Consultants working a 100 hours a week?
Hey guys,
Alright so I have a bit of pet peeve to settle. I know this guy in this other VC fund who always brags about how he used to work a 100 hours a week in a boutique consulting firm (think Arthur D. Little, Mars & Co., etc.). A 100 hours a week is 15 hours a day, 6 days weeks (so get in @ 8AM in the morning and leave at 11PM Monday through Saturday), and 10 hours on Sunday. Is this reasonable, or this guy greatly exaggerating?
People lying about their hours can really bug me. I understand if you're working at Lazard/GS New York, but a boutique consulting firm...please,
VCMonkey
Complete bullshit. 70-75 on average would be on the high side. To give you an idea for what the work week actually looks like:
Mon- wake up around 4-8, depending on flight time, client location, work till 9-10. Tues-Thurs- wake up at 7, client site by 8, till 8 or 9 Fri- home office, in the office by 10, out by 4 Sat/Sun- minimal work unless you are close to a deliverable - then it has the potential to be a full work day (~12 hours)
If the project is brutal, Mon-Thurs would end around 12-1 am on average. If the project is light, get out around 6-7pm. Once you factor in beach weeks, internal projects, training etc., you are going to be hard pressed to average 70+.
During my MBB days I had a case where we had to be at the client site by 5:30am Tues-Thurs (Monday's were only spared because we had to fly out). It was awful, although the work was well short of 100 hours per week.
Agree with ideating, 100 hour weeks happen during crunch times or especially shitty cases, but they aren't the norm.
OK that's what I thought as well. This guy frequently brings up how hard he worked at a boutique consulting firm prior to working in venture capital. It is getting seriously irritating, especially since it's not true. I have utmost respect for New York-based BB bankers who are putting in those kinds of hours, but people who lie about working hard is really annoying. Thanks for the clarification smuguy97 and ideating,
VCMonkey
Brutal... the worst that I personally had was one project that we had be at client site by 7:30 and were usually out by midnight. What made it overly shitty was one week we had an hour and a half commute because the idiot job manager wanted the whole team to be "together" even though we never saw the other work streams.
I think the worst part is going from a culture of getting in around 930-10 to the client sites where people get in at 7:30 but leave by 4. I hate those family types...
Oh also, I heard of one project where two European team members both quit to join (different) private equity firms and the remaining associate and analyst pulled 2 straight all-nighters to catch up. Apparently the two guys gave their two weeks, and then just refused to check their email; hilarious yet tragic.
What is "a 100 hours a week"? What does "6 days weeks" mean?
lol
Are you mentally challenged? Are you trying to make a point of his grammar? I don't know how much simpler it could be. Do you need someone to make a powerpoint to explain it?
Fugiat tempora qui quia est rerum. Provident temporibus praesentium ut. Debitis quo non quam debitis deleniti qui expedita qui. Nisi quod qui optio fuga.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...