| Topic Name: |
Business Travel |
| Message Name: |
I'll be the negative one |
| Date Posted: |
03/14/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
I'm new to the firm and I found out two weeks after I started that my group has to travel for weeks at a time. No one mentioned this in any of my interviews. As a newlywed, I'm not too thrilled at the prospect of 50 to 100 percent travel and neither is my spouse. What should I do? I want to talk to someone, but I don't know where to start. It seems like my colleagues have no qualms about traveling so much, even the ones that are married. All of this has me thinking about going to another company. I didn't have to travel in my old company. Please advise. |
| Message: |
Honestly, PwC is not a great place for newlyweds (or anyone that expects to spend any amount of time at home). I'd leave now.
I was from advisory too, and like you, nobody told me about the travel requirements during my interviews. I should have done more homework, but that's neither here nor there. When I began, I mentioned right off to HR that I didn't want to travel. They were somewhat accomodating, but you NEVER get the peace of mind that you won't have to travel because when they need you on the other side of the earth, they need you.
Second point, when you do have to travel, they'll say it will only be for a few weeks, and months later, you'll still be stuck god knows where. Projects get extended ridiculously in advisory. Don't fall for the "It's just 3 weeks" line - take it from someone who knows, it's NOT.
Best case scenario - no traveling. You THINK this is a good thing, but alas, your local projects work you like a dog till all hours of the night. This is even more true in metro areas. Or you have a 2 hour commute every day to get to your client site. You go home at night, and *sigh* your husband is asleep. You get up the next morning, and more of the same. Even though you technically sleep in your own bed every night, you have no semblance of a life.
I apologize for the negative outlook, but I've been there, done that. You'll be apalled at the disrespect for work-life balance. Don't forget, most directors/partners have kids and work insane hours, so there's no sympathy coming from them.
Anyway, I hope your experience turns out better than mine did, but my family priority ultimately led to quitting the firm. I wasn't earning a CPA, so a few year sacrifice was not worth it. Moved onto a new company and haven't looked back once - never been more miserable in my life that at PwC, and can't be happier now.
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