Consulting versus i-banking for a "family" guy

Question

I've read several consulting versus i-banking threads and they have been very informative, but I'm hoping I can get some feedback that's a bit more tailored to my situation.

I'll be going into an MBA program soon and I'm trying to determine which path is most suitable for me. By the time I finish the program I'll be in my early 30s. I currently live with my girlfriend (committed relationship) and we have a "baby" (a dog) together. Consequently, seeing them and helping around the house is very important to me.

Truthfully, I prefer consulting.

NYC · Accepted Answer

It's hard to tell whether this is a serious post.

If you are nearing an MBA not knowing "which path is most suitable for me" there are some bigger-picture questions to address.

Also, "I have always been an ideas guy, and I'm not that great with math (I scored rather poorly on the GMAT quant section)." means that consulting is perhaps not right for you. Have you considered academia. That is not sarcastic. "ideas guys" don't last long. You have to crank out quanty, flawless output in a fast-paced environment.

abacab · Answer

From my experience in a non MBB firm, it seems like the higher you go, the harder you work. For example. Fridays are pretty chill for me. I generally don't work from my hotel room at night. Compare it to the project managers or partners. Always working from hotel. Calls/meetings pretty much all day Friday (project, client or group/practice calls). One of the partners I used to work under had calls/meetings pretty much 6AM-12AM, often double booked and not sure how many he actually showed up to.

bleedblue82 · Answer

Here's the situation with MBB. If you're not on a local case (odds of that improve with certain company/office combos - all three and NYC, BCG and Chicago, Bain and San Francisco etc.), you'll wake up Monday between 430 and 6, hop a plane to your client site, and arrive sometime before 11. You'll crank hard from Monday to about 430 or 530 Thursday (12-16 hours). Fly home, arrive before 730 or 830 hopefully. Maybe do a little more work, but likely not.

bleedblue82 · Answer

Tinmonbleedblue82, thanks! It's great to hear that you do get the weekends at home. Do you ever end up being away for over a week straight? My current plan is to work in either of these professions for a few years and then consider reaping the benefits of the exit opportunities. Increased travel at the partner level is bad news for me. Do these guys even get to have a semblance of a family life?

Do you know if large shops and boutiques typically travel more or less than MBB?

Yes - once you make senior partner.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Consulting versus i-banking for a "family" guy