Hi All,I am currently working for a IT product development company developing technical solutions for an investment banks. Prior to that I was working in for a large IT consulting company but as a developer.I am a bit confused about my future career move and I would appreciate if you can provide any guidance as I dont see much career growth in my current role. My total experience is 4 years.I can only think between 3 alternatives based on my skills - IT Consulting, Business Analyst and as a Developer.Consulting - This is my first choice, but with no pure consulting experience how do I make the first move? However I have been interacting with clients frequently to get requirements and presenting solutions in my current role. Would that help? Is an MBA necessary? Will I have to join at entry level to one of them?Business Analyst - I have gained a lot of expertise in investment banking over 4 years and I think I can get a role as a BA for IT projects in an IB or a financial firm. But I see that as being more pigeonholed, on the other side I also think that I can be a BA for few years and then move in to consulting as it would be easier to move from a BA role. correct me if I am wrong?Developer - My last option, I would have to refesh my technical skills, do some certifications and then look for Sr. Developer kind of roles.Please share your views on making the move from IT Development/ Architect to Consulting and what do you think of move to BA for few years and then into Consulting. Would it be easier to get into Consulting from my current role or from BAThanks in advance.R

What exactly do you define as "consulting"?Because most IT "consulting" is exactly your background, i.e. business analysis, software design, configuration management, I'm sure ZB can provide the full list.

Thanks for your reply.That is true...but my company comes across as a product based company as opposed to service based and my role more of a IT designer and implementor than as a consultant.Creating that distinction is difficult when recruiters only look for a good name or a nice title.

You said that you currently work for an IT product development company. Do you have any hands-on experience in implementing or supporting solutions developed by that company? If yes, why don’t you move from being a mere developer/technical consultant to techno-functional consultant by gaining understanding of the business processes, requirements etc.? There is always demand for people who understand both the business and the coding.Business Analyst – with your developer background you may not find this challenging enough. Also less money than in IT.Developer – depending what programming languages you know, you may find your role being easily moved offshore.You certainly don’t need an MBA to work as an IT consultant, but it may be useful if you eventually want to get into senior management roles. I have met some people whose highest education is O-levels and who have learnt their job through experience over several years and are now earning lots of money.

Thanks IT Consultant. You are bang on point.I also do some implementation and support for these solutions...I have also been in business part such as getting requirements, preparing specs etcAs I said most companies see that I have good development experience but not actual consulting exp...when the fact is lot of guys who are in accenture, logica etc do the same thing as me but are seen by recruiters as consultants just because of the name.

Hi IT Consultant,I am in same boat as Rohan. 7 yr strong IT experience in Product Development company. My question is where can I find:- techno-functional consultant jobs ? would you recommend any good companies and websites to applythanksamit