The Beauty Of Consulting

image: africariskconsulting.com

I have worked for three different companies before setting shop as a full-time consultant. Comparing my experience as a regular employee and, now, as a consultant, I find out that consultancy gives a much more interesting life. There is a certain beauty about consulting that makes it more desirable than regular employment.

Below are a list of the major differentiating features of consulting that make me find it more beautiful than regular employment:

1. Better planning. As a consultant, I can easily tie my activities to money and know which activities don't make me money. Interestingly, not all my work yield financial compensation and even my income is not measured by how hard I work. I have done the same job for N60,000 and N720,000. This knowledge helps me to better plan and use my time more effectively.
2. Extreme flexibility. As a regular employee, there was no way I could have thought of, let alone attempt, going to daily French language classes and gym-ing on weekday morning. But as a consultant I am able to do this without significantly bringing down my income.
3. Lots of travelling. Consulting has taken me more frequently out of Lagos than any other job I have done before. And I get to spend my time a lot more freely than if it were entirely on a company to employee relationship. 
4. I work with all types of clients and companies. I have seen a huge lift in my people skills and I have a lot of insider knowledge on the operations of lots of companies -- big and small -- because on my consulting role. This has greatly improved me as a person. Even when I buy shares I am able to consider information that are not openly available but I got to know of because of my consulting exploits.
5. Lots of free publicity and attention. As a consultant I can openly praise myself and project myself as God-sent to clients while a regular employee has to live a less noisy life. The practical difference is that I get interviewed on radio, featured on TV and written about more than a regular employee would. 
6. I can choose my day-to-day tasks. I have a huge power in determining my day-to-day work and adjusting with my interests. Without having to change company and/or job position I have been able to pivot as a consultant, switching completely from one job type to another. And I get to work on a lot more interesting and challenging projects for different clients.
7. No need of professional certifications and stuff paid employees do to build their CV. As a consultant, it is your marketing skill and list of past projects that get you jobs, and not your impressive certifications laden CV. And this has been a financial blessing to me, I can now save more money and spend cheaply on books rather than taking very expensive certificate courses. 

If not that I am feeling sleepy and have to be ready for a training class this morning, I can still crank out three more benefits of consulting over regular employment. And for me they are why I find consulting very beautiful.