Are you considering finding a line to major in, in the professional service field but you want to make sure it is worth the risk?
This guide will help you make an informed decision, by giving you all you need to know about professional services as a career.
What are Professional Services?
We can refer to professional services as services that individuals (might also be a company) provide for customers to aid or improve a particular area of their enterprise.
A perfect example is that of an acting coach who coaches individual actors to be better at their craft. So, you can say someone providing professional service is skilled in a specific niche e.g. digital marketing, etc. So, if a digital marketer gets to work on marketing a business digitally, he is improving their business through that outlet. His/her work can either be freelance, contract, or private practice.
It is possible to have a company deliver professional services to clients. A good example is also a marketing agency that has its core as helping the brand get more visible. So, individuals and companies can provide professional services.
Is Professional Services a Good Career Path?
A career in professional service is almost perfect, looking at how flexible it can be, the potential of the pay, and how much the careers in professional services are in demand.
If you desire to pursue a career in professional services, it is a good choice. I am trusting that the guide here will altogether help you make a good choice.
Examples of Professional services
Professional services exist in various fields, and I will be listing them under the various fields that existed. We have fields like finance, marketing, computer science, legal, etc.
Legal
The legal field has professional services which include:
- Intellectual property law
The lawyers in this line ensure provisions that relate to copyright, design patents, etc. They help to make sure that their client’s intellectual properties are not stolen.
- Corporate law
The service of lawyers in this field is to corporate companies where they help them with the building of corporations.
- Environmental law
There is to protect the interest of the environment and natural resources. There are laws guiding these, which differ from country to country, and state to state within a country.
- Estate planning law
Their service is to manage wills, assets, etc. They are also involved in creating legal contracts.
Planning and Construction Field
The field has professional services which include:
- Architecture design
What architects do is design buildings, tailored to their customers’ demands.
- Urban and regional planning
They are saddled with the responsibilities of making it easy to understand the short-term and long term plans regarding the development of cities. This may demand that they carry out research to find out what the needs of the residents are.
- Landscaping
Their services are to provide personalized green scapes outdoor.
- Construction management
What the professionals in this field do is manage the day-to-day operations of the construction process, and ensure that things are done as and when due.
- Plumbing
Plumbing professionals deal with plumbing systems and things related to them. They install and maintain plumbing systems.
Medical and Public Services
Professional services in this field include:
- Physical therapy
The professionals in this field are helping their patients be mobile again after illness.
- Dental health
Their service is to ensure that their clients maintain their dental and oral health.
- Physical health
Physicians are professionals responsible for patients’ health. They perform an examination which they can infer, to know what is wrong with the patient.
- Therapy
This is another popular professional service that is geared toward improving the mental health of people.
Marketing
The professional services in the marketing field include:
- Brand development
Professionals here help companies build up a brand, with strategy. They also help maintain the brand’s identity.
- Social media management
The responsibility of a social media manager is to help a company build an online presence; this involves a lot of things.
- Copywriting
The essence of copywriting is to write content that is driven toward sales. This field may interweave with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Finance
The professional services include:
- Financial planning and advising
This involves aiding and assisting clients to make informed decisions about their finances and reach their goals.
- Investment management
The services help clients make good investment choices, diversify their portfolios, etc.
- Accounting
Accountants are responsible for the management of financial records. They can suggest advice to the client on how to manage their finances.
- Evaluation
The service majors on appraisals of properties, businesses, antiques, etc.
Computer science
The professional services in this field include:
- Information technology support
IT professionals work on technology issues, perform routine technology updates, etc.
- Cyber security management
What the professionals in this field do is to ensure that the company’s information is very well protected. They ensure that the wall of security is not breached.
- Web development and design
This involves the solidification of a company’s online presence by creating a website. Web development majors on the backend part of the website, while web design majors on how the website looks.
- Software development
This involves building and maintaining software that can engage users.
How Much Do People who Work in the Professional Services Get Paid?
The issue with this is that there are a lot of jobs within the professional services market. This makes the pay range really wide. Some professionals with a lot of experience get a lot of pay, which can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What determines the pay most time is the demand, the experience, and the track record. According to a job review platform called Glassdoor, the average amount people who do professional services get paid is $84,889.
Best Paying Jobs in Professional Services
One of the merits of jobs in professional services is the high pay that comes with them. Here is a list of the best-paying jobs in professional services
- Physicians and Surgeons (Annual salary: $208,000)
- Computer and Information systems manager (Annual salary: $151,000)
- Financial managers (Annual salary: $134,000)
- Airline and commercial pilots ( Annual salary: $130,000)
- Lawyers (Annual salary: $167,000)
- Actuaries (Annual salary: $111,000)
- Software developers (Annual salary: $110,000)
- Architect (Annual salary: $82,000)
- Post secondary teachers (Annual salary: $80,000)
- Accountants (Annual salary: $73,000)
Advantages of Having a Career in the Professional Services
Having a career in professional services comes with a number of advantages, which include
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There are demands for careers in professional service
There was a rise in demand for specialists in professional services during the covid-19 period. Most service provided by careers in professional services is very important, and can’t easily be out of demand.
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There is a form of job security
According to Jones, there is really security that comes with professional services, as there are only a few people that your employer can replace you with.
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The potential of high pay.
At some point, you might get to be paid as a professional service provider. The point is, that the more you are experienced in your field, and how much you satisfy your clients might determine how well you are paid.
So, the more you stay longer in the field, and get experience, the better your pay. The better you satisfy customers or clients, the higher the pay. People are willing to pay, as long as services are done impressively.
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Job flexibility
When you gather experience in your field it opens up more career options for you in professional services.
Disadvantages of Having a Career in Professional Services
There are a number of disadvantages to having a career in professional services. They include:
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Increase in the use of technology.
There are adoptions of technology among businesses in professional services. This includes the use of artificial intelligence.
This is common among businesses that are looking to cut their expense, by making use of technology to automate processes.
An example is that of an artificial intelligence writing tool used instead of a copywriter. As much as an AI writing tool cannot overthrow a human writer, businesses are still making use of them because it seems cheaper to get the technology they continually pay for the service of a copywriter.
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Education requirement
For most parts of professional services, there are educational requirements. To be an accountant, you should have a degree and also be licensed to practice.
This is also similar to the case of an architect who had to get a degree, get licensed to work, and furthering in his career by keeping up with his education.
These educational demands might be a barricade for a number of people.
Conclusion
You can be assured that a career in professional service is very much worth it. I hope this helps you in making an informed decision about your career. I wish you the best in your career journey.