Is IB as bad as it is made out to be?

Currently in consulting looking to break into the industry. Are the hours and lifestyle truly as bad as it is made out to be on the site? Are you actually giving up a full year or two of your life when you decide to go into this, or do you still have time to keep up with friends, go to dinners, etc., especially on the weekends? You hear a lot from folks who have it pretty good and others who don't, but curious if it's actually as bad as giving up the entirety of your life to this job.

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Honestly, completely group/person dependant. Group dependant based on how sweaty the culture is. Person dependant based on how much of a spine you have and how good you are at toe-ing the line and playing office politics.

Personally, I bust my ass as much as possible 90% of the time so that when I do make plans, I have more leeway. Doesn't always work, but so far I've only had to cancel a handful of plans, and have never missed anything significant.

Side note: Considering the last consultant I spoke with handed me a 100% hardcoded "model", there might be a bit of a learning curve when it comes to deliverables, so that might eat into your time for the first few months.

 

Yeah I am going to have a tough ramp-up period for sure. In terms of making plans, are you referring to during the week or weekends also? Hard to get a grip on if this job really only sucks during the week or if it's just a 6-7 day/week job.

 

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