I've been an independent consultant for two decades and take a lot of pride in my work. My clients constantly express delight with the results I deliver.
I recognize why people would want to coast along in an environment like the author described while collecting their free money, but I don't understand how they can manage to go on like that for months or years, without meaning or job satisfaction. It sickens me. And its the kind of bloat that gives consulting a dire name.
This kind of fluff job isn't great if it's your whole life; but it's perfect as a backdrop to a passion/hobby. Perfect day-job for, say, a novelist, or musician, or other type of person who's trying to "make it" in a way that first requires years of no-return investment.
You might say that such a job is soul-killing — but that's still better than a job that leaves you without the time or energy required to pursue the passion you want to dedicate your life toward. Many people using a job as a clerk, barista, admin assistant, etc. as a backstop to this sort of pursuit, would kill to trade that day-job in for this one.
Entry-level management consulting is infamous for long hours and insane travel (pre-COVID, anyway). You're not going to have the time or energy for passion projects when you're spending every waking hour banging out PowerPoints and waiting for your connecting flight at O'Hare.
Three friends of mine are management consultant senior partners/associate partners at McKinsey. They echo the same - you're not going to be having the time or energy for passion projects or even family.
I attended a workshop at the local McKinsey office in college as part of some minority recruitment push they were doing. The recent hires were very up front that most of the work is just looking up the "best practices" for the industry and situation in their internal wiki and presenting it nicely. I quickly realized it was not the career for me.
The communication workshop on the other hand was pretty useful, wish I had saved my notes. For better or worse the way they're trained to communicate is laser focused on how execs like to be spoken to, seemed like a useful skill to have.
I don't think you are relating to these consultants.
They are smart, ambitious, and care about perception. From experience, the lot of them truly enjoyed the work. It seemed like paradise for the analytical mind, the networkers, the career-driven, the optic-obsessed.
Consultancy is the realm of the ambitious number cruncher seeking recognition.
Its not the realm of the artisan, or the practical problem solver.
I am looking into boutique consulting these days, and would love to hear a bit about your experiences, service focus, and impact on private life. Would you be up for chat?
I've been an independent consultant for two decades and take a lot of pride in my work. My clients constantly express delight with the results I deliver.
I recognize why people would want to coast along in an environment like the author described while collecting their free money, but I don't understand how they can manage to go on like that for months or years, without meaning or job satisfaction. It sickens me. And its the kind of bloat that gives consulting a dire name.