by Simon Lythgoe
Professional services covers a broad spectrum of roles, spanning everything from engineering and medicine to accountancy and law. It’s an industry that offers a wide selection of opportunities and the chance to become a specialist in niche areas that interest you the most. From job satisfaction on a personal level, to enjoying a variety that is often not available in other roles, a career in the professional services industry has a lot to offer. These are three specific reasons why you might want to consider it.
1. It’s all about problem solving
There’s nothing quite so engaging for the brain – or quite as satisfying – as solving issues and problems as part of your daily routine. This could be supporting companies, helping individuals or problem solving for a range of other stakeholders, from financial institutions to research facilities. You are essentially getting paid for applying your brainpower to a situation to help resolve it and this can entail a great deal of innovation and creativity. Opportunities exist at every level, from highly paid, confidential work to problem solving for social enterprises or causes such as sustainability.
2. Professional services is a people orientated business
Interaction with others is the foundation of success for a career in professional services. Most of the roles in this type of profession require specific foundation skills and experiences but, once acquired, these can be applied much more autonomously than in other positions. Creating social, professional and support networks is crucial to getting ahead in professional services – the connections that you make can be as essential for finding a new job, for example, as for identifying the solution to an issue. Team working is often required and so those who enjoy working with others can thrive in this type of environment. Plus, this is a collaborative profession and one where the sharing of ideas and relationships skills are as invaluable as the technical qualifications that you acquire.
3. High performance and self-discovery
Standards are high in professional services and firms invest in driving growth and development in their employees, as they recognise that this is something the business also benefits from. As a result, working in a career in professional services can be a real journey of self-discovery, full of constant challenges to improve and push beyond comfort zones and to enhance performance to achieve better results. It also tends to be an industry in which exploration and discovery is encouraged, whether that’s taking the time to go and work abroad or partnering with an in-house mentor or coach to help define personal goals and objectives for the future. If you’re looking for a satisfying career with a focus on personal growth, professional services is an obvious choice.
These are just three of the many reasons why a career in professional services has a lot of advantages. Whether you’re looking to travel, discover new aspects to your personality or thrive in a team environment, a professional services career can deliver.