Hi,I am new to the consulting game as I come from a technical background (developer), but I have been interested in starting a career in consulting at IBM. From the little information there is online, from my understanding, their technical consultants are exposed to the whole software life cycle - from business analysis, to testing etc depending on the project. This is where I am confused by their exact job role.So here are my questions:1) I have been told by a friend who was an IT consultant at another company. that technical consultants are essentially sales representatives for the company. They are responsible for finalising the deal after a lead is found by the sales department of an organisation wanting to use IBM as a contractor. They do this by by performing business analysis, and then telling in a pitch how IBM can use x and y technology to solve z problem. It is then up to the company to decide whether to hire IBM as a contractor. After the deal is finalised, the IT system is then designed, implemented and delivered by other division of IBM e.g. technical staff/project manager.Is this correct?2) If the above is true, why do IBM put their technical consultants in other areas of the software lifecycle - essentially making them the jack of all trades on projects?3) What's career progression/pay like for consultants?If the career is based on 1) am I paid based on commission/and targets i.e. how many contracts I finalise for IBM.I have a quite stable job as a developer, so I am not sure if this is the best move.Sorry for all of the questions.Thanks

To add:I have applied to a the graduate scheme and have made it to IBM's assessment centre.I currently have had 3 years in the start up game, and currently working for a progressive start up company. One that is about to win awards and is generating press releases. The only reason why I have decided to leave it, is because I have been under the impression that I will be working on a diverse range of projects within a consultancy firm like IBM etc putting my skills to use on larger projects. Also it is a household name, and as I am young, I am not sure how much it will help having a blue chip on my CV.I am very passionate about IT, and want to be exposed to as many different types of projects as possible. I also want to do something that is client faced. Technical project management is something that I have always been interested, although I understand Consulting might not be that. I am concerned that if I leave this, and this ends up being a dead end job where I am a glorified salesman (selling IBMs mainframes etc) or a jack of a trades, master of none - I might end up hurting my career due to a lack of exit routes.Thanks again.

What did you end up doing? Your friend misled you. More than likely you'd be responsible for delivery of solutions. Pretty much enhancing the current dev skills you have.