What is it really like to work as a consultant? Is it fulfilling and fun? What is involved in it? Does someone have to be really skilled with statistics and figures as well?

Q: What does consulting work look like – is it fulfilling and fun? Do I need statistics knowledge?

Hi, Krishna,

To the first part of your question, let me agree with Gaurav in the previous answer. The consulting work and apprenticeship journey are very fulfilling and fun. Not only do you learn a lot and at a fast pace, with tons of support from peers, mentors and professional development staff, but also you can clearly see that you are generating meaningful impact on the client. As for the fun part, yes, it is very fun! Since you spend a decent amount of time in the team room with your team building analysis, discussing storylines presentations, trying to beat the clock, you start sharing your anxiety, questions, accomplishments with your team members and bond with them. It starts as a nerd-like type of fun and then you gradually expand it to other domains with the people you can most relate with. The only thing to have in mind, in my opinion, is that it is an intense job, both in terms of pressure and working hours. So you will likely start off with plenty of energy but then, after a few months, you can start feeling tired and stressed. At that moment you should consider taking some rest – although it sounds obvious, there are many people who do not take vacations. Having said that, if you considering to give a shot to consulting, I fully encourage you: make a preparation plan, study, be consistent and go for it. I never met someone that regretted working in consulting – seeing it as waste of career time – or only preparing for consulting interviews – it will definitely be helpful to other career interviews.

For the second part, although firms hire people from different backgrounds, one is expected to be very familiar with basic math concepts, not necessarily statistics. No need to be brilliant or do math in your head, but you should manage basic math operations well, be able to round numbers to approximate solutions, recognize orders of magnitude, etc. If this is your Achilles' heel, don’t panic: there are many support materials with techniques and exercises that allow you to get up to speed within a short time. Let me know if need tips on that.

Best of luck in your journey!

Being a consultant may be a fulfilling and interesting job! It keeps things interesting since you get to work on a variety of projects for different businesses. It requires a great deal of analysis, problem-solving, and interpersonal interaction. 

Although having a solid understanding of statistics and mathematics is helpful, it is not the only factor that counts. Both the ability to communicate and to understand the larger picture are crucial. Although it will need a lot of work and perhaps lead to tight deadlines, it can be quite satisfying to see your solutions truly make a difference. 

It may also be a lot of fun since you get to work with intelligent and driven individuals! All things considered, being a consultant involves learning, difficulties, and having a beneficial effect.
 

Hi,

Thanks for the question - I could go on for hours about my time in consulting, and I have much to share and talk about spending ~9 years there. 

I'll give a brief personal take on it, and im happy to chat more offline. 

As a consultant, your job is going to a mixture of engaging with people (internally and with the client), problem solving and conducting analysis, and generating output (i.e. slides, most of the time). 

If i look back at my time in consulting, yes there were many fulfilling parts of it. It was fulfilling to see myself fail or hit a wall, and eventually grow and overcome that wall. It was fulfilling to come up with a great solution or practical workaround to an annoying problem or obstacle in the analysis or process. It was fulfilling to hear the client (that was difficult to you at the start) say thank you at the end of the project for helping them.

Was it fun?  I think it was interesting/fun to have been able to see and experience different clients, projects, locations and environments - for example, I once took a 8 hour car ride to the remote middle of Sri Lanka as part of a project. 

But i think what really made it fun were of the people who were there next to me. At Kearney and BCG, it was the team mates who shared the downs and ups, and made jokes when everyone was already working past midnight to crack the room up in laughter.

You don't have to be skilled with statistics or have a background in math. I speak from experience. I studied History in college, and I didn't even pass math in my pre-university courses. But you do need to be able to be comfortable thinking quantitatively and dealing with numbers. 

More importantly, to really enjoy the life in consulting, I think you need to be someone who is open to ambiguity and discomfort, and someone who believes that to a certain level ‘from the hottest fires comes the strongest steel’. There is much growth and development in consulting, but it's not always a walk in the park :)

Hi Krishna,

If you want to get a good understanding, I have written a book called Consutling Career Secrets. You can find it on Amazon.

I dive deep into everything related to the life of a consultant. It does not only help you understand what a consultant's life looks like but also how to perform well and enjoy your time in the industry.

Give it a try.

You can also watch the workshop I recorded with PrepLounge on a chapter of the book about Work-Life Balance in Consulting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VK8wL_xsmQ&t=487s&pp=ygUKcHJlcGxvdW5nZQ%3D%3D

Cheers,

Florian

Hi Krishna,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• The honest answer to all your questions is: It depends - on your aspirations for a career, on your specific tasks on the project aso.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on this matter, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen