Is Management Consulting Right for Me?

Consulting is one of the most popular career choices at Harvard--according to the 2019 OCS Senior Survey, 10% of seniors were heading to consulting careers. It is a desirable career choice for students who don’t know exactly what they want to pursue after college. Consulting is a great launching point towards desirable exit opportunities and allows people to hone in their business skills. However, the consulting lifestyle is not for everyone, as job requirements include extensive traveling and long work hours. Here are some reasons why consulting may or may not be a good fit for you:

The lifestyle

The work is not always glamorous, and the travel can be tough.

​“As an entry-level consultant, not all parts of your job will be glamorous at first – you need to earn the trust of your superiors before you are given the meatier, more interesting pieces of work. The travel can also be fun, but taxing over long periods of time, so I would ask around and make sure that the role is a good fit for you”

- Associate Consultant at Bain, Harvard Class of 2019

Unpredictability

A lot of the work consultants do is unpredictable, such as the amount of hours they work a week to the projects they are assigned to. Thus, if you are a planner who is looking for a fixed schedule and work-life balance, consulting may not be for you.

“ It's not a secret that the job is demanding (~55-60 hour work weeks are what we aim for, but hours can go up to 80+). You have to be flexible with limited visibility, unpredictable spikes in intensity, and a fair amount of pressure to do well. There isn't as much "work-life balance" that other jobs may provide, so you do have to know what energizes you in the job and try to optimize for those aspects. You also have to be flexible with the type of work you're doing. The nature of consulting is that there are lots of projects in different capabilities and industries. You may be able to submit your preferences for certain projects, but in the end, the company is a business and they need people on teams. You might be on a case doing work in an industry you don't care about at all, but you have to find some way to endure it for the next X months.”

- Associate Consultant at Bain, Harvard Class of 2019

Business overview

If you are curious about business as a whole, but are unsure of what specific path or industry you are interested in, consulting is a great starting point. Consulting gives you a chance to learn about different facets of business very quickly, in the form of short projects across various industries.

“I chose to go into consulting because I knew I had an interest in business but didn’t know what I specifically wanted to do. Additionally, I didn’t have enough business experience to feel that I could meaningfully contribute to a company. To me, the typical consultant is one who is a hard worker who is also curious about business and is seeking broad exposure into business rather than an immediate deep dive into a single industry / business aspect.”

- Associate Consultant at Bain, Harvard Class of 2020