IT knowledge for a business school graduate

Nerrya

Hi,

Background : I’m in french business school studying information system management and I will be graduating in september. Currently, i work part-time (like an internship) in the information system department of an energy company as PM.
Goal : I would like to work as an IT emerging technology or IT strategy consultant, but recruiters told me that i should get a better knowledge of some technologies.
What do you guys think i should do ? I thought about getting a cert in network like net+ and learn to code, is it a good start ? What kind of technology should i learn and how ?

Thanks,

DatabaseHead

You are "fast tracking" if I understand you correctly. Congrats you are doing it right.

Internship with a good company as a PM and a solid degree and you want to become a "strategy consultant, AKA a principal consultant.

I would see about staying on as a PM and see if they will pay for a master degree from a good school in MIS. I'll be honest I am from US so things maybe different but..... Here if you went for the MIS and got the company to pay for it you would be in wonderful shape. From there you would just need to do your time and continue to get PM and corporate experience. Once you get 2 - 4 years you would be ready for those types of roles.

I wouldn't consider N+ or any of those Mickey Mouse certifications for one minute. You are on to bigger and better things, and in fact those certifications could actually hurt your image and brand.

Nerrya

Actually, i'm getting a master degree, in France getting a master is kind of a standard for having a decent job.
IT strategy consultant is really different from a real strategy consultant (in a company like mckinsey or BCG). IT strategy is about counseling a CIO or IT manager about the transformation of the information system, using new technologies (IoT, IA ...), improving IT processes. I'm looking for a opening in big4 IT advisory department, or company like CGI business consulting, Accenture consulting.
Therefore, to advise on IT strategy, you need to understand the tech you are handling. As they say, we are better sellers if we know what we're selling.

EANx

I'll disagree, I think the + certs can be a good start. Not the A+, but Network+, Linux+ and Project+. The key is to use them to gain knowledge while using the cert itself as a benchmark. Not to use the cert in an advertising way like IT professionals do. In your situation, I would go for Net+, Project+ and Cloud+. In the US, entry-level graduates are often used as project management assistants and do things like coordinate the day-to-day communication and herding of projects while the real project manager focuses on the higher-level project demands and reporting to executives. In that environment, you would want to show some basic understanding of technology as well as basic understanding of project best-practices.

Oh, and if you haven't learned PowerPoint, get started.