What is the W/L balance like in strategy consulting? What does the typical week look like on a standard project (hours, weekend work, etc)? Is it worth the grind?

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70-75/wk, with a few sprinkles of 75+ every now and then

likehelpful

Spread out over the weekend often?

Bad. 60-65. Yes. Probably not.

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50-60 has been my norm for the last 2 years. Occasional spikes up to 70 on due diligences or any other project <1 month, but Iā€™ve tried to exclusively work with managers I know care about protecting hours and ruthlessly prioritizing regardless of project type

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Pretty good. 60-65, flexible on time and location for hours 50+. Weekends exceedingly rare. So far

likehelpful

IBM 1 we out here in strategy consulting?!???? šŸØšŸ¶šŸ¶šŸ¶šŸ¶

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Totally depends on the scope, client, leadership, week, etc. Mine was C-suite only exposure so the hours were long

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BA1. Reality is it depends, but our projects are staffed very lean.. Also included travel time, without travel subtract 5-10 hours (we have a national model, BCG is more regional or atleast preferencial)

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Iā€™ve averaged between 55-60 including travel since starting, much less than I thought would be the norm

likeupliftinghelpful

Actual work ... 50 to 60. The issue at the Senior / Analyst level is that ā€œleadershipā€ (C-suite and PPMDs / SMs) spend eight hours a day in meetings and will want you to help get whatever they agreed to done by the subsequent morning ... so can be a lot of waiting to see, then a sprint to get things done. Good PPMDs know this and help to manage it. The rest do a terrible job and you will ā€œworkā€ more than necessary

likehelpful

Would also say weekend work is rare for me. A lot of 12 hour days during the week though. W/L balance is all a matter of perspective I guess. Some are okay as long as their weekends aren't ruined

likehelpful

Oh sorry I misread this. Strategy consulting can vary widely, but strategy projects within strategy consulting tend to be fairly long hours.

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50 If properly managed

helpful

If u are staffed itā€™s a nightmare 70 plus hours but often squeezed into the week days. If not staffed itā€™s a vacation.

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Why/how is there less hours for you two BCG folks but much more for ZS and S&?

Probably because these are purely anecdotal data points.

likesmart

50-60 incl. travel, weekend work depends on the project/client. Honestly not too bad at all. Only had a few 65+ weeks this year.

50-60 really isnā€™t bad. I have managed 60 (inc. travel) almost my entire career, and I still have plenty of time to do other activities. I think 70+ is where you start to burn out.

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