| Topic Name: |
Consulting is a sham |
| Message Name: |
Shooting for the moon |
| Date Posted: |
01/10/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
Why consultants are valuable to companies:
1. many large companies are so fucked up, the only way the senior management can hear the people on the trenches is through an intrepreter.
2. Unbiased analysis is difficult to achieve inhouse because of political agendas.
3. Every once in a while, a consultant comes up with out of the box thinking, not often, but once in a while.
4. Sometimes, consultants come up with good concepts that are applicable from industry to industry. For example, sourcing. All the consulting firms do it, and generally are able to cut indirect costs by 20%.
5. No one else can implement 100 million dollar software systems.
6. Big companies can't afford to hire really smart people in house to do strategy, better off making a fixed cost into a variable cost. So they bring in consultants as they need them, and can fire them a lot easier than their own employees.
Why someone would want to work at a consulting firm?
1. Corporate America is even worse.
2. Banking hours are even more horrendous and they treat you even worse than consulting firms.
3. You actually do learn a lot, though not as much as you thought. Learn about corporate america, learn basic spreadsheet skills, presentation skills, "soft skills" of business, etc.
4. Start ups are not the best place to be right now.
5. Law is option. NOT
6. Med school no longer pays off,
7. Accounting, need I respond?
8. Engineering. Pay starts nice, levels off fast. Have to work with Engineers.
So stop complaining. Try getting a consulting job in 1991 during the recession, then you can remember how good you have it.
Most jobs suck, that is why they call them jobs. The fun days are gone for now!
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| Message: |
I am in my sophomore year at a city college and am about to transfer to a university, don't know which one yet. I am pursuing a career in business consulting and strategy. I have read all the messages in this board and after thinking about it still want to pursue this career field. Also if you have 2 or 3 years of consulting behind your belt it is easier to get in to an MBA program and after that companies pick you up quickly so it would be easier to make a career leap.
Thanks to every one for all you input and personal experiences. One question before I go though. Like I said I am about to tranfer to a university but do not know which one yet. Does it matter what university I go to to get in to a top consulting firm? I even have 2 years of army experience and 2 years as a cusomer service lead.
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