Where can my experience take me? Have no idea where I stand in the industry

Hey guys, so I have nobody to turn to to get an idea of where I'd end up so thought I'd ask here. I'll try to make it short as possible.
I graduated from Purdue in 2011 with an electrical engineering degree, GPA around 2.5-2.7. I had no experience, no network, etc. I somehow managed to land a job in a power engineering consulting firm despite that, and have been there for five years.
Year 1 - Terrible - I was struggling a lot with the software we use (not programming software), and was reporting to the vice president, two senior managers, and my boss. Small company, but they paid me well (~60k). Incredible amount of stress. I was pretty much the only entry level engineer in the company, it was very small, almost like a startup.
Year 2 - Company was falling apart but I managed to get staffed on a major oil & gas refinery client. This refinery is filled with thousands of contractors, and the central building has all the bigshot managers and finance department. This is where I was put, SOLO. I was basically in charge of pursuing new work and representing our company there. There were many other companies that did electrical work there already and they were my competition. I have been learning how to deal with people on my own and with my boss's help.
Years 3-5 - I have been managing myself (no boss at the client office), dealing with many different clients/companies in the refinery, writing proposals, writing technical reports, attending meetings, taking care of invoices, navigating the workplace politics, etc. Recently we got into capital design projects and I'm the manager for that too. When I say manager, I mean that I am a liason between the refinery and my company, and I manage the workflow between. I have performed work for major engineering procurement companies as a subcontractor, run meetings, and have been dealing with people at the highest level of the organization for a while now. My total compensation at this point is $96k, will hit $100k next year. Usually work 30-40 hours a week but I hate the work, and the long (45 minute one way) commute.
Given all of this experience, I have stagnated and want to move into the business world. I don't have the credentials for an MBA, or the time/money (still have $100k student loans). I am 29 this year. Any idea where I could go, and what my salary might be? I am looking at companies like Oliver Wyman, Accenture, Deloitte, etc. Really interested in analytics/big data.
Thanks!

 

It sounds like you have a business role already. And if you hate a "long" 45 min commute how are you going to feel about 6 hour commute spread across 2 cabs, a rental car and an airplane? You say you work 30-40 hours / week now and will make $100k; if you were to land your dream consulting job, how would you feel about working 60-80 hours for less money? Especially since you might still not enjoy 30-40 of that 60-80 hours?

Polite suggestion, perhaps you are asking the wrong question. Instead of trying to figure out where else you could go, start by figuring out what would make you happy.

 

Given your experience, you would probably be brought in at the level above analyst if you were hired, which pays 90-100K, which wouldn't be a raise for you.

It may be better to explore different roles in the industry you are in.

Being frank, a lot of people would kill to have a 30 hour a week job they hate where they make 90k. There are plenty of people who hate their jobs who make a third of that.

Edit - meant to reply to original post.

 
gpck:

Given your experience, you would probably be brought in at the level above analyst if you were hired, which pays 90-100K, which wouldn't be a raise for you.

It may be better to explore different roles in the industry you are in.

Being frank, a lot of people would kill to have a 30 hour a week job they hate where they make 90k. There are plenty of people who hate their jobs who make a third of that.

Edit - meant to reply to original post.

I am not too concerned about money right now - as long as I'm making 70-80k total compensation, I'd be ecstatic with that. If I'm in the city that's more than enough to start out because I can get rid of my car ($380 payment), parking ($190), insurance ($65), and gas.. which is paid for. I would prefer a role that doesn't travel too much, maybe 20%. I don't want a role with heavy travel.

I understand people would love my job, but at some point the money just isn't worth it. I've stayed this long because I had a ton of debt, but next year I'm in a stable position to make a move.

The biggest caveat of staying in my current role is that my salary is pretty much topped out. I've hit the point where I won't see more than 3-5% raises every year, and I'm only 28. Bonuses are petty, $1-2k. I go to work with people that are just average joes, people who just watch football and get shitfaced on the weekends. Nothing wrong with them, but I always wanted to be around people who are doing exciting things with their life, etc.. 99% of my coworkers are just married with kids. I can't relate.

 
devildog2067:

It sounds like you have a business role already. And if you hate a "long" 45 min commute how are you going to feel about 6 hour commute spread across 2 cabs, a rental car and an airplane? You say you work 30-40 hours / week now and will make $100k; if you were to land your dream consulting job, how would you feel about working 60-80 hours for less money? Especially since you might still not enjoy 30-40 of that 60-80 hours?

Polite suggestion, perhaps you are asking the wrong question. Instead of trying to figure out where else you could go, start by figuring out what would make you happy.

It may have been a mistake posting in this forum, because I am not after management consulting - however I'm sure there are other consulting practices out there like IT consulting or analytics consulting, which is what I'm after. I want a technical role that deals with the business aspect of things, and one that has a wide variety of options for advancement and/or transitions to other industries.

I am just very bored of what I'm doing - engineers in my industry are nothing more than cubicle slaves looking up stuff in code books and doing quiet analyst work. Minimal interaction with people, minimal options to meet people through work, and travel is not desirable because it's usually to cornfields to collect data from the field (literally wearing safety equipment like trades workers and looking at old electrical equipment). I don't see myself doing this for the rest of my life.

The commute I have now sucks because I live in a city with some of the worst traffic in the country, and it's monotonous, dead time which is not paid (thankfully the gas/tolls are covered).

 

Probably posted to the wrong forum. 90% of all consultants hop on a plane on Monday and come back on Thursday. The ones that don't typically fall into a few buckets:

  1. Got on a local client through sheer luck (expect this to happen no more than 1 out of every 10 engagements unless #2 applies)
  2. Have a ton of prospective local clients, so they don't travel much
  3. Work for a consulting company that has a local delivery model like Slalom. These firms do exist, but their prestige is definitely lower than MBB and lower than T2.

There are companies that have internal staff doing "consultative things." It seems like that would be a better fit for you than working for a true consulting company. The best advice I can give you is to start networking and make some meaningful connections with people who have roles that interest you. If you are still in or near Big Ten country, start attending some of the Purdue alumni club's events in your city.

 
Best Response

I'm just curious - what attracts you to consulting? You will deal with 100 times the bullshit you do in the corporate world. You'll be surrounded by bright and talented people, but will go from managing work to pumping out powerpoint decks for partners that throw 70+% of your work directly into the trashcan. 45 minute commute is a dream for a consultant, where getting up at 3AM on Monday morning is the norm to fly to bumfuck Idaho. That's for double the hours you're working now, on average , which means 70-80 hour sprints are possible, including weekends. I worked a long time to break into consulting but have a pretty strong grasp as to what attracts me to the industry, in addition to what I'll have to suck up and deal with, I'm not sure you've done your research there at this point.

This isn't a slam, but a reality check - If you don't think you qualify for an MBA, either from a GMAT perspective or experience, you're probably not going to qualify for a top consulting firm like OY/Accenture/Deloitte. The post MBA roles at those firms are competitive to obtain at even the best business schools. As an aside, the time/money is worth it if you do qualify - I'm older than you, post MBA salaries at MBA business schools ">M7 schools are ridiculous, and you can defer your undergrad loans while studying.

There are probably opportunities available to you from a career or educational perspective, but I am reading your post for some indication of willingness to improve yourself, to hustle and to drive a positive change in your life and I get a sense of dejection and negativity. It sounds like you do a lot at work, and probably pretty well, but do you take pride in your work and seek development opportunities? How have you been active in the professional world outside of the office, have you pursued any coursework or certifications that could help you break into a new role, have you developed your network in those five years since you graduated?

You're looking to make a big step. Take some time to develop some realistic goals for yourself. If it's consulting, develop a roadmap of how you want to get there, and be willing to put in a few years of time and effort if that's what it takes. Seven years ago I was auditing daily restaurant receipts at 3AM for a hotel in my first post undergrad role. It took five years for me to break into a top business school and transition to consulting; I kept a checklist of objectives through that timeframe and drove two career changes in addition to earning the CFA before I made the move. I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm saying that you can, if you start working towards meaningful goals with a purpose, and stop looking for an overnight solution to your unhappiness.

The best thing you can do right now is think of what strengths you can leverage in a new role, and what weaknesses you want to develop. Then start networking your ass off for interesting opportunities. Be willing to take a paycut if you're changing industries. Most importantly, always work towards improving yourself, so that you're in a position to capitalize on new opportunities when they occur.

 

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