How long does it take to become an Information Technology Consultant?

It takes 6 years of professional experience to become an information technology consultant. That is the time it takes to learn specific information technology consultant skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 9 to 11 years years to become an information technology consultant.

How To Become An Information Technology Consultant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an information technology consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Ranganathan Chandrasekaran

An information technology consultant will partner with companies to help use, develop, and integrate information technology systems. You will resolve technical problems and train users to know the value of technology in the company's business. You will also provide the best advice on using technology to achieve business goals as well as train users in the new and existing information technology systems. In the same way, you will design the IT networks and systems to have the right functionality and architecture.

The average salary of an information technology consultant is $73,942 yearly, or $35.55 an hour. The minimal educational requirement is a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related field to Information Technology. You must be able to troubleshoot the software, hardware, and network issues and give a solution to the problem. You should also have experience using different operating systems.

What general advice would you give to an information technology consultant?

Ranganathan Chandrasekaran

Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois

As we roll into another month of the COVID-19 pandemic, graduating students are facing one of the worst moments of their lives. They face several uncertainties; due to financial challenges, uncertainty about completing their degrees on time, adjusting to online and hybrid modes of learning, and worst of all, facing the worst job market. As a result, I see the stress and anxiety levels among the graduating students to be significantly higher, at levels I have not experienced in my academic career.

Several businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, and they have rolled back their offers made to students for internships and jobs. Businesses have also resorted to downsizing and layoffs, and we are likely to see that continue, at least in the near term. However, two sectors that are showing promises of a quick turnaround are technology and healthcare.

It might take many months for the economy to get back on track, but the demand for information systems graduates is likely to grow, as a large number of businesses have turned to increased use of technology in this pandemic period. As more companies go digital, we need more professionals to manage the remote-work, technological infrastructure and meet the other demands of the business. Students pursuing education in information systems, computer science, and healthcare are going to be in greater demand.

On the positive side, the uncertainties induced by the pandemic have also helped students to prepare themselves better for a tougher job market. I found many students rise up and use the lockdown period to have a serious introspection and invest their time and effort in upgrading their knowledge and skills. The internship drought and rescinding of job/internship offers brought their dreams crashing down, but I found several students to quickly get over their disappointments, and engage in improving their skillsets utilizing the pandemic lockdown as an opportunity. I am aware of many students, especially in the information systems disciple, who spent time doing online courses, completing certification programs, and take up DIY projects on data analysis, developing analytical and forecasting models, and visualization of various aspects of the pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in massive amounts of data, released by several organizations worldwide, that have provided a stimulant for students to indulge in DIY-projects. I had several students approach me over summer to do some projects, and we have done some interesting projects using public datasets related to COVID-19.

ScoreInformation Technology ConsultantUS Average

Salary

6.6

Avg. Salary $84,790

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.3

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.50%

Black or African American 10.45%

Hispanic or Latino 11.18%

Unknown 5.02%

White 58.66%

Gender

female 16.62%

male 83.38%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an information technology consultant

Explore information technology consultant education requirements

Most common information technology consultant degrees

Bachelor's

63.8 %

Associate

17.0 %

Master's

12.5 %

Start to develop specific information technology consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	7.97%
Database	7.77%
Project Management	7.71%
Cloud	7.70%
Troubleshoot	3.85%

Complete relevant information technology consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New information technology consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an information technology consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real information technology consultant resumes.

Gain additional information technology consultant certifications

Information technology consultant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific information technology consultant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for information technology consultants include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP).

More About Certifications

Research information technology consultant duties and responsibilities

Accomplish telecommunication design and installation consulting services on VOIP phone systems.
Develop functional requirements as well as managed development and quality assurance activities using a full SDLC.
Ensure adequate security protections for proprietary data and intellectual property; manage and configure firewalls and security posture.
Lead enterprise-wide virtualization effort, overseeing and completing vendor/hardware qualifications, architecture/design, installation, configuration, migration and documentation.

Prepare your information technology consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your information technology consultant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an information technology consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable information technology consultant resume templates

Build a professional information technology consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your information technology consultant resume.

Apply for information technology consultant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an information technology consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average information technology consultant salary

The average information technology consultant salary in the United States is $84,790 per year or $41 per hour. Information technology consultant salaries range between $62,000 and $115,000 per year.

Average information technology consultant salary

$84,790 Yearly

$40.76 hourly

How do information technology consultants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Information technology consultant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023

Pros

Staying abreast of technology and helping an organization define Technology strategy.

Cons

Work Life Balance can be difficult based on size of team and infrastructure.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Variety of clients and challenges. Ability to solve diffcult probepms and to mentor others.

Cons

Marketing during and between projects. Work is not always steady.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

I am not what do you like the most about working as an Information Technology Project Manage

Cons

Do not know

What is an information technology consultant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an information technology consultant?

Information technology consultant career paths

Key steps to become an information technology consultant

Explore information technology consultant education requirements

Most common information technology consultant degrees

Start to develop specific information technology consultant skills

Complete relevant information technology consultant training and internships

Gain additional information technology consultant certifications

Research information technology consultant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your information technology consultant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable information technology consultant resume templates

Apply for information technology consultant jobs

How did you land your first information technology consultant job

Average information technology consultant salary

How do information technology consultants rate their job?

Information technology consultant reviews

Information technology consultant FAQs

How long does it take to become an Information Technology Consultant?

Search for information technology consultant jobs

Information technology consultant jobs by state