The most prominent reasons for anyone to join a consulting firm are money, the exit options, and the variety of projects you get to work on. A confused soul right out of b-school or even otherwise can experience different projects in different industries across different functions
However, the flip side to this is as follows:
You do not have control over what projects are assigned to you. This means you could potentially be stuck in an industry you don't like, in a function you don't like. As you build up this experience, it then becomes difficult to switch out of this. In fact your demand within the firm increases because of this past experience.
Your exit options fast diminish as you rise up the ranks in a consulting firm. You don't learn how to manage sub ordinates, which is a critical skill required in corporate industry. If you haven't worked in your desired industry (either by chance or otherwise) during your consulting assignments, then your exit is limited only to a specific industry
As you rise up higher, the salary cut when you exit to industry gets bigger and bigger. This hit prevents a lot of options from being viable
As a case in point, one of my friends who has spent 5 years in consulting found his exit option only after 6 months of searching, and after many rejections.
I am not discouraging people from joining consulting, but bear these thoughts in mind when you do. I have been told by a few folks that 2 years is the ideal time to spend to exit properly, but I guess I am still learning all this myself...
However, the flip side to this is as follows:
You do not have control over what projects are assigned to you. This means you could potentially be stuck in an industry you don't like, in a function you don't like. As you build up this experience, it then becomes difficult to switch out of this. In fact your demand within the firm increases because of this past experience.
Your exit options fast diminish as you rise up the ranks in a consulting firm. You don't learn how to manage sub ordinates, which is a critical skill required in corporate industry. If you haven't worked in your desired industry (either by chance or otherwise) during your consulting assignments, then your exit is limited only to a specific industry
As you rise up higher, the salary cut when you exit to industry gets bigger and bigger. This hit prevents a lot of options from being viable
As a case in point, one of my friends who has spent 5 years in consulting found his exit option only after 6 months of searching, and after many rejections.
I am not discouraging people from joining consulting, but bear these thoughts in mind when you do. I have been told by a few folks that 2 years is the ideal time to spend to exit properly, but I guess I am still learning all this myself...
