Alright I talked about why consulting might not be a right fit. Click here to watch a video on why I thought consulting was worth it in the end: kzclip.org/video/eaTnQnjnGO8/бейне.html
For young people leaving University -> joining a Big-4 consultancy for 3 to 4 years WILL help you learn what would take 10 years in an organisation. My advice is join a consultancy and gather as much information (structures, methodologies, etc knowledge slides, process assurance , assessment check lists, etc) and leave after 3 years to work for an organisation. Of course, if you enjoy your work, you may decide remain put.
just don't learn and bring the bad habits of rushing things out with poor quality, over-promising things, politics etc. toxic things from consulting firms to your next job
@G Men's Fashion Blog I totally agree, nothing against the big4, but its not as glamous as people think it is. Working after hours, weekends and on holidays.
I've been with a consulting firm for nearly 25 years. I'm a partner and on the leadership team. Mika is absolutely correct. I'm fortunate because I work for a relatively small company and we've created a family environment. The management and leadership are key to a great experience-that's critical to evaluate when considering joining a consulting firm. Work life balance is always something to monitor. However, being overworked isn't restricted to consulting. I think this a consistent theme in the majority of IT projects.
Yes, I think you are right, but there is a difference between working overtime because the IT project is behind schedule and working overtime in consulting because it is simply expected and the company wants to use you to get more bang for their buck and make you do the work of three people.
@Oti el Consultant with limited experience start out behind the scenes with limited contact with the client. They may take notes at meetings, prepare presentations, etc and will be billed a nominal rate. Sometimes, newbies will be asked to sink or swim, that is, put in a position where they need to be perceived as more knowledgeable than they are. In reality, you have to do what you can to stay one step ahead of the client so they don't catch on.
This is so true. I got in to one of the big four right after graduation and quit after a year for these reasons - I was literally burning out. I wish all new grads aspiring to go into consulting especially with the big four would actually listen to advice like this and assess if they can actually fit into this world before blindly delving into it.
Same thing with me. I quit after 15 months. It was very toxic, sickening. I almost had a burn out. Couple of weeks after resignation I had to be taken to hospital for 4 days because of a nerve infection
@Abdulazeez Olatinwo So sorry! What was it like? Recently got interested in the idea of working in consulting but don't know especially in this country and our crazy work ethics.
don't join consulting if... 1. you do not enjoy working with others 1:06 2. you hate change and competition 2:48 3. you want a work life balance 4:19 4. you have a hard time saying no 7:03 5. you hate writing 9:08
One thing I learned pretty quickly is that if you feel like you're in an "ok" or "neutral" mood, then most people will interpret that you're in a bad mood or that you don't like them. And you will be weeded out (not just in consulting, but from any group) very quickly based on that alone.
In my own experience working as a consultant, the most mentally draining thing is the intense unfair competition between colleagues. In my opinion, this is due to the individual growth structure in the consulting career and not in growing the business practice as a work team.
Very interesting because the research says that collaborative working cultures tend to produce greater burnout because you're not just doing your own job. Japan and other Asian countries are extremely collaborative, and people do burn out in this part of the world.
You need to consider the culture of the organization in your decision-making process. Publicly traded, privately held, and employee-owned companies all have unique cultures based on how they incentive growth and professional development.
@nour Nour I'd recommend learning to lie then. Pretend to be super busy, to be underwater and make excuses. Worse case scenario, say "I've got 10 min max for you".
I confirm. I worked in retail and because I could almost never bring myself to say no to people I was treated like a slave on several occasions. Still don't know how to say no tho
I’m so glad I didn’t get my consulting grad scheme , it was truly a blessing. I ended up working for start up and I’m so grateful I did. When things don’t work out it’s because something better is coming!
Such a good video! When I was in uni, consulting was so overhyped and it felt like everyone wanted to get into consulting. Nobody ever talks about why NOT to get into consulting! Glad that my introverted self is in a research-focused role instead 🤣
Thank you Mika for creating this video, because I don't think I've ever seen anyone being this honest about the consulting job. I seriously would've never figured this out myself as a recent college graduate. Keep up the good work!(:
I used to work for an MBB company with a very different approach to work/personal time. We would never contacted on weekends. Also we had a lot of more mature consultants who were more happy to say no. Also, working long hours is usually an example that the manager hasn’t clarified the story that they wish to tell.
I think this is an interesting video. I have worked all my life in a Big4 firm and I agree that 1) teamwork is essential 2) you need to be able to adapt to change quickly and be competitive 3) you need to love what you do, because you´ll be doing a lot of it 4) you need to be able to work within a hierarchical structure and if your boss tells you to do something, obviously within the ethical guidelines, you have to do it 5) you need to know how to think coherently and communicate verbally and in writing. If you think about it, all of these requirements (except maybe 5) are necessary in this hypercompetitive world we live in. So if you go to work at Apple, Tesla, Google, Coca-Cola, Citi, Pfizer, or any other big company you will encounter teamwork, competition, a lot of work, a boss, an you will need communication skills. To go even further, lets say you want to really do well in World of Warcraft (WoW) (the massively multiplayer online role-playing game), and I mean make money you will need 1) teamwork 2) be immensely competitive 3) love what you do and put in 12+hours 4) you simply cannot do as you please, you need to follow the plan which is like taking orders and 5) being a skillful communicator is definitely a plus. So, bottom line, if you don´t like working in teams, are not competitive, want to work 8 hours a day, can´t take orders and can´t communicate all I have for you is GOOD LUCK. By the way, WLB is all about priorities. My priorities are my family and my work, that´s it. That is my balance and I love it.
thanks mika for giving an honest view of consulting! it's such a breath of fresh air to have someone just talk about the facts, without trying to sell us the dream back when i was in uni, everybody would talk about how consulting was the dream job, and literally all my peers (and myself) tunnel visioned into getting into bain, mckinsey, big 4 etc. but yeah, thanks for giving a straight & down to earth explanation of the consulting world
This was a great honest video! I think too many times consulting and similar industries are sugar-coated but I'm glad you kept things super transparent
Growing up my dad was a consultant. Although his career definitely provided us with a very nice life, all my childhood I watched how he was overworked, always traveling, and always taking calls and e-mails and meetings when we were supposed to be having “family” time. When it came time for me to graduate college, he told me explicitly: choose any career path except consulting.
I was growing up in a very poor family and my parents were overworked too, but we haven't any nice life. Everybody works hard, but with a different compensation.
Me as an introvert: I had been a consultant for 2.5 years. I was always depressed, anxious, severely underpaid, had no work life balance, and always feeling burnt out. It was clearly a mistake but had no other options. Now that I moved to another country, I'm having a last stage interview for a consulting firm next week and I'm already thinking of calling it off when all of a sudden your video shows me and reminds me of the horrors I endured 😂 NEVER AGAIN
@Malek ive been through this in the banking industry for 2.5 yrs just like you. Just find something more stable. Honestly i recommend something like procurement or a support role in a multinational company that has their own resources and doesnt rely on consulting much. Im in the food industry and i much prefer it.
My own experience: unhealthy competition among colleagues. They might not say/show it in front of you, but you will definitely get hit with something like this: “oh I heard this person was so this so that” from another manager. Toxic environment.
I was so stressed out by trying not to be so stressed. 😅 A lot of the work culture you mentioned is also applied to a lot of other roles as well. These have been the last 4 years of my life. A lot of crises, everything is urgent no matter how well planning has been done there will always be something that's urgent and last minutes. And thing goes wrong all the time.
In consulting for 1.5 hours, can relate a lot. Hate being understaffed on a project and very frustrated with partners over promising work which makes me have no work life balance
@O S yes but the HR org is not autonomous. If there is an employee that goes to HR because there is an issue, HR will conduct an investigation and speak to the people that run the business. The employee thinks HR will look out for them when in reality HR only works on behalf of the business executives. It is the business that calls the shots on HR. HR are just employee like any other that live pay packet to pay packet. They can be disposed of at anytime
@Mika Kim shouldn't there be some law that would punish managers for creating such environments where you have to work insane hours just not to be fired. that's like being silently threatened all your career life.
Whenever you're tempted by the astronomically high salaries in consulting, see this video. I once provided some spreadsheet advice to a Goldman Sachs junior consultant. She was often on the phone (on a Sunday afternoon) asking her husband (another GS consultant) when they were ever getting together. I wondered, "How did they find time to get married?"
I'm not yet in consulting, but I do have some life experience. I think this is good thought and I appreciate that you are leaving a lot of the anger out. I do feel that most of these five things will make you a better person. Namely learning to work with people, adapting to change, challenging yourself, learning to say no, and understanding that writing and reading are a way of life in the white collar world. I would say the only one that is personally detrimental or violates personal growth is #3 work life balance. I will certainly have to navigate and negotiate what I want and am willing to do on this front, but nevertheless I think everyone should be striving to self-actualize in the other four areas so I don't think overall the changes that consulting brings is a bad thing. Note: I realize this is not the point you are are trying the make. I'm just point out that this video may be a call up to those watching it, rather than a call out on the big 4.
Nice video Mika. Didn't know you were active on KZclip. Well made too. Great points also; essentially why I opted not to join when an attempt was made to recruit me at the end of the TMX gig. It pained me to see you guys being made to work so much and hard but such is the industry as you described.
Omg I joined consulting last year because lost my old job to COVID (airline) and I can confirm all these points are true. I was not familiar making decks and stuff since I came from a more IT background and I had a manager would literally scream at me when I made mistakes on my decks though I would be spending until 11pm working on them after waking up at 6am. I was working from home and had to be available all the time in case he tells me do something - so much so I would forget to eat lunch or get up from desk even once cause I was scared I would miss something. The most horrible thing is one time on Sunday, I told him I was taking PTO the next day cause I wasn't feeling well and he literally told me - "next time please notify me earlier". Like wtf how am I supposed to know IN ADVANCE I wasn't feeling well?!!! Don't go into consulting! It's horrible. I'm planning to get my masters and hopefully leave within the next year.
Very true ! As anything else, everyone is built to do certain things. Choosing the industry and job that is right for you is key. In Consulting , you sometimes get carried away with the trend ignoring your inner voice. So make sure you listen to inner voice and choose what is right for you. You will have a better life.
hi, just found your channel from my timeline, and YESSS ALL OF THEM ARE EXACTLY TRUE 😂😂 got these stories from a friend like when she complained a lot about the whole thing - the politics, the “yes man” employee, the competition, the working hours. it’s so relatable to my friend’s story! and she alr moved out tho. 😂 stay healthy! and will be enjoying more of your videos 😊
Haha. Excellent summary. I also worked for one of the big four when I was young (in my time it was the big five). Most of the frustrations you have described are due to poor management skills and absolutely tragic communication between the senior levels, who deal with the senior leaders of the client, and the people on the ground who actually do the work. Consultancies are not the only sector that suffers from this. But hey, we were young and were surfing on all the adrenaline and cortisol this lifestyle brings :) I personally enjoy the regular change, the working with a different client and a different team each six months, but I joined a smaller company later in life where I had more flexibility - and I learned that cherishing the lunch hour improves the team dynamics and work/life balance improves focus and productivity. The "you do this asap because I said so" it's just an ego ride which is actually bad for business in the long term.
I have been working in consulting for most of my career. What I hate the most about it, is how little value non deliverable requirements matter to them. For example software architecture, which I value greatly, isn't taken into account. Projects I have lead the architecture of have been delivered on or ahead of deadlines. But to a consultancy, how maintainable, flexible etc the code base is doesn't matter much, as the code base doesn't belong to them. They, in the end, just want to deliver in the time that was agreed upon
My mother said to never compare yourself to others. You can reach great success. Too much competition divides the team and customers. It was good that you walked away from it.
I don't think these things should exactly scare you off. I'm not a consultant, but I came onto a rotational leadership program where the expectation is pretty damn high and everything is fast paced. I think these environment helps provide tons of experience in a short amount of time and really mold you and your career. A good advice I got from one of the leaders in my company is to go and do the hard work no one wants. You'll learn and grow so much more than doing a job You're comfortable with. If you find out later on it's not for you, at least you can transition with these major experiences on your belt
As a tech consultant, I truly agree with each and every word Mika said here. Being from a computer science background, I feel out of space, most of the time because of the sheer chaos.
I can actually get what you went through, I co-founder a startup and what your describing is VERY similar to what I went through 😭 I wish I had said 'no' more often
After I graduated, McKinsey tried to lure me into their world with pizza parties etc which I never attended. I was never convinced about the consulting approach and what this kind of job does. I know several who joined consulting companies - they all left, I heard horrible stories about mgmt and working hours there. Colleague competition seems to be at its worst there, too. People join consulting companies for the salary and opportunities which might open after leaving the consulting company. I understand now that already the interview process selects personalities of candidates who are very adaptable, socially, and yes-sayers. Nothing I personally fit in. Glad I never applied. Your video confirms that I would hate this job. Hey, I don't even like travelling!
Ahh man, I wish i saw this video last week lol That exact scenario came up in a management graduate recruitment processs. They mentioned how busy I was in an email but an amazing charity opportunity has come up that I would really benefit from. I chose to reorganise my workload to see if I could make more time for the event and at the time I felt uncomfortable choosing it as I knew realistically it would of been something I would not have attended in that scenario.... I feel like an idiot now 😂
It really depends on the personal choices. What you said, I agree. But I feel every job have some advantages and disadvantages. Few people may not like consulting jobs but there are a lot of opportunities and scope for consulting role and also salary is good for this role. Even a business analyst has to write. But somehow it improves our writing skills too and helps to understand project requirements. For Inside Sales role also, we need to write, convince the customers and its target based. So every job have some advantages and disadvantages. As you said, we need to work with different clients, which is good. We will eventually learn to adapt, we will be interactive, proactive. If we need money, we need to do hardwork.
Interesting video. You definitely have managed to successfully discourage many of us from doing consulting. Personally, I love writing and I'm very good writer and I have written a book. However, writing is a very slow and refined process. I don't think I could function in that kind of environment. I think the work would actually make me hate writing.
Great video, all those things you pointed out actually apply to me! There was alot of competition and networking involved in getting jobs in the big 4, which I avoided! And I noticed this video has 35k views, which is way more than your other videos which only have like hundreds or thousands of views!
I think it also depends on the firm you work at and the type of consulting you do. Deloitte for example, is known to be pretty competitive & backstabbing, and offers no wlb which is why I rejected my offer from there. KPMG and Slalom on the other hand surprisingly has good WLB on average and the Big 4 I'm at is really friendly. I don't think I've ever felt the need to compete with anyone else. It's all dependent on your team at the end of the day and if you're lucky to be in a supportive practice. (E) just saw that you did work at Deloitte. Yep, that explains a lot. That place is toxic af...
I worked in tech consulting for 8 yrs before joining a Big 4 again in the same role. I have enjoyed every bit of it.. Joining Big 4 definitely has it's own perks. I wouldn't write it off.. Now I'm also required to work on the management side of a project, working on sales etc. I would've preferred to stay on the technical side of the job, but I'm not hating the other side either. It's all part of your career progression!!!
Some of the points apply not only to consulting jobs though - I loved how you spoke about the fight to get the "visibility projects" and "simply doing a good job is not enough" - like, totally, that's what I've seen in corporate/white collar jobs generally! (Amazon, Samsung, even small tech companies...) If you're a person who just wants to do a good job silently, you won't be a fit. You need to focus 90% of your time on aggressively selling yourself. So much bullshit...
Great video Mika. I think for the larger consulting firms what you describe is quite common. It's not for the faint hearted. Though some love it. I've run my own boutique consulting firm for the last 25 years (just 50 staff). A few times over the years one of our team has taken the 'opportunity' to join one of the Big 4. They are usually back with us within 12 months 😳 It doesn't suit everyone, I get that. Others thrive of course.
I never seriously considered going into consulting but this just supports my suspicion that it's not for me. hate competition like that, need a healthy work-life balance, and absolutely despise writing 😅
I hated being in public accounting but it has it's own benefits as well! Looks great on resume and learn great skills but the work life balance was a killer.
The 5 points relate so much to me and more. Thank you for the video. Finally someone brave talking about about the hidden sad reality of working in big four.
One couldn't have a said it better. I can vouch for every single thing she has said. The gist of it would be 'competition' which is fundamentally violence and is not easy to identify if you don't observe life closely. We all know what violence is, we do it and regret it later. I was lucky to work with leaders who were compassionate and supportive, but that's very unlikely in big4.
This was a very negative vision but an awesome video overall, because you really dive deep in things we could never know as we have not experienced them (yet). Thank you for the knowledge shared and all the insights
Hi, I loved you video! Although I’m not going into consulting, I do have a tax internship at the B4 coming up. Do you know or have you heard about whether there is a lot of competition in tax/audit, like there is in consulting? I don’t love those charged environments, but if there is a lot of competition, how would you suggest navigating the politics successfully? Thank you!!
Thanks for posting this. I’m making a pivot in my career towards consulting in the EDI / Culture space. I would love to connect with you if possible and get your thoughts on what that move might entail.
I took a consulting job after engineering cause it came easy and it was a pretty well known international firm, I stuck with it cause the pandemic spoiled my plans to job hop 😂 So I don’t have work life balance issues cause I was an inexperienced fresher but I see ALL of these problems plaguing my older colleagues I also very casually say not to things cause I know I want to switch careers eventually The main factor I stuck with the job was the last point in the video: I love to write 😁😁 Once I got the hang of what clients want to hear I was filling decks with numerical storytelling and thinking to myself wow I’m getting paid for this(not much but still😂)
That sounds horrible! I also hate the fact how these companies try to sell the idea of how great it is to work as a consultant...thank you for shedding light on this issue!
coming from a big 4 tax group I agree with all points! I do see more and more people leaving big 4 (especially post covid) and poor souls remaining will have more and more to work on until the whole industry reforms
That's right! Attrition rate is super high right now and the ones that stayed back are definitely feeling that burnout. I guess after a point you just stop caring!
Thank you. I’m looking at consulting because I’ve worked in the other sectors (public/private/non-profit) and I’m sure there won’t be less issues in consulting but at least I’ll have the ability to select the projects I’m interested in (once established).
This video is so great. I thought for a moment that my burnout was because I was very unproductive. And it is true, I work about 10-12 hours per day. And also I am working on projects that should be easier and faster to work with other teammates. Wish me a good look and I hope to see a way out! I have 2 months left to complete 1 year. at the company
So so relatable... and so true... being in consulting field myself, i can totally agree with this :( thanks a lot great set of advice for next gen entrants.
Hey Mika, thanks for the perspective, it is true that any consulting jobs can be very demanding and these kind of workloads doest not give any concern for well being of a normal human. Nevertheless though from the business side we still need this kind of consultant often, especially in modern times. I think the government should took a real to remind these consulting agencies that those who worked for them are a real human being, so stop exploiting them so much.
Thanks for sharing. I agree with all the points you mentioned in the viddeo. I was also a consultant from a big 4 company and i really glad that i did this. Consulting taught me how to deal with different people in different situation and manage their expectation which basically is needed for every jobs. However, it is hard to pursue your personal interest in developing a certain skill since you always tend to learn the skills which are required to be the perfect "hat" for the client. And that was the reason i left consulting to pursue the career path which i'm passionate about.
I got my first job at a Tier 1 engineering firm in environmental consulting. I was honestly shocked at the game-playing, manipulation, competition and aggressiveness of my colleagues. Me being someone who cares about others' wellbeing, didn't know what hit me. It is unbelievable how these organisations can promote such a toxic culture. I was efficient and others took credit for my work, stole my projects and more. Two years in I had severe burnout and it took me years to recover but I still feel the effects 10 years later and has severely impacted my career, finances and personal life. Nothing is worth working in such a toxic environment. Thanks for the video. Good luck to anyone wanting to pursue a career in consulting - my advice is to never climb over others in your journey to 'success'.
I think it really depends on what your personality is, what drives you, what gives you energy, what is important to you and what makes you happy. Banking job is more or less the same if not more hours, and I perfect love it. I love the adrenaline, the learning, and how it makes me happy. I prob feed off from it. So each person needs to evaluate what they like before stepping into that career.
I am currently an undergrad, exploring and aiming to get into consulting.. what can I do early on, to ensure that i prepare myself for these limitations? Are there firms/roles which have a better reputation for providing a good work-life balance and help with managing the fierce competition (in general, a better work culture)?
I appreciate this a lot, thank you! You gave lots of specific information about your experience and defined the different terms you used. Very informative!
Hi guys! I’ve worked for Kpmg for about 2 years now, I hate my life and have developed seasonal depression through the scheduled busy seasons. Take care!
Whew! You helped me dodge a bullet so to speak. I'm finishing my master's in Human Resource Management and Development at NYU in May 2023. Recruiters are after us, and my gut kept telling me I needed more of this kind of insight than what was being presented to us. Grateful.
Totally agree! Im currently working in advisory of one of big4 and what you said are truth lol btw we also get the good experiences with various big clients as well...that's a good point :)
I used to think of being a business consultant but changed my mind after discovering that in my country a consultant were usually hired just to say or report just what the client's management wanted to.
Oh god I work with a medium Belgian consulting firm and the competition and work life balance are SO TRUE. I really don't like the environment, but they "buy" you with salary and stability. I hope I will find soon some other opportunities :(
@Soccercrazyigboman An exit opportunity is basically any job opportunity that becomes available to you once you leave...'exit'...a particular job that otherwise wouldn't be as available to you had you not worked that particular job. In big 4 example, if you worked in a big 4 firm in audit or consulting for 3 years then leave, recruiters might present you with opportunities at big industry companies like Microsoft or Amazon that like big 4 workers. Had you not worked at a big 4, your resume probably wouldn't get as much attention for those opportunities. That is essentially what exit opportunities mean.
Sales Consultanting is for someone who is into improving one's self. It's for people who want to work on their communication skills. It also matters what company and products you are selling. A lot of factors matter. But more importantly are you on your purpose? If not burn out will get you.
Thank u Mika for sharing a fearless and authentic point of view into consulting industry. What makes me sad listening to that is many if not all of your points for not joining this career are present in most of non consulting jobs. On the other hand, at least a consultant is relatively well paid for that. Actually, after watching the video, I believe it encourages people keep pursuing their place on consulting firms. Again, thanks a lot for sharing this clarifying list.
Hello Mika, admire your patience in crafting this video making it personable and informative. I normally don't comment, but could instantly connect with most from my experience in practice (audit@BigFour) and later in agency recruitment. Few fab. comments and engagement by your followers:) I kinda resonate with points - difficulty in saying no and on writing. My below-average skills in both have caused issues in the past. On the flip side, I got intrigued to learn about assertive communications, respect personality differences, understand team dynamics. Also make use of writing apps to continuously enhance vocabulary.
On the bright side you’ll learn a lot. For those of us who are not in such challenging environment have to be proactive else you’ll basically forget all your skills.
Wow, I can relate to a lot of this. I am a consultant for a year and a half. But man the toxic work environment is something that gets under my skin. I am still learning how to deal with this properly but man some people are toxic as in putting themselves above you. I have an example where I was late 15 min and a colleague would talk bad about me because of it. Some days later, he was running late 45 min himself, I decided not to talk bad of him, he even thought I would use the opportunity to bash him and he apologized in a chat. I told him that I dont like putting people down for stuff like that and he shouldnt either. I see so many stuff like this being taken advantage of. Its like you always have to be onguard. Like on a project, I was doing the hard stuff while he was doing the easier stuff. You can get more done doing easy stuff and less when you do hard stuff. He would use that as a metric to say that he is good and that I am worse, he would do so behind my back and also since management and project managers are not technical they did slightly believe him. He was also playing politics behind my back to get a promotion over me, in the end we both had a raise. However I decided to quit anyway half a year later and go to another company because of me having so many responsibilities while being in a junior position. I applied for a mid position and got it because I could convince them of my time at that difficult project and being able to take responsibilities. And sure it was a formula for burnout. Hope you will not encounter this, I mean promotion yes but not the toxicity :)
In life, nothing is easy and we all have to pay our dues in entry level jobs. Big4 consulting is a great training to get lots on experience in a kinda bootcamp environment. It's like taking medicine. It sucks going down, but it is good for you in the end. It's like dog years. One consulting year is like 3-4 years in corporate America. Why? Because you may be working for possibly 3-4 companies in a year and know a lot about each company when you were there.
I worked as a Sr. consultant with PwC and it was an amazing experience. I am now a Sr. VP at an international bank but would love to go back into consulting any time. Consulting gives you a big picture and the networking is great, however, you will be poached. I used to get at least one call/ a day for an interview when I was with PwC. Finally I left PwC for a 80% hike and there has been no looking back since then
I can understand, UPSC is real tough, I would suggest you to make up your mind - govt services or corporate? Based on that you can decide the course of action, if you really want to get into BCG, then I would suggest you to do your masters from a top univ or even better an MBA from an Ivy League, your academics really do not matter when you have good experience
@md md ☺☺ actually I started preparing for upsc but couldn't get through🥺because of stress and wrong strategy corona ruined my prep. I have 5 years gap😞 but somehow I Got a job. I have been an academically bright student but I don't know how to reach parallel to my classmates. It's embarassing to ask others☹️. I was a topper throughout.thanks for your suggestn🥰☺ Any more suggestions if you have. Can you help me what should I do to get to bcg after 1-2years.🙂 I have two more attempts. In upsc
BCG is heavy on MC, they rarely have positions for RC, I would rather suggest you to try at BIG4, since you are in IAM, would suggest you to start with CEH certification, you can then get started with CISM, CISSP and CRISC once you gain some experience in this field, preferably 3 years
I work as a wireless vendor doing due diligence and permitting and what you described is 100% on point. They do try to dump 3x work load on us. Clients are very fickle. Pay is not so great.
After being into consulting for over 7 years, I can say is it's really challenging job both mentally and physically. By end of week you will be too exhausted to even get out of bed. Forget about weekend fun n all🤣🤣 It's doable till the time one is single. After having a family really tough and one has to ultimately compromise on growth. It's like constantly on a fight between and personal and professional aspirations.
OMG I just came back from Deloitte University, and one of the activities was literally manager/coach acting tough to see how we react. They also brought up out of scope request, and taught us to always ask the manager before saying yes/no.
I'm currently working in a tech consultancy; I'm pretty new but my experience has been so different so far. I'm blessed to be in a good company that actively prioritises my wellbeing and work-life balance.
Tech consulting might be different. I work at big4 as a tech junior consultant and I haven't experience nothing she mentioned. I guess management consulting attracts these competitive hotshots playing stupid politics.
My 1st job at EY in São Paulo, Brazil. I was feeling myself very aggresive and competitive. My girlfriend was afraid of me and only cried because I was without patient, only business. I decided to quit, I was feeling myself like the American Psycho movie.
Hi kim, I am an ACCA affliate, im looking to get into big 4, but i have no idea of the departments or the work they do…also i like baking and management .. what is your opinion on the path to follow
Dear Kim, What do you suggest, in your opinion, which is the best sector, companies or position in the world of finance? to earn a solid income, have a relatively secure job and some free time for yourself?
So glad I work for a small consulting firm, rather than big 4. Totally different culture at smaller firms... we support each other, not compete against each other.
I worked for one of the Big 4 for 7 years. We referred to it as a pimp and whore business. 🤪 needless to say we weren't the pimp. Everything you addressed is so true. Will say some projects were great while others were miserable. So grateful to now be retired.
Oh my god this all sounds terrible! I'm so sorry you had to deal with that! Glad you are out of it now. All my jobs after college had barely anything for me to do including the current one. I'm constantly complaining to my managers to give me more work and constantly feel bored and annoyed. But I guess I should count my blessings instead!
I think it’s a different experience for people coming from industry. You have a set experience level, you come in at senior and just build from there. Worth thinking about…
Like in any large business, your direct manager and senior manager are key to your success and happiness during the first few years. If they maintain a decent culture, you will like it. If they are not able to say "no" then they will take out their aggression and frustration on you...and not allow you to ever say no!
Alright I talked about why consulting might not be a right fit. Click here to watch a video on why I thought consulting was worth it in the end: kzclip.org/video/eaTnQnjnGO8/бейне.html
@Prit am Its because you were probably Googling Deloitte in the past so KZclip knew you were interested.
Greate video. One question. Do you think that introverted people are less competitive as a consultant than extroverted people in general?
For young people leaving University -> joining a Big-4 consultancy for 3 to 4 years WILL help you learn what would take 10 years in an organisation. My advice is join a consultancy and gather as much information (structures, methodologies, etc knowledge slides, process assurance , assessment check lists, etc) and leave after 3 years to work for an organisation. Of course, if you enjoy your work, you may decide remain put.
@__ i’m a highschool student and is currently think about consulting what advice do you have since i have did university and have 0 experience
I hope I learned about this earlier in my career
just don't learn and bring the bad habits of rushing things out with poor quality, over-promising things, politics etc. toxic things from consulting firms to your next job
@G Men's Fashion Blog I totally agree, nothing against the big4, but its not as glamous as people think it is. Working after hours, weekends and on holidays.
I've been with a consulting firm for nearly 25 years. I'm a partner and on the leadership team. Mika is absolutely correct. I'm fortunate because I work for a relatively small company and we've created a family environment. The management and leadership are key to a great experience-that's critical to evaluate when considering joining a consulting firm. Work life balance is always something to monitor. However, being overworked isn't restricted to consulting. I think this a consistent theme in the majority of IT projects.
I am planning to take hirevue interview tomorrow as a BI consultant. In job description, they said work hours are 40-45. Is it a lie?
@Leon Henry why not? thats 1 of the most important things to talk about
Yes, I think you are right, but there is a difference between working overtime because the IT project is behind schedule and working overtime in consulting because it is simply expected and the company wants to use you to get more bang for their buck and make you do the work of three people.
@Oti el Consultant with limited experience start out behind the scenes with limited contact with the client. They may take notes at meetings, prepare presentations, etc and will be billed a nominal rate.
Sometimes, newbies will be asked to sink or swim, that is, put in a position where they need to be perceived as more knowledgeable than they are. In reality, you have to do what you can to stay one step ahead of the client so they don't catch on.
@muhammed safvan that’s not something you ask on the net. What’s wrong with you?
This is so true. I got in to one of the big four right after graduation and quit after a year for these reasons - I was literally burning out. I wish all new grads aspiring to go into consulting especially with the big four would actually listen to advice like this and assess if they can actually fit into this world before blindly delving into it.
Same thing with me. I quit after 15 months. It was very toxic, sickening. I almost had a burn out. Couple of weeks after resignation I had to be taken to hospital for 4 days because of a nerve infection
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@Abdulazeez Olatinwo What exactly is consulting? Is it a business analyst type role?
Will like to hear more. Considering working in consulting but work life balance is key to me
@Abdulazeez Olatinwo So sorry! What was it like? Recently got interested in the idea of working in consulting but don't know especially in this country and our crazy work ethics.
don't join consulting if...
1. you do not enjoy working with others 1:06
2. you hate change and competition 2:48
3. you want a work life balance 4:19
4. you have a hard time saying no 7:03
5. you hate writing 9:08
very accurate... point 3 was very important for my decision to leave one of the big 4s.
@Mellowyellow8888 also there is no work life balance in an engineer's life yoo
Don't join a consultancy if your not a psychopath who loves money might be more accurate.
I guess only number 3 might apply to me it would just depend on how unbalanced the job is I guess. But everything else I'm ok with honestly.
I like how they have periods when they are at the beach.
One thing I learned pretty quickly is that if you feel like you're in an "ok" or "neutral" mood, then most people will interpret that you're in a bad mood or that you don't like them. And you will be weeded out (not just in consulting, but from any group) very quickly based on that alone.
So true. Making a happy face everyday is often considered as fake-attitude but people can't often handle the normal neutral mood of the person
That comment made ZERO sense?!
In my own experience working as a consultant, the most mentally draining thing is the intense unfair competition between colleagues. In my opinion, this is due to the individual growth structure in the consulting career and not in growing the business practice as a work team.
Very interesting because the research says that collaborative working cultures tend to produce greater burnout because you're not just doing your own job. Japan and other Asian countries are extremely collaborative, and people do burn out in this part of the world.
You need to consider the culture of the organization in your decision-making process. Publicly traded, privately held, and employee-owned companies all have unique cultures based on how they incentive growth and professional development.
Learning how to say "no" is a vital skill no matter what your job is and where you work.
Yes not saying no is a downwards spiral. You must say it on time.
And you don’t always tell everything you know when you are in a meeting unless they ask about it.
@nour Nour I'd recommend learning to lie then. Pretend to be super busy, to be underwater and make excuses. Worse case scenario, say "I've got 10 min max for you".
I confirm. I worked in retail and because I could almost never bring myself to say no to people I was treated like a slave on several occasions. Still don't know how to say no tho
@Lucky Trident good advice. i try to live by this as well.
I’m so glad I didn’t get my consulting grad scheme , it was truly a blessing. I ended up working for start up and I’m so grateful I did. When things don’t work out it’s because something better is coming!
@111Econ tough love but correct
hey please give me some advice how to start to work in a start up or consulting. I want to change my career
@111Econ Jeez bro no need to hate lol. I think things do tend to work out in the end.
Such bullshit. You think about consulting everyday that’s why you clicked on this video.
Such a good video! When I was in uni, consulting was so overhyped and it felt like everyone wanted to get into consulting. Nobody ever talks about why NOT to get into consulting! Glad that my introverted self is in a research-focused role instead 🤣
This video isn't very good. The reasons she gives for not joining consulting are the same reasons for not going to college after high school.
@Sam S yes please explain this @RuzeReine. I also curious
@RuzeReine how does one get into that role with no experience?
@RuzeReine That sounds super interesting, can you give a bit more info on what you do day to day?
@kawaii koibito hellooo, I'm in an analyst role for a financial markets data company! doing research & write ups on various market transactions
Thank you Mika for creating this video, because I don't think I've ever seen anyone being this honest about the consulting job. I seriously would've never figured this out myself as a recent college graduate. Keep up the good work!(:
@Mika Kim What exactly is consulting? Is it a business analyst type role?
Thank you for your comment! That really means a lot :) If you have any other insights or questions please feel free to let me know :)
I used to work for an MBB company with a very different approach to work/personal time. We would never contacted on weekends. Also we had a lot of more mature consultants who were more happy to say no. Also, working long hours is usually an example that the manager hasn’t clarified the story that they wish to tell.
the closing sentence!!
I think this is an interesting video. I have worked all my life in a Big4 firm and I agree that 1) teamwork is essential 2) you need to be able to adapt to change quickly and be competitive 3) you need to love what you do, because you´ll be doing a lot of it 4) you need to be able to work within a hierarchical structure and if your boss tells you to do something, obviously within the ethical guidelines, you have to do it 5) you need to know how to think coherently and communicate verbally and in writing. If you think about it, all of these requirements (except maybe 5) are necessary in this hypercompetitive world we live in. So if you go to work at Apple, Tesla, Google, Coca-Cola, Citi, Pfizer, or any other big company you will encounter teamwork, competition, a lot of work, a boss, an you will need communication skills. To go even further, lets say you want to really do well in World of Warcraft (WoW) (the massively multiplayer online role-playing game), and I mean make money you will need 1) teamwork 2) be immensely competitive 3) love what you do and put in 12+hours 4) you simply cannot do as you please, you need to follow the plan which is like taking orders and 5) being a skillful communicator is definitely a plus. So, bottom line, if you don´t like working in teams, are not competitive, want to work 8 hours a day, can´t take orders and can´t communicate all I have for you is GOOD LUCK. By the way, WLB is all about priorities. My priorities are my family and my work, that´s it. That is my balance and I love it.
I heard one of the benefits of being a consultant is being surrounded by a lot of assertive type A personalities and learning to become the same.
thanks mika for giving an honest view of consulting!
it's such a breath of fresh air to have someone just talk about the facts, without trying to sell us the dream
back when i was in uni, everybody would talk about how consulting was the dream job, and literally all my peers (and myself) tunnel visioned into getting into bain, mckinsey, big 4 etc.
but yeah, thanks for giving a straight & down to earth explanation of the consulting world
This was a great honest video! I think too many times consulting and similar industries are sugar-coated but I'm glad you kept things super transparent
Growing up my dad was a consultant. Although his career definitely provided us with a very nice life, all my childhood I watched how he was overworked, always traveling, and always taking calls and e-mails and meetings when we were supposed to be having “family” time.
When it came time for me to graduate college, he told me explicitly: choose any career path except consulting.
I was growing up in a very poor family and my parents were overworked too, but we haven't any nice life. Everybody works hard, but with a different compensation.
@A Believer, ever rising Dumb advice.
Just cause you're not built for it, doesn't mean others aren't as well.
Here's some more advice: Avoid investment banking and corporate law
So weird my dad is a senior systems engineer and he had that same life and told me the same thing
She is right. I really appreciate her coming out and presenting these realities.
Me as an introvert: I had been a consultant for 2.5 years. I was always depressed, anxious, severely underpaid, had no work life balance, and always feeling burnt out.
It was clearly a mistake but had no other options. Now that I moved to another country, I'm having a last stage interview for a consulting firm next week and I'm already thinking of calling it off when all of a sudden your video shows me and reminds me of the horrors I endured 😂 NEVER AGAIN
I finally had worklife balance after working on the big 4 than the international banks. The pay is better working in banks though
Hey which field are you in now!!?
Just checking in on how it all worked out for you. I hope you are happy and living your best life!
@malek Can I have ur ID name xD
@Malek ive been through this in the banking industry for 2.5 yrs just like you. Just find something more stable. Honestly i recommend something like procurement or a support role in a multinational company that has their own resources and doesnt rely on consulting much. Im in the food industry and i much prefer it.
My own experience: unhealthy competition among colleagues. They might not say/show it in front of you, but you will definitely get hit with something like this: “oh I heard this person was so this so that” from another manager.
Toxic environment.
Em chào anh. Em đang có định hướng theo consultant, em có thể connect anh được không ạ?
YES! The worst part of this job! Absolutely hunger games type!
performance reviews are sabotaged by peers that u trust most. toxic af backstabbing competition
I was so stressed out by trying not to be so stressed. 😅 A lot of the work culture you mentioned is also applied to a lot of other roles as well. These have been the last 4 years of my life. A lot of crises, everything is urgent no matter how well planning has been done there will always be something that's urgent and last minutes. And thing goes wrong all the time.
In consulting for 1.5 hours, can relate a lot. Hate being understaffed on a project and very frustrated with partners over promising work which makes me have no work life balance
@Chris The organisation have to operate within the law, HR has to make sure the organisation stick to the law as far as employment rights and welfare.
@O S yes but the HR org is not autonomous. If there is an employee that goes to HR because there is an issue, HR will conduct an investigation and speak to the people that run the business. The employee thinks HR will look out for them when in reality HR only works on behalf of the business executives. It is the business that calls the shots on HR. HR are just employee like any other that live pay packet to pay packet. They can be disposed of at anytime
@Chris HR is human resource, many organisations have this department, unless we are speaking about different stuff
@O S there is no such thing as HR in a business because HR is owned by the business
@Mika Kim shouldn't there be some law that would punish managers for creating such environments where you have to work insane hours just not to be fired. that's like being silently threatened all your career life.
Whenever you're tempted by the astronomically high salaries in consulting, see this video. I once provided some spreadsheet advice to a Goldman Sachs junior consultant. She was often on the phone (on a Sunday afternoon) asking her husband (another GS consultant) when they were ever getting together. I wondered, "How did they find time to get married?"
stop caping bro 😂
This is a lie
I'm not yet in consulting, but I do have some life experience. I think this is good thought and I appreciate that you are leaving a lot of the anger out. I do feel that most of these five things will make you a better person. Namely learning to work with people, adapting to change, challenging yourself, learning to say no, and understanding that writing and reading are a way of life in the white collar world. I would say the only one that is personally detrimental or violates personal growth is #3 work life balance. I will certainly have to navigate and negotiate what I want and am willing to do on this front, but nevertheless I think everyone should be striving to self-actualize in the other four areas so I don't think overall the changes that consulting brings is a bad thing. Note: I realize this is not the point you are are trying the make. I'm just point out that this video may be a call up to those watching it, rather than a call out on the big 4.
Nice video Mika. Didn't know you were active on KZclip. Well made too. Great points also; essentially why I opted not to join when an attempt was made to recruit me at the end of the TMX gig. It pained me to see you guys being made to work so much and hard but such is the industry as you described.
I started my career with a big four consultancy. And can 100% relate with your experience. Thanks for sharing.
What exactly is consulting? Is it a business analyst type role?
Omg I joined consulting last year because lost my old job to COVID (airline) and I can confirm all these points are true. I was not familiar making decks and stuff since I came from a more IT background and I had a manager would literally scream at me when I made mistakes on my decks though I would be spending until 11pm working on them after waking up at 6am. I was working from home and had to be available all the time in case he tells me do something - so much so I would forget to eat lunch or get up from desk even once cause I was scared I would miss something.
The most horrible thing is one time on Sunday, I told him I was taking PTO the next day cause I wasn't feeling well and he literally told me - "next time please notify me earlier". Like wtf how am I supposed to know IN ADVANCE I wasn't feeling well?!!! Don't go into consulting! It's horrible. I'm planning to get my masters and hopefully leave within the next year.
@Isioma Izegbune what happend? Where do you live/work?
@Isioma Izegbune can you tell me your experience please?
I wish I had seen your comment earlier. 😢😢.
Very true ! As anything else, everyone is built to do certain things. Choosing the industry and job that is right for you is key. In Consulting , you sometimes get carried away with the trend ignoring your inner voice. So make sure you listen to inner voice and choose what is right for you. You will have a better life.
hi, just found your channel from my timeline, and YESSS ALL OF THEM ARE EXACTLY TRUE 😂😂 got these stories from a friend like when she complained a lot about the whole thing - the politics, the “yes man” employee, the competition, the working hours. it’s so relatable to my friend’s story! and she alr moved out tho. 😂 stay healthy! and will be enjoying more of your videos 😊
Haha. Excellent summary. I also worked for one of the big four when I was young (in my time it was the big five). Most of the frustrations you have described are due to poor management skills and absolutely tragic communication between the senior levels, who deal with the senior leaders of the client, and the people on the ground who actually do the work. Consultancies are not the only sector that suffers from this. But hey, we were young and were surfing on all the adrenaline and cortisol this lifestyle brings :)
I personally enjoy the regular change, the working with a different client and a different team each six months, but I joined a smaller company later in life where I had more flexibility - and I learned that cherishing the lunch hour improves the team dynamics and work/life balance improves focus and productivity. The "you do this asap because I said so" it's just an ego ride which is actually bad for business in the long term.
I have been working in consulting for most of my career. What I hate the most about it, is how little value non deliverable requirements matter to them. For example software architecture, which I value greatly, isn't taken into account. Projects I have lead the architecture of have been delivered on or ahead of deadlines. But to a consultancy, how maintainable, flexible etc the code base is doesn't matter much, as the code base doesn't belong to them. They, in the end, just want to deliver in the time that was agreed upon
My mother said to never compare yourself to others. You can reach great success. Too much competition divides the team and customers. It was good that you walked away from it.
I don't think these things should exactly scare you off. I'm not a consultant, but I came onto a rotational leadership program where the expectation is pretty damn high and everything is fast paced. I think these environment helps provide tons of experience in a short amount of time and really mold you and your career. A good advice I got from one of the leaders in my company is to go and do the hard work no one wants. You'll learn and grow so much more than doing a job You're comfortable with. If you find out later on it's not for you, at least you can transition with these major experiences on your belt
As a tech consultant, I truly agree with each and every word Mika said here. Being from a computer science background, I feel out of space, most of the time because of the sheer chaos.
I can actually get what you went through, I co-founder a startup and what your describing is VERY similar to what I went through 😭
I wish I had said 'no' more often
After I graduated, McKinsey tried to lure me into their world with pizza parties etc which I never attended. I was never convinced about the consulting approach and what this kind of job does. I know several who joined consulting companies - they all left, I heard horrible stories about mgmt and working hours there. Colleague competition seems to be at its worst there, too. People join consulting companies for the salary and opportunities which might open after leaving the consulting company. I understand now that already the interview process selects personalities of candidates who are very adaptable, socially, and yes-sayers. Nothing I personally fit in. Glad I never applied. Your video confirms that I would hate this job. Hey, I don't even like travelling!
@kolo bok Science. Successfully for > 20 years now.
And what did you end up doing?
Ahh man, I wish i saw this video last week lol That exact scenario came up in a management graduate recruitment processs. They mentioned how busy I was in an email but an amazing charity opportunity has come up that I would really benefit from. I chose to reorganise my workload to see if I could make more time for the event and at the time I felt uncomfortable choosing it as I knew realistically it would of been something I would not have attended in that scenario.... I feel like an idiot now 😂
It really depends on the personal choices. What you said, I agree. But I feel every job have some advantages and disadvantages. Few people may not like consulting jobs but there are a lot of opportunities and scope for consulting role and also salary is good for this role.
Even a business analyst has to write. But somehow it improves our writing skills too and helps to understand project requirements.
For Inside Sales role also, we need to write, convince the customers and its target based. So every job have some advantages and disadvantages.
As you said, we need to work with different clients, which is good. We will eventually learn to adapt, we will be interactive, proactive. If we need money, we need to do hardwork.
The world needs more people like you - honest and speaking up your mind. Thank you!
Interesting video. You definitely have managed to successfully discourage many of us from doing consulting. Personally, I love writing and I'm very good writer and I have written a book. However, writing is a very slow and refined process. I don't think I could function in that kind of environment. I think the work would actually make me hate writing.
Great video, all those things you pointed out actually apply to me! There was alot of competition and networking involved in getting jobs in the big 4, which I avoided! And I noticed this video has 35k views, which is way more than your other videos which only have like hundreds or thousands of views!
Now it has more than 600k views!
Pretty accurate and great insight for the newcomers to the industry. Definitely sounds like we worked for the same firm. 🙂
Deloitte?🤣
I think it also depends on the firm you work at and the type of consulting you do. Deloitte for example, is known to be pretty competitive & backstabbing, and offers no wlb which is why I rejected my offer from there. KPMG and Slalom on the other hand surprisingly has good WLB on average and the Big 4 I'm at is really friendly. I don't think I've ever felt the need to compete with anyone else. It's all dependent on your team at the end of the day and if you're lucky to be in a supportive practice.
(E) just saw that you did work at Deloitte. Yep, that explains a lot. That place is toxic af...
My friend worked at Deloitte and she said the people there are toxic so I'm not surprised to read your comment
I worked in tech consulting for 8 yrs before joining a Big 4 again in the same role. I have enjoyed every bit of it.. Joining Big 4 definitely has it's own perks. I wouldn't write it off.. Now I'm also required to work on the management side of a project, working on sales etc. I would've preferred to stay on the technical side of the job, but I'm not hating the other side either. It's all part of your career progression!!!
Some of the points apply not only to consulting jobs though - I loved how you spoke about the fight to get the "visibility projects" and "simply doing a good job is not enough" - like, totally, that's what I've seen in corporate/white collar jobs generally! (Amazon, Samsung, even small tech companies...)
If you're a person who just wants to do a good job silently, you won't be a fit. You need to focus 90% of your time on aggressively selling yourself. So much bullshit...
This is true, but is this possible when you're on client site?
Its important to speak for yourself because you are a part of politics!
Great video Mika. I think for the larger consulting firms what you describe is quite common. It's not for the faint hearted. Though some love it. I've run my own boutique consulting firm for the last 25 years (just 50 staff). A few times over the years one of our team has taken the 'opportunity' to join one of the Big 4. They are usually back with us within 12 months 😳 It doesn't suit everyone, I get that. Others thrive of course.
I never seriously considered going into consulting but this just supports my suspicion that it's not for me. hate competition like that, need a healthy work-life balance, and absolutely despise writing 😅
I hated being in public accounting but it has it's own benefits as well! Looks great on resume and learn great skills but the work life balance was a killer.
The 5 points relate so much to me and more. Thank you for the video. Finally someone brave talking about about the hidden sad reality of working in big four.
One couldn't have a said it better. I can vouch for every single thing she has said. The gist of it would be 'competition' which is fundamentally violence and is not easy to identify if you don't observe life closely. We all know what violence is, we do it and regret it later. I was lucky to work with leaders who were compassionate and supportive, but that's very unlikely in big4.
This was a very negative vision but an awesome video overall, because you really dive deep in things we could never know as we have not experienced them (yet). Thank you for the knowledge shared and all the insights
Hi, I loved you video! Although I’m not going into consulting, I do have a tax internship at the B4 coming up. Do you know or have you heard about whether there is a lot of competition in tax/audit, like there is in consulting? I don’t love those charged environments, but if there is a lot of competition, how would you suggest navigating the politics successfully? Thank you!!
Thanks for posting this. I’m making a pivot in my career towards consulting in the EDI / Culture space. I would love to connect with you if possible and get your thoughts on what that move might entail.
I took a consulting job after engineering cause it came easy and it was a pretty well known international firm, I stuck with it cause the pandemic spoiled my plans to job hop 😂
So I don’t have work life balance issues cause I was an inexperienced fresher but I see ALL of these problems plaguing my older colleagues
I also very casually say not to things cause I know I want to switch careers eventually
The main factor I stuck with the job was the last point in the video: I love to write 😁😁
Once I got the hang of what clients want to hear I was filling decks with numerical storytelling and thinking to myself wow I’m getting paid for this(not much but still😂)
What exactly is consulting? Is it a business analyst type role?
Which firm? Sound like it has balance lol
I'm glad that you are able to stand up and say no to things because that is something I wish I did earlier in my career :/
That sounds horrible! I also hate the fact how these companies try to sell the idea of how great it is to work as a consultant...thank you for shedding light on this issue!
coming from a big 4 tax group I agree with all points! I do see more and more people leaving big 4 (especially post covid) and poor souls remaining will have more and more to work on until the whole industry reforms
Hey same is the case with Taxation department . As i was thinking to join it.
That's right! Attrition rate is super high right now and the ones that stayed back are definitely feeling that burnout. I guess after a point you just stop caring!
I really hope that kind of culture can change for the better :(
Thank you. I’m looking at consulting because I’ve worked in the other sectors (public/private/non-profit) and I’m sure there won’t be less issues in consulting but at least I’ll have the ability to select the projects I’m interested in (once established).
This video is so great. I thought for a moment that my burnout was because I was very unproductive. And it is true, I work about 10-12 hours per day. And also I am working on projects that should be easier and faster to work with other teammates. Wish me a good look and I hope to see a way out! I have 2 months left to complete 1 year. at the company
So so relatable... and so true... being in consulting field myself, i can totally agree with this :( thanks a lot great set of advice for next gen entrants.
Hey Mika, thanks for the perspective, it is true that any consulting jobs can be very demanding and these kind of workloads doest not give any concern for well being of a normal human. Nevertheless though from the business side we still need this kind of consultant often, especially in modern times. I think the government should took a real to remind these consulting agencies that those who worked for them are a real human being, so stop exploiting them so much.
Thanks for sharing. I agree with all the points you mentioned in the viddeo. I was also a consultant from a big 4 company and i really glad that i did this. Consulting taught me how to deal with different people in different situation and manage their expectation which basically is needed for every jobs. However, it is hard to pursue your personal interest in developing a certain skill since you always tend to learn the skills which are required to be the perfect "hat" for the client. And that was the reason i left consulting to pursue the career path which i'm passionate about.
What is it that you're passionate about?
I got my first job at a Tier 1 engineering firm in environmental consulting. I was honestly shocked at the game-playing, manipulation, competition and aggressiveness of my colleagues. Me being someone who cares about others' wellbeing, didn't know what hit me. It is unbelievable how these organisations can promote such a toxic culture. I was efficient and others took credit for my work, stole my projects and more. Two years in I had severe burnout and it took me years to recover but I still feel the effects 10 years later and has severely impacted my career, finances and personal life. Nothing is worth working in such a toxic environment. Thanks for the video. Good luck to anyone wanting to pursue a career in consulting - my advice is to never climb over others in your journey to 'success'.
I think it really depends on what your personality is, what drives you, what gives you energy, what is important to you and what makes you happy. Banking job is more or less the same if not more hours, and I perfect love it. I love the adrenaline, the learning, and how it makes me happy. I prob feed off from it. So each person needs to evaluate what they like before stepping into that career.
I am currently an undergrad, exploring and aiming to get into consulting.. what can I do early on, to ensure that i prepare myself for these limitations? Are there firms/roles which have a better reputation for providing a good work-life balance and help with managing the fierce competition (in general, a better work culture)?
I appreciate this a lot, thank you! You gave lots of specific information about your experience and defined the different terms you used. Very informative!
Loved the video Mika. From someone who’s faced this side of consulting, refreshing to see the opinion is unanimous
Hi guys! I’ve worked for Kpmg for about 2 years now, I hate my life and have developed seasonal depression through the scheduled busy seasons. Take care!
Never stay in any job for 2 years if you hate it!
have mercy! LEAVE!!
Consultant or accountant ?
Whew! You helped me dodge a bullet so to speak. I'm finishing my master's in Human Resource Management and Development at NYU in May 2023. Recruiters are after us, and my gut kept telling me I needed more of this kind of insight than what was being presented to us. Grateful.
Totally agree! Im currently working in advisory of one of big4 and what you said are truth lol btw we also get the good experiences with various big clients as well...that's a good point :)
More Power to you for bringing out the reality of this industry so that one is not making decision to join consulting blindly
I used to think of being a business consultant but changed my mind after discovering that in my country a consultant were usually hired just to say or report just what the client's management wanted to.
Oh god I work with a medium Belgian consulting firm and the competition and work life balance are SO TRUE. I really don't like the environment, but they "buy" you with salary and stability. I hope I will find soon some other opportunities :(
"Why do you want to join consulting?"
"For the exit opportunities."
Hahaha that's true
@Soccercrazyigboman An exit opportunity is basically any job opportunity that becomes available to you once you leave...'exit'...a particular job that otherwise wouldn't be as available to you had you not worked that particular job. In big 4 example, if you worked in a big 4 firm in audit or consulting for 3 years then leave, recruiters might present you with opportunities at big industry companies like Microsoft or Amazon that like big 4 workers. Had you not worked at a big 4, your resume probably wouldn't get as much attention for those opportunities. That is essentially what exit opportunities mean.
@LaMelo Ball I did interview and after 3rd stage they never contacted me
The way I just laughed!!!
lol thisss
Sales Consultanting is for someone who is into improving one's self. It's for people who want to work on their communication skills. It also matters what company and products you are selling. A lot of factors matter. But more importantly are you on your purpose? If not burn out will get you.
Thanks for the video. I graduate in December and Deloitte was my top choice. Glad to have more honest inside information on this
Thank u Mika for sharing a fearless and authentic point of view into consulting industry. What makes me sad listening to that is many if not all of your points for not joining this career are present in most of non consulting jobs. On the other hand, at least a consultant is relatively well paid for that. Actually, after watching the video, I believe it encourages people keep pursuing their place on consulting firms. Again, thanks a lot for sharing this clarifying list.
Hello Mika, admire your patience in crafting this video making it personable and informative. I normally don't comment, but could instantly connect with most from my experience in practice (audit@BigFour) and later in agency recruitment. Few fab. comments and engagement by your followers:)
I kinda resonate with points - difficulty in saying no and on writing. My below-average skills in both have caused issues in the past. On the flip side, I got intrigued to learn about assertive communications, respect personality differences, understand team dynamics. Also make use of writing apps to continuously enhance vocabulary.
On the bright side you’ll learn a lot. For those of us who are not in such challenging environment have to be proactive else you’ll basically forget all your skills.
Wow, I can relate to a lot of this. I am a consultant for a year and a half. But man the toxic work environment is something that gets under my skin. I am still learning how to deal with this properly but man some people are toxic as in putting themselves above you. I have an example where I was late 15 min and a colleague would talk bad about me because of it. Some days later, he was running late 45 min himself, I decided not to talk bad of him, he even thought I would use the opportunity to bash him and he apologized in a chat. I told him that I dont like putting people down for stuff like that and he shouldnt either. I see so many stuff like this being taken advantage of. Its like you always have to be onguard. Like on a project, I was doing the hard stuff while he was doing the easier stuff. You can get more done doing easy stuff and less when you do hard stuff. He would use that as a metric to say that he is good and that I am worse, he would do so behind my back and also since management and project managers are not technical they did slightly believe him. He was also playing politics behind my back to get a promotion over me, in the end we both had a raise. However I decided to quit anyway half a year later and go to another company because of me having so many responsibilities while being in a junior position. I applied for a mid position and got it because I could convince them of my time at that difficult project and being able to take responsibilities. And sure it was a formula for burnout. Hope you will not encounter this, I mean promotion yes but not the toxicity :)
You are lying
Really like this video and just a quick question, how did you change your career path from consultant to software engineer? A video pls!
I work as an independent consultant since 2016 and yes, it applies 100%.
In life, nothing is easy and we all have to pay our dues in entry level jobs. Big4 consulting is a great training to get lots on experience in a kinda bootcamp environment. It's like taking medicine. It sucks going down, but it is good for you in the end.
It's like dog years. One consulting year is like 3-4 years in corporate America. Why? Because you may be working for possibly 3-4 companies in a year and know a lot about each company when you were there.
I worked as a Sr. consultant with PwC and it was an amazing experience. I am now a Sr. VP at an international bank but would love to go back into consulting any time. Consulting gives you a big picture and the networking is great, however, you will be poached. I used to get at least one call/ a day for an interview when I was with PwC. Finally I left PwC for a 80% hike and there has been no looking back since then
I can understand, UPSC is real tough, I would suggest you to make up your mind - govt services or corporate? Based on that you can decide the course of action, if you really want to get into BCG, then I would suggest you to do your masters from a top univ or even better an MBA from an Ivy League, your academics really do not matter when you have good experience
@md md ☺☺ actually I started preparing for upsc but couldn't get through🥺because of stress and wrong strategy corona ruined my prep. I have 5 years gap😞 but somehow I Got a job. I have been an academically bright student but I don't know how to reach parallel to my classmates. It's embarassing to ask others☹️. I was a topper throughout.thanks for your suggestn🥰☺
Any more suggestions if you have. Can you help me what should I do to get to bcg after 1-2years.🙂
I have two more attempts. In upsc
BCG is heavy on MC, they rarely have positions for RC, I would rather suggest you to try at BIG4, since you are in IAM, would suggest you to start with CEH certification, you can then get started with CISM, CISSP and CRISC once you gain some experience in this field, preferably 3 years
@md md hi. I worked in IAM domain in tcs as a fresher before how can i get my way to bcg. Any certification can help me? If you can guide. Thank you🙂
Hi Ana, depends on which field you are interested in, I can only advise about risk management horizontal
I work as a wireless vendor doing due diligence and permitting and what you described is 100% on point. They do try to dump 3x work load on us. Clients are very fickle. Pay is not so great.
After being into consulting for over 7 years, I can say is it's really challenging job both mentally and physically. By end of week you will be too exhausted to even get out of bed. Forget about weekend fun n all🤣🤣
It's doable till the time one is single. After having a family really tough and one has to ultimately compromise on growth.
It's like constantly on a fight between and personal and professional aspirations.
OMG I just came back from Deloitte University, and one of the activities was literally manager/coach acting tough to see how we react. They also brought up out of scope request, and taught us to always ask the manager before saying yes/no.
My god! I wish I had seen this a year ago! You're absolutely nailed it on every aspect of this toxic work! I am a year into this and it is disgusting!
What’s your next step?
I'm currently working in a tech consultancy; I'm pretty new but my experience has been so different so far. I'm blessed to be in a good company that actively prioritises my wellbeing and work-life balance.
Tech consulting might be different. I work at big4 as a tech junior consultant and I haven't experience nothing she mentioned. I guess management consulting attracts these competitive hotshots playing stupid politics.
One of the Big 4 company?
Everything Mika shared is 100% so true! Thanks for sharing Mika!
My 1st job at EY in São Paulo, Brazil. I was feeling myself very aggresive and competitive. My girlfriend was afraid of me and only cried because I was without patient, only business. I decided to quit, I was feeling myself like the American Psycho movie.
im on the verge of accepting a consultant role with the big 4 and this was really helpful! thanks
What’s it been like?
Hi kim,
I am an ACCA affliate, im looking to get into big 4, but i have no idea of the departments or the work they do…also i like baking and management .. what is your opinion on the path to follow
I think it’s important to note that this is not always the case especially at smaller consulting firms.
Yep I've worked in 1-20 people constancys and don't relate to any of what she's saying.
Dear Kim, What do you suggest, in your opinion, which is the best sector, companies or position in the world of finance? to earn a solid income, have a relatively secure job and some free time for yourself?
So glad I work for a small consulting firm, rather than big 4. Totally different culture at smaller firms... we support each other, not compete against each other.
I worked for one of the Big 4 for 7 years. We referred to it as a pimp and whore business. 🤪 needless to say we weren't the pimp. Everything you addressed is so true. Will say some projects were great while others were miserable. So grateful to now be retired.
Oh my god this all sounds terrible! I'm so sorry you had to deal with that! Glad you are out of it now. All my jobs after college had barely anything for me to do including the current one. I'm constantly complaining to my managers to give me more work and constantly feel bored and annoyed. But I guess I should count my blessings instead!
What is your job?
I think it’s a different experience for people coming from industry. You have a set experience level, you come in at senior and just build from there. Worth thinking about…
Like in any large business, your direct manager and senior manager are key to your success and happiness during the first few years. If they maintain a decent culture, you will like it. If they are not able to say "no" then they will take out their aggression and frustration on you...and not allow you to ever say no!
This video is way underrated. Every point was so logically explained. Thanks Mika❤️💐