Quit consulting after 4 months (?!)
Hi folks
In need of some advice. I've been working for a Big 4 consulting firm for the past 4 months in health care management consulting (strategy and ops.) I might have the option to change sectors but not for at least 6 months-2 years. I also just completed a Masters degree in something completely unrelated and was just offered a corporate strategy position in an area that is perfectly aligned with this field of interest (tech/startups/telcos/etc)
The role pays about half as much and requires a move abroad. I will be working in strategy with a new unit in a F100 multinational, have access to a venture fund, develop in house products, and conduct detailed research on changing market trends.
My options are to hang out in consulting until I get on an interesting project (unlikely since my firm is very ops focused and super reliant on internal networking. It will be an uphill battle) or jump ship after only a few months (I obviously wouldn't even include it on my resume.) I want to keep my exit options open. I see the tremendous value in consulting (I've learned so much already) but this opportunity in industry won't come around again.
Thoughts? Thanks!
go for it
^
What do you have to lose?
You can afford to take risks like this while you're young. Go for it, you only live once...
Just nervous to be leaving consulting- it's so safe. Just do my work and move up the pay scale.
There would be a lot of responsibility on me to make this position worthwhile. Lots of opportunity, but want to make sure its valuable, although just the international experience (global team of 10 working on high level strategy) would be interesting. One of my coworkers is from the Czech Republic and his summary on LinkedIn says that his goal is to work 4 hours per day. Ugh. Very different from American working culture.
On the plus side, lots of great exposure. They'll fly me anywhere, great networking opps.
Also I'm earning 100k now (85 base + 15 bonus) and the job is about a 50% pay cut. Not that big of a deal considering I just left school and this salary is standard for the UK (same for MBB, more than Deloitte pays for 1st year analysts.) Seems like a massive pay cut though.
Didn't you answer your own question right there?
I'm assuming you're moving to the UK if you take the new position?
Yes. But I just finished my degree there, so it's not that big of a move. Lots of friends in London.
@Matrick- yes I did. Hopefully it's worthwhile and leads to cooler opps in the future. Scary to make this jump though
:) Keep ur head up man and just go for it. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity and who knows maybe it'll turn into something really good for you in the future. If not, you can always go back or spin it in a good way and go get an MBA or so.
:) I have a pile of degrees but if all else fails...MBA
Why does this role pay half the salary of an entry level big 4 consulting gig??
That's how it works in the UK. You start between 28-33k (pounds)
Also I started above entry level in the US because I combined an undergrad with a Masters degree. Advanced degrees don't count for anything in the UK and will still land you in an entry level role (unless it's an MBA, sometimes a PhD)
That sounds like a really interesting role. You will probably piss people off by leaving but you wouldn't be the first to pull this kinda move. I and probably others here have either passed on or not pursued hard enough opportunities that, years later, we regret missing out on.
and don't worry about stability or pay. After six months in ops consulting you don't want to be dragging yourself to the same old cubicle and just waiting for the bell to ring every gray day in exchange for stability and pay.
Ya, thanks for the encouragement. I would like to take advantage of the learning opportunities at a Big 4 firm but I guess I can't control when opportunities arise.
Do it man. Go for your passions, because that's where you'll kill it and make your mark on in this world.
Leaving consulting after three months? (Originally Posted: 03/06/2014)
How bad would it look to leave an associate level management consulting position after three months?
I did M&A work at a BB for three years before making the switch to a boutique management consulting firm that specializes in M&A. I had no clue what I was getting into. I thought I'd be doing target screening, business valuation or strategy work. But no, I'm basically a project manager. I sit in on endless meetings and motivate bank employees to get their shit done. And that's basically all my current firm does.
Yesterday, I had a recruiter reach out to me on LinkedIn about a small private equity firm interested in talking to me about an associate position. I was able to bullshit the recruiter about why I want to leave so early on in consulting, but I'm afraid I can't spin it in a positive way in the actual interview. Do you think a private equity director would respect an honest answer as to why I want to do real analytical work and not project management?
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