Management consulting - in or out?

During one year, I have been gathering for and against impressions about working in management consulting, Now, I finally have a more round picture of this topic.

The main reasons for going into consulting are:

- If you don’t know for sure which industry you would prefer, consulting is a good option as it allows you to get a grisp of different industries in a short period of time .
- Type of activity – is very diverse, not in terms of the type of work that you’re actually doing, but rather in terms of areas/ topics / problems that you analyze.
- People – team work is the norm in consulting. If you like to argue for your ideas, to learn from others then that could be one place for you to be. Furthermore, consultants are known for being very analytical people, who tackle every problem in a structured way. They are also highly motivated to succeed and are willing to invest long hours in order to achieve this.
- Finally, it a springboard into middle management positions in external companies.

However, when you decide whether you should go into that direction, you should be aware of the following aspects:

- The activity is project-based, so basically you work in concentrated time frames. This means that you have to dedicate long hours to your job.
- Travel – is extensive. Expect to leave early on Mondays to different destinations and visit hotels, but not the countries. Do not expect to be home during the week. Friday is usually “office day”, which means that you return to your home office.
- Consulting is an intensive period in your life in which you have limited time for other activities. However, this is highly dependent on the office and country in which you are based.
- From consulting you acquire general industry knowledge, but not company specific. You have to be aware that if after such an experience you choose to join an external company, you won’t be offered top management positions, but rather middle management jobs. There is also the option of opening up your own business. In this case, consulting know how helps in developing and evaluating a business opportunity, as well as in leading teams, motivating people and understanding what are the key areas of each business.

Thus, it would be wise to evaluate your alternatives wisely:
do you want to be in a very active environment with extensive learning, work with very motivated and highly competitive people, but have no life outside it

OR

do you prefer to grow within an industrial company and have a more balanced lifestlye, but not as high results in terms of learning intensity and financial benefits?