Sweden's supportive environment for innovation and strong emphasis on sustainability, with a strong and successful history of automotive engineering, has established the country as a strong technology centre for developments in embedded systems. As the sector grows, there is an increasing need for specialists in areas such as embedded software development, firmware engineering and system architects.
With high demand, many experts in the embedded market are seeing opportunities to go outside the traditional work model and lend their expertise as consultants on an array of projects across the country. Here are five reasons why you might benefit from working as an engineering consultant:
1. Higher Earnings Potential
While you lose out on the security and stability of working in house as a standard employee, operating as a consultant can bring far greater potential earnings as long as you can secure enough placements.
A review of yearly salaries for tech companies in Stockholm shows an average earning of 600,000 SEK. However the average hourly rate for freelancers can be 700 to 1200 SEK, depending on the role and expertise provided. Even accounting for vacation and sick days, that can reach as much as 1,700,000 SEK/year.
This is obviously a very rough estimate and rates can vary significantly – but working as a high level consultant at a leading firm with the backing of a specialist consultancy firm behind you, there is a strong potential to be making far more money than you would get as a full-time employee. Because you’re operating as a specialist, you’re entitled to a higher rate.
Working as a CMC consultant means having the resources of our global associates behind you. We partner with major embedded firms working on ambitious new projects and recommend the best consultants for every job. When you operate as one of our consultants, you know you’re being placed on a project that is most suited for your skills and being provided with opportunities for future placements.
2. Flexibility and Autonomy
Contracting offers greater flexibility in choosing projects and clients, so you can focus on the areas that align with your interests and skills, or with businesses developing projects you want to engage with.
You may also have the opportunity to set your own schedule and balance your work to suit your life, depending on the needs of the project and teams you work with.
3. Diverse Opportunities
Sweden's tech sector is booming, particularly in embedded systems. Contract consultants can work on a variety of projects across different industries, from automotive to telecommunications. This diversity not only keeps the work engaging but also enhances professional development and expertise.
At CMC our embedded systems service offering covers everything from automotive to eVTOL to defence – meaning that we are able to remain a specialist provider of consultants while offering a variety of diverse opportunities to the engineering experts who work with us.
4. Professional Growth
The embedded sector is a rapidly changing one, so having the opportunity to work across multiple projects at different companies lets you always stay at the forefront of the latest developments and pick up a wider range of skills, that help you secure more opportunities and lead the field in the future.
The opportunities for continuous learning and building your own network are unparalleled as a freelancer, and help you achieve a more satisfying career filled with personal and professional development.
At CMC we provide stakeholder centered reviews including inbuilt performance improvement coaching as part of our service – this gives you a better view on what you are excelling at and what you can develop further, giving you even more support for professional growth..
Getting started as a consultant in Sweden
When making the transition into consulting and freelance work, the biggest challenge is securing your first placements. You can do make a strong headway through word of mouth, leveraging your professional network and building a personal brand that highlights your experience and expertise as an embedded specialist.
Or you could partner with a supplier of Advanced Engineering consulting service like Coalesce Management Consulting. We partner with leaders in automotive, eVTOL, Defence and aerospace suppliers who are leading development of new embedded innovations. We supply our customers with experienced experts on short and long term placements, ensuring that we only deliver the very best specialists for their needs.
By being part of our team you get all the benefits of working as a freelancer, with the support of a global business who can place you on varied, valuable opportunities. And we hold ongoing relationships with our consultants, deploying them on new contracts where available when your initial placement comes to an end.
We have a consultant who has been working with us for the last two years. He operates as a self-employed owner of his own company, but relies on Coalesce to deploy him on contracts that will benefit most from his expertise. He’s currently on 800SEK an hour, giving him a gross income of 120,000 SEK per month.
The flexibility, earning potential and opportunities are enticing more and more people to take on a freelance role across Sweden. If you’re interested in taking the leap yourself, get in touch with our associates to discuss how you can benefit from working as a consultant with CMC.