This is just a summary of the feedback we usually receive from the thousands of employers who contact us to use Movemeon. And that summary is that the perfect time to leave is between 21 and 30 months, or more easily, if you say from less than 2 years to 2.5 years or so. Many people stay in the consulting world because they don't know what they want to do further, or they feel that they want to get more training in order to do it. The most common thing in consulting is to work in a large consulting firm for two years and then do anything else you feel like doing, whether it's working in a start-up company or working internally in a large organization and focusing on the customer.
In addition, MBB firms have extensive support networks that allow their consultants to do most of the manual work. In fact, I have seen my colleagues achieve “9 to 5” status in some of their projects. It seems incredible, but with proper resource management, it can be achieved. For some people, consulting is nothing more than a means to an end, that is, they have plans to launch into another sector even before joining.
The reasons why consultants can receive such high-paying offers are the extensive skills they gain from consulting work (such as their experience in top corporate management or their ability to influence people and negotiate), as well as the brand of their former employers (having MBB on the resume gives a lot of bragging rights, and with good reason). Former MBB consultants may have other reasons for leaving, and many have several reasons at the same time. From a business perspective, consultants often have a specific set of tools, including analytical rigor, academic history, excellent training, consulting and program management skills, extensive knowledge from multiple sectors, and experience in promoting programs of change. Working with clients can be a challenge, balancing work and personal life can be difficult, and the interview process sounds a bit intense, but at the end of the day, consulting is all about helping others.
A management consultant, or a technology consultant, is a person or company that helps a company with the different problems it may have. In the typical description of consulting or the “big four” firms, consultants work on a project for three to six months or so. In fact, managers who pressure their consultants on Saturdays and Sundays almost always receive a negative rating. Kristina Kang, a senior change management consultant, told me what it's really like to work in the field.
This is the most typical way, and it's for people who know from an early age that they want to dedicate themselves to consulting.
