He's been working on a midrange Wang Laboratories Inc. computer for at least a decade, and he knows the system inside and out. The problem is, that's all he knows. Inadvertently, Thomas has placed himself in a niche market with limited career opportunities. The first route, consulting, lets you ride the wave of your technical specialty from one company to another. James Del Monte, president of JDA Professional Services in Houston, says there are plenty of opportunities for the short term because of a growing shortage of people who can or want to support older systems and technologies.
Qualified consultants can demand top dollar.
Del Monte says opportunities also exist for people who can help companies migrate from older systems to newer technologies. Converting some of these older technologies is a challenge and requires an understanding of legacy systems to migrate to newer ones. This is creating a demand for seasoned professionals whose full-time employment possibilities are limited. Niche consulting may be OK for a while, but eventually you should plan to retrain on more current products and platforms. After all, there will come a point when your specialty skills are no lo nger in demand.