A computer systems analyst provides vital assistance to a business. A computer systems analyst is responsible for aiding businesses and other organizations to use computer technology efficiently and effectively. Computer systems analysts are either employed directly by a business or provide their services as freelance consultants. These options raise the question of whether it is best to be a computer systems consultant on the staff of a business or to be an independent contractor.
Employee or Freelancer: Professional Objectives and Personal Goals
As is the case with some frequency in the workaday world, there is not a clear cut answer to the question of whether it’s better for a computer systems analyst to work for a company or to be a consultant. In the final analysis, determining which course to take depends on the unique professional objectives of a computer systems analyst coupled with his or her personal needs and desires. A primary way to determine whether a computer systems analyst should work for a particular business of independently consult is to weigh and balance the benefits available from both options.
Benefits of Being a Computer Systems Analyst on the Payroll of a Particular Business
Many computer systems analysts point to job stability and security as a benefit derived from working for a specific business as opposed to being a consultant. Provided a particular business is in a stable condition itself, and assuming the powers-that-be are satisfied with the work of a computer systems analyst on staff, this sentiment can prove to be correct.
On a related note, working as a computer systems analyst for a business ensures that a person has a reliable income stream while in the company’s employment. An analyst can rely on specific paydays for a set amount of money.
Another benefit associated with working as a computer systems analyst for a company rather than putting up one’s shingle is found in the fact that an employee of a business is likely to receive at least some benefits in addition to salary. Indeed, some companies are quite generous with their employee benefits even during more uncertain economic times. Benefits can include everything from health insurance to paid vacation to career enrichment education funded by the company.
Being part of a business can provide a computer systems analyst with ready access to networking and career advancement opportunities, including within the company itself. Many analysts like the idea of having colleagues readily accessible to them consistently.
Benefits of Being a Computer Systems Analyst Consultant
At the top of the list of benefits of being a consultant rather than an employee of a specific company, many computer systems analysts identify freedom and the ability to have greater control over their professional lives. This doesn’t mean that a consultant has a wealth of free time on his or her hands. Rather, a consultant does have more control over scheduling the workday as this type of consultant.
An overused cliché is that “variety is the spice of life.” Professional variety can make a person’s work-life more interesting and enjoyable. Undertaking work as a computer systems analyst as a freelance consultant can provide a professional with a broader spectrum of different types of interesting, challenging, and satisfying work.
Whilst a computer systems analyst consultant doesn’t have the benefit of a regular paycheck, an independent professional in this field can enjoy ever-increasing earnings as he or she becomes better established in the field.
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The computer systems analyst profession is enjoying a higher than average job outlook into the coming decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the reasons why this is the case is because options exist for these types of analysts between working for a business or as a consultant. The demand for both types of analysts is expected to remain stronger than other occupations when considering the workplace as a whole, a trend that is expected to carry forth into the coming decade.