Top Consultant Says Many Are Retiring Soon, Career Opportunity For Security Pros?

There are two common paths to enter the world of consulting.

The first path is to go to work for an established consulting firm. Many such firms are always looking for talent and will often hire people with a strong technical background that are presently working for integrators or manufacturers. People with good writing skills and/or a working knowledge of AutoCAD or Revit are especially desirable. The advantage of this approach is that you will be learning while getting paid by someone else and have very little personal risk. The disadvantage of this approach is that you may have to start out at a little less pay than you are presently making, and will probably have to be located near a major urban center where most of the larger consulting firms are located. (After you have firmly established yourself, location is less important - most consultants travel extensively and most employers are cool with you living wherever you like just as long as you get the work done.)

The second path is to start your own consulting practice. This requires more skills and a lot more work, but ultimately can be the most profitable and give you the most freedom. It takes time to get a practice established, so you need to have enough money on hand to both finance the business and to support yourself while you are waiting for the business to generate income. If you are interested in this approach, I would suggest you consider buying my book on the subject that John mentioned above.