Federal Human Capital Consulting Advice / Exit Opportunities

Hello, all.

I'm a recent graduate with a 4.0 from a top univeristy and some very deep experience leading and founding NGOs in the US and abroad. Currently, I'm leading a project at a foreign NGO as part of a well-known fellowship.

I deferred an offer to work as a federal human capital analyst at Deloitte -- an opportunity that I was, at the time, very interested in due to my passion for public service and genuine desire for professional development opportunities (I'm a humanities kid, even though I've taken a fair number of courses in applied math and econ).

That said, I had not considered a career in consulting until October of my senior year and, after getting 1st round interviews at MBB, found myself completely unprepared for case interviews. Deloitte ended up being my last interview and my only offer.

I'm beginning to weigh options for next year and, though I remain genuinely excited about the idea of federal consulting and gaining a professional toolset, I've been wondering if this is the right move.

In the long run, I'm interested in attending grad school and breaking into nonprofit consulting (Bridgespan) or nonprofit management. Specifically, my passion is for education and development in the States and Latin America.

I've heard, though, that both federal and HC work are viewed poorly in the consulting world, and tend to bind you in some golden handcuffs (scary, when HR itself is of 0 interest to me). Even though federal work and managing talent both align with my interests, I'm looking for some insight into this choice: should I avoid this opportunity, or is it a good stepping stone to a top grad school and eventually work in Bridgespan, etc?

Thanks in advance!