporate ladder.

However, after about a decade in corporate, Rose felt a desire for greater autonomy, so she left the corporate world to try consulting on her own.  After a relatively brief trial, Rose decided to return to corporate but this didn’t last long.

Rose’s family and other obligations grew, and Rose felt the need to create an improved work/life balance. This motivated Rose to start her own consulting firm.  Coincidentally, her twin sister, Lynn, was ready to join Rose in the venture.  Together, they founded The FlexPro Group.The company has been very successful and has been recognized multiple times by Inc magazine.

With more than a decade of success and recognition, Rose has some tips to share.Rose is enthusiastic about the benefits of a career in consulting, particularly in a role within a consulting firm such as hers. The key benefits are that you acquire exposure to new companies, perhaps even companies that may not have been on your target list.  You can learn about the culture and the organization while working on a consulting project.  This helps you to test the waters without making a long-term commitment.

Also, as a consultant, you can take some risks and take on a greater variety of work tasks that can allow you to develop new skillsets and enhance your marketability.The flexibility of a job like this translates to improved work / life balance.  You can choose your geography, your desk time, etc.

Because you may work on projects for various companies and various departments within a company, you also have the opportunity to grow your professional network significantly.

So what are the down sides of working for a consulting firm?

• When you work on a project basis for a consulting firm, you may just have one piece of a large project as your work task.
• If you like “owning” large projects, this isn’t for you.  Also, if you struggle with a task when you don’t have the bigger picture, this isn’t for you.
• Another aspect of consulting is that you are not truly a member of the client company’s family.  If client company celebrations and events that don’t include you, make you feel isolated or hurt, then this isn’t for you.

However, Rose does encourage giving it a try first.  Some people discover that what they had expected to be a challenge – such as not “owning” a large project – is not a challenge when they weigh it with the benefits of a flexible work schedule for instance.

So, to summarize, listeners may want to consider consulting as a career alternative.  It can even serve as a bridge role to help you on your journey to discover your passion.  Consulting offers a great environment to stretch.

• If you are wondering whether consulting is right for you, ask yourself these questions:
• Do I adapt quickly to new environments?
• Do I enjoy variety in work tasks and am  I willing to try new work tasks?
• Am I able to navigate complex, matrixed work environments with a low level of supervision?

Free download – Linda’s worksheet for Alternative Career Paths:

Innovate Your Life Worksheet – Innovate Your Career – Consulting – Episode 5

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