Consultant Profiles

James, Managing Consultant MEng Computer Systems & Software Engineering from York University "After university I considered many positions including some pure programming jobs in the defence sector where I had carried out two summer placements. But I was worried about getting pigeon-holed as a programmer, and consultancy appealed because of the variety of projects. Customer Systems attracted me as a smaller consultancy where I would get noticed, and get more interesting roles. I was surprised to be given so much responsibility straight away, but I was right about getting noticed in a smaller company - there really is no room for dead wood. You're thrust into the thick of the action and expected to handle pretty much any situation. My role has changed in the time I’ve been here: from a purely application based role to being technical lead, involved in much more of the business analysis and project management. Day to day I now spend a lot more time in business-related meetings, finding out exactly what businesses need, and, because of my experience, advising them. I also have the added responsibility of managing junior consultants. You do get to be involved in some of their development, which is rewarding, but then again sometimes they’re so prepared and ready they don’t need any help! Having worked here for 4 ½ years I would say that the best thing about Customer systems is the challenges you face on each new project, and the opportunity to take them on. I’ve also really enjoyed travelling to a great number of countries. "

Donald, Managing Consultant BSc Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London "If you want to work in consultancy, this is the best job you could have. A lot is expected of you, but in return you are given wonderful opportunities. You are working straight away at the highest levels and in six months you have progressed way further than you could in any other consultancy. It is certainly a challenging environment and it’s ‘sink or swim’ from the first day. The training gets you immediately into solving real-world customer problems, not just about programming. And within a month you’re doing it on a customer site. While at university, I ran my own small development company and I thought that I had met many challenges already, but Customer Systems gave me much more than that! I’ve been with the company since 2006 and in that time have worked on a wide variety of projects across many sectors, including Pharma and Banking. What I enjoy the most is translating between the technical people and the customers and end-users. Sometimes I’ve been on site on my own covering every aspect of the project – business analysis, programming, planning, and meeting with very senior people. You do need to be ready for the life of a consultant, for example, travelling at short notice, but if you want the variety and responsibility then I would really recommend Customer Systems