| Topic Name: |
Want Out of Consulting |
| Message Name: |
Useful insight... |
| Date Posted: |
03/25/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
I have done a few years of consulting and I currently work 'in industry.' I wanted to see things for myself before committing to one or the other and at this point, I have done and seen enough to challenge the notion that consulting will land you a nice exec position. Consulting is not necessarily the best career path.
First, consulting organizations differ greatly from non-consulting corporations, especially the Fortune 500. Consulting firms are often known as 'flat' organizations in which team work, creativity, results, etc. are emphasized. This is a far cry from most corporations that are laden with layers and layers of hierarchy and dotted lines and solid lines all over as far as who reports to who. And it does not matter whether you are in a 'matrix' position or other type, the point is that it's complex and the focus is NOT results-oriented as in consulting, but it's about being what some call a "corporate politician", for lack of a better word. You can get something done, but will someone actually recognize it and be on board with you? Managing this part takes more time and effort than a project itself.
Second, five years at D&T or PWC is NOT the equivalent of five years at BCG or Bain. I believe you could work a very long time at the big 5 and never really do any executive-related work. Whereas you can interact and even advise CEOs at even the analyst level at the top strat firms. We had a manager at one of the Big 5 join my organization and found out that though he seemed to know project mgt, which is obviously important (but not essential!), he had no idea how to think. In the Big 5, you do this process junk all the time, you have no exposure to making high-level decisions and you're basically naked when you're immediately thrown into that level.
I can tell you that we fired that manager only 2 months later. And there are plenty of other examples, but that's just to say, those people who went from consulting to industry were not ONLY able to succeed based on what they gained from consulting, somehow they already had the key 'political' and thinking skills needed to succeed in a corporation. I have learned hands-on how the skills I learned in consulting are not entirely tranferrable and can sometimes be a detriment to my 'industry work'. But fortunately I did strat consulting so I have the thinking pieces and just working on the 'political'.
In sum, if consulting is not your lifetime career path, then think twice about most firms. They may not help you go where you want. And surprisingly enough, they can hurt your career. (imagine being promoted to manager or principal in a consulting firm and decide you dislike consulting, but also find you can't even get an industry job, or keep one, because you lack the above mentioned skills. Well, you can't aim for lower because your salary, years worked, and title box you into higher level stuff. You're basically stuck! so you go back to your boring consulting job and live unhappily after. |
| Message: |
I appreciate your perspective on this. I am both a strat firm and big 5 alum, and have worked for about 5 years in consulting. I enjoy it, but it can be a real challenge once you are the one selling, managing and executing the work. Sometimes life on the other side (corporate) seems like it would be a calmer answer. I would have to say that maintaining your channel to outside opportunities is key even if you are happy. The network is the absolute necessity. As far as incompetent Big 5 managers, I definitely experienced more than my fair share.
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