Do you work for a major consulting firm? Talk to me about work/life balance

cecilyandgautam

I really enjoy my current work portfolio working for the gov and the work/life balance couldn't be better, but my salary isn't that great. Not bad, but not great and we could pay off our student loans so much faster if I was in the private sector. I think I could really enjoy the work at Deloitte, Bain, etc but would I be working 60 hours a week? I could manage 50, but I think I'd really hate 60+ if it was my regular schedule. 

I'm looking for personal stories of how you balance the demands of that kind of firm with your family. Several of them receive awards for being family-friendly because they offer paid maternity leave, which is awesome, but what about the day-to-day stuff like getting home in time to put your child to bed?

Thanks for your thoughts.  

DallasHorn

I do and have for 15 years. I am now internal, but my first 10 years I was in an external client facing consulting job. I think the biggest challenge is travel...if you live in certain cities, you can possibly never travel (eg. DC, Houston).

Work/life balance depends on so many factors including the project, your supervisor, etc. I personally never worked a 70 hour week when I did consulting. I rarely worked more than 55 hours. But do I know people who pulled all nighters...sure.

When I moved internally, there was a big drop off off executives particularly when contuling folks had kids (as was my case), however it does appear things are getting better since more people are working in towne so balance is better and I see more and more higher level consulitng women executives..

cecilyandgautam

Thanks for sharing!

I am in the DC area, so perhaps I wouldn't have to travel much. I don't mind traveling if I can take my daughter with me & hire a local nanny (just got back from a 3 week international work trip and this worked out great!).

Are promotions deliverable-based or facetime-based? I'm willing to come in early and work a longer day that starts at 6:30/7, but I'm not willing to stay much past 5. When big deadlines come up, I don't mind working from home for an hour or two in the evenings. I guess my point is that I'd be up for putting in hard work, and perhaps a 50 hour work week (more every now & then), as long as my work would be recognized. If Joe Shmo is going to get the credit for being inefficient but in the office 9:30 - 7, while I'm working hard from 7am - 5pm, then I'd feel demoralized.

I'd love to hear more about your experience. We can chat offline as well. 

FemShep

Are you coming in as an entry-level consultant?  Are you a competitive candidate (good transcript from a good school)?  

From what I've heard, consultant hiring is tougher than ever right now, and the competition is very high for new positions.  Keep in mind that depending on your discipline and skill set, you may be expected to work onsite at a client, and your work hours will be largely dictated by their needs.  I've hired consultants, worked with them as peers, and married one, so my experience is from a slightly different perspective, but fundamentally consulting is a client-driven business and you have to do what makes the client happy. If a client needs a project done *tomorrow*, well, that's when it needs to be done.  If a client works from 10 AM-8 PM, your hours may be expected to change accordingly. 

financialdiva

After college I worked for a Big 4 accounting firm. I lasted a little over two years. DH worked for another Big 4 firm at the time too, and for the first 6 months of our marriage, we didn't even live together because the client he was assigned to was located two towns over and was working long hours so they put them in hotels. 

During busy season, the hours were very long. Think 12-14 hours per day, 6 days a week for weeks, sometimes more.  But, during non busy times they were 40-45 hours weeks. I personally couldn't hack it, lol, and that was without kids. BUT the experience I gained in that short time really had an impact on my career. I now work for a corporation in house doing income taxes and work 40 hours a week, no travel and make a very good salary. 

They do have flex scheduling for some. I know a few women who worked 80% and the like. So when we were on 40 hour weeks, they would work 32 hours, but when we were working 60 hours, they would work 48, etc. However, they had also been with the firm for years and "put their time in".

Anyway, I couldn't do it, but if you have a DH who didn't have a demanding job, you could most certainly figure it out if it was important to you. GL with your decision. 

cindybaf

You can do it, but it's not for everyone.
Dh is a business consultant for a large accounting firm. If I hadn't met him in college, and he hadnt worked at a consulting firm for the past ten years I'd think he was cheating on me. He goes to work at a local clienthe usually has to travel, but got placed with a local client since we just had a baby. He leaves at 7:30am, comes home after 9 or 10pm. And when something needs to be done ASAP he stays the night at the office and showers in a hotel room the team will get for the night. We put up with this because the money is good and he has to pay off an expensive MBA. But it's not sustainable and we know that.