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Top consulting firms right there!!
Bain & Company What consulting firm would you pick if given offers from every single MBB/Tier 2/Big 4 firm and WHY?
PwC Deloitte Accenture EY EY-Parthenon Strategy& L.E.K. Consulting Alvarez & Marsal Alvarez & Marsal Oliver Wyman McKinsey & Company Bain & Company Boston Consulting Group
male 🐠: how often do you trim your beard?
Non-Fiction book recommendations please?
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Do it! Sounds like you are driven with a great skill set. I’m at slalom and WLB has been great. I’d say proceed with your due diligence as you interview in regard to benefits and WLB. Good luck!
Different opinion, Don’t fall for it. Consulting grind is not worth it, especially if you’d like to spend more time with family and kids. You would have days where your first call starts at 7:00 am with back to back meetings until 8:00 pm.
You will spend a lot of time on re-working slides, mentoring junior staff, working on pursuits outside of your project. This includes your weekends. Also, you currently make consulting salary, while working in industry. 200k TC excluding stock option is great.
Also, challenging = lot of rework, working with entitled junior consultants, trying to fight fires on an over sold project.
This is the right answer
Also, 220-230TC is probably where you would land depending on the company and if you are an SC or Manager
Rising Star
Second the opinion of D1.
OP your profile sounds amazing but do understand that Ppl usually after few years of consulting look for exit to tech or industry. So if you can pivot to these with better roles.. go for that it too!
I'm in tech now but I feel stuck in healthcare tech specifically since that's where most of my experience has been. I feel like consulting might give me some opportunities to dabble in or learn about other industries too. I should try to apply for some other tech roles just to see if I could get in based on my current skills though...
All I know is that I get super bored if I'm not learning or working on really challenging projects. I've run out of certs that I want and I can't afford another degree right now. 😭
Someone made the point that consulting is what you make of it instead of a defined path—which is exactly right.
My advice:
1. Be fearlessly entrepreneurial. You may end up not liking consulting, but would clearly be in high demand given your experience to this point. So don’t come into consulting stuck with the same shockingly linear aspirations so many consultants have — instead, go after exactly what you want.
2. Set boundaries. Consulting will always be a place where there’s more to do, but people aren’t promoted because they’re workhorses. They’re promoted because of impact, and impact requires high quality work. That means prioritizing rest, balance, exercise, relationships, creativity and being wary of the grind. That’s not to say you can avoid putting in the work, 50-60 hour weeks are table-stakes in consulting, but they don’t need to regularly be 60+. And while I’m a dad of two, this isn’t unique to parents. It’s actually my #1 piece of advice to associates.
3. Remember that, when it comes to young kids, quantity is just as important as quality. It’s maybe one of the few times in life that this is true. Doesn’t mean you can’t do both, but gotta get a schedule that works for both. I found success by carving out a couple hours early for work before they’re up and later post-bedtime. This allows me to avoid regular calls before 9a and between 6-8p so I can be present with fam during those times w/o adversely affecting my team.
4. Say yes & no strategically. This is true for all areas of your life. Take the Buffet advice of writing out 25 of your goals and crossing off all but 5 of them. Be relentless with those five, but let everything else go.
5. Find a mentor. You sound like a badass, find another badass with another 10-15 years exp to help guide your career & life. Best of luck!
The consulting grind is tough. I see people make the transition from consulting to industry for the wlb. I don’t usually see it the other way around. I do life sciences technology consulting. Happy to share my experience if you have specific questions.
WLB only gets worse as you move up in consulting. Especially at the SM level. You’ll be managing aggressive sales targets, multiple clients, and delivering all at the same time. Not sure how old your kids are but if they are not near high school age range where they choose to be independent, then the 60+ hr weeks are going to force you to miss a lot of quality family time.
Rising Star
Not dumb. Make that moolah
OP - I was in your boat a few years ago. No it is not dumb to pivot into consulting (I was 35 when I joined - no kids). Below are the pros and cons you may want consider before pivoting:
Pro:
1) I have had exposure to clients at a leadership level that I would generally not have had. This has changed my perspective on how to deal with people at different levels
2) My industry experience has definitely help increase my credibility both with clients and in the firm.
3) I have also worked across different clients in different areas which is a big bonus.
Cons:
1) I was on my way to becoming an Associate Director - came in a senior associate (be mentally prepared for a step down)
2) I was already on top of my salary band when I joined - so keep in mind that you may be at the upper end when you join - they may be little wiggle room for pay raise during your yearly reviews
3) Travel can be brutal and so can the hours. Be prepared to adjust and have the support of your spouse if you have to be away during the week.
4) I had to change my mindset - industry to me is a defined path; consulting is more what you make of it.
Hope this is helpful !!
That is super helpful - thank you! The idea of a step down is a hard one to accept too, but I had a feeling that might be necessary. I'm managing associate directors and managers and one level away from the CEO at my current employer (it's a startup but we have almost 500 employees) and I've worked so hard to get to this "level" (I was also a director at my last employer - a F20 company).
Anyway, this is super helpful and I appreciate the advice about approaching it with a different mindset. I used to travel a lot when I was in the implementation consulting org of a tech company so my husband and I are used to that and admittedly, I kind of miss it.
Worth a try imo. I have a similar background and yoe as you in healthcare with master’s and a 5yr old (except I started in consulting > industry > consulting).
Dm me for Deloitte!
ensure you speak / align with your spouse and gain necessary support on all accounts as consulting will be fast paced, requires travel and staying ahead of the curve.
If you can get a no travel gig, go for it. But the travel can be brutal to families.
I say don’t sell yourself short…try it out and don’t operate in a place of fear. Maintain your network and worst case is you pivot back to something you are more accustomed to doing. Kids and family will be just fine.
If you want to stay married and have any kind of relationship with your kids, stay out of consulting.