| Topic Name: |
Undergrad Salary |
| Message Name: |
Interesting questions |
| Date Posted: |
12/15/2003 |
| In Reply To: |
you have knowledge and insight across the professional landscape.
Why are you still -- given what you know about other opportunities -- in consulting? (I have a strong interest in VC)
...it seems that you question the merit of the "strategic" advice offered by strat firms. Do you think the "strategy" in the field of strategy consulting any more an exaggeration than "financial advisory" in banking? |
| Message: |
(My previous post got cut off before it was completed)
So, adventure capital, why do you assume that VC is better than consulting?
I have found consulting a very rewarding career. There are lots of reasons - the challenging work, the impact your work can have on leading companies, relationships with key executives, working with smart people, etc.
The downside of consulting to me is quality of life - that is, the hours and the time commitment. I don't see VC as an improvement here!
In answer to your second question, I think that the consulting industry is filled with companies (or more accurately, project teams) that give little independent thought to what they are doing. This can be in the form of a big firm with a cookie-cutter approach (Mckinsey's "7Ss" or BCG's matrices) or a small firm that offers up a qualitative market research study or a literature review and considers it a thorough analysis.
This is not meant to trash any specific company, but rather to lament the fact that the industry has a lot of lightweights in it. In fairness, many of these people are no longer consultants after the last recession!
Actually, I shouldn't complain so much about this. The fact that poor consulting teams are out there makes it that much easier to shine when clients actually see good work.
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