Is consulting a good first job?
A few years in the consulting industry also provides an excellent basis for determining whether graduate school is a meaningful next step. Given that it’s impossible to know what you want to do in 10 or 20 years, business consulting is a wise choice for a first job. Consulting is not a 9-to-5 job. You may feel like you’re “always active,” as you’re expected to travel a lot, and that can be exhausting.
When you envision stability and structure, consider a career somewhere else. You can therefore largely shape your job, said Wouter. To work in consulting, you must create your own work structures and be responsible for your impact. As a consultant, you often lay the groundwork for success in whatever career you pursue after consulting.
If you’ve already helped some leading organizations around the world solve complex problems, you’ll be much more marketable and sought after by other companies. There is a chance that you no longer want to be a consultant in the future. Traveling is exhausting, the stress is overwhelming and long hours catch up with you, whatever the case may be, the background is important. Your first job after college or business school has the potential to define your long-term career path.
And since employers are aggressively competing for qualified talent, there are plenty of rewarding career paths available to you. Believe it or not, it’s pretty rare that unqualified people get hired for top consulting jobs (shocking, I know). But if you’re more interested in predictability and stable work environments, consulting may not be a good career for you. Many people who want to get into consulting feel that trading exhaustion and overwork for professional success is part of the deal.
When so much money is at stake, it leads to a lot of unhealthy political dynamics within the consulting organization. As a consultant, you’ll have an impact on how large, huge, and influential organizations operate around the world. Management consultants are hired to solve clients’ most difficult and pressing issues, such as M%26A’s market penetration strategy and due diligence. If you’re looking at one of these huge consulting firms and value moving up quickly, make sure you really think through this dynamic.
In its current state, it is just a stressful desk job without the unique experience elements that have traditionally made consulting attractive. Customers have a problem that they don’t think they can solve on their own. That is why they hire you as a consultant. If you’re not sure which industry you should focus on after college, management consulting gives you the platform to try out several industries before you decide on one. I still remember my first two months in consultation when it was 11pm in the office and I realized that the sun had risen and set without even setting foot outside.
The last drawback I’ll point out here is the fact that the pace of development is very slow at many larger consulting firms. The BreakInto platform offers a new approach to consultation preparation and gives candidates an advantage over other applicants. If you enjoy working hard, have the soft skills to help you be an effective consultant, if you love learning, are interested in different types of companies and problem solving, consulting could be a great career.
References:
- What I Wish I Had Learned Before Starting as a Consultant | Career Advice
- Reddit – Dive into anything
A few years in the consulting industry also provides an excellent basis for determining whether graduate school is a meaningful next step. Given that it’s impossible to know what you want to do in 10 or 20 years, business consulting is a wise choice for a first job. Consulting is not a 9-to-5 job. You…