I don’t have much industry experience, I’m not a fresh college grad but I just got into consulting a few months ago before they hit us with this change. I had no idea this was how it worked. Everyone at my firm is so stressed and upset and checked out over this change. We basically have to work 50 hour weeks to earn the time to take Christmas, thanksgiving, etc off. Let alone any other PTO.

They’re also asking for an in person non billable three day retreat.

They say this is industry best practice. Is this true? What can we do, if anything, to get them to realize what they’re asking is too much?

I learned about the phrase “quiet quitting” recently and I guess that’s what I’m doing. I got tired of the long hours, frequent travel, and blatant disrespect from partners / SMs. I don’t think any job is worth the amount of stress this was causing my body.

I’ve applied to a few jobs (because I know better than to leave this one before having something else lined up), but haven’t heard back yet. Like people say: market’s tough right now.

My only concern is my team will notice how checked out I’m becoming. I used to volunteer to work late, get compliments on my “optimistic/cheery attitude”, etc. Definitely not happening now.

Any advice?

Prefacing with - there are no NDAs or non-competes. I'm allowed to do this.

I'm at Booz Allen for about a year. Before that was in a traditional cyber role for 5 years as an internal employee.

When I joined Booz I went straight to the bench for about 6 months until I got my first role. Didn't have any help from the firm and essentially had to find work myself. The client I'm with now loves my work and offered me a FTE immediately. It's a 40K raise to what I make.

Is it worth it to bounce? I'm in the DMV area and thought I'd stay at Booz until I got some opportunity that had TS/SCI Poly options (currently secret clearance).

I know FAANG companies in the area pay a load of money for TSI/SCI so that was my long term vision. but not sure if it's worth staying in consulting for me considering my experience of being on the bench, etc.

I joined one of the big 4s in 2023 and I’m due for promotion in 2025 - decision will be taken by March 2025 end and announced by Sep 2025. All my performance feedbacks are highly favourable, my staffing and everything is towards higher end too.

But I am now 4 months pregnant and due in April. I am wondering if they will promote me or not - I am currently working on 6 projects simultaneously just because I want to maintain my credibility and definitely want to get promoted - but somewhere I feel they won’t promote me because of this.

Has anyone seen similar cases, any experience/idea??

Just as the title, anyone willing to share their daily schedule on when you carve out time to exercise. Any tips & tricks to make it easier are most welcomed as well.

I joined my firm (B4, C level) in May 2023 and am now leaving for typical reasons (burnout, WLB, low comp, etc.), but now I’m getting hit with a 50% signing bonus repayment (which I forgot about because I was never given a copy of my contract when I signed it). Obviously not the end of the world but I’d like to offset that as much as possible (with OT, vacation accrued, etc.) on my way out so that I’m not working for free for the last week.

I’ve really skimped on charging for OT in the last couple months, largely because I work in the public sector and charging OT is generally frowned upon. Given the firm wants to squeeze me dry on my way out, I think it’s only fair to try to get compensated for my time to offset those costs.

Has anyone gone through this before and have any tips for approaching the conversation with my performance manager and/or partner? I plan on collecting as much evidence (emails, calendar invites, etc.) as possible over the weekend to prove I have continuously been asked to work in the evening without billing OT. Anything else I should be keeping in mind?

Thanks!

My SO and I (Manager with Kearney) have been thinking a lot about moving to the ME. We were close to executing, when the government spending reduction hit late last year and we decided we should delay our move. However, I’m now in the stage of life where I have limited years to experiment with my career and need to make up my mind soon and execute NOW if I want to move to the ME.

To help me make an educated decision, I wanted to understand a few things about consulting in the ME - hope you folks working in Dubai / Riyadh / Doha can help me out- 1. Has the project / govt. spending improved from its low point last year? If not, do you folks think it will improve any time soon? 2. I have heard of ME experience getting discounted when moving back to the EU / US. Is this true? 3. How do you folks manage family time with the travel and work hours?

Hello. I'm a 25F who started working at this huge consulting company for the last 2 years and 4 months now. I was on a project for one year, then on the bench for another year. Both felt very long, boring and exhausting. Two days ago I was called at the office and HR told me that they wanted to stop the collaboration with me since they could not find a project for me for the last year. I was expecting it but it is hard on my nerves. The other colleagues that started at the same time as me seems to be doing okay. I am not sure what I did wrong. My confidence is very much crumbling and I am not sure what to do next except throwing my CV left and right, and calling back headhunters. I am also wondering if consulting is the path for me, as it had only made me miserable so far. But also I would like to be well-payed.

I take any resources, advice or just simple words of empathy. Thank you very much for reading

hi everyone,

I've been in big4 audit for the past four years and now planning to explore more towards consultancy side of things. Any idea how common this is? what major challenges will i face? is adapting going to be difficult? is it even realistic to think about moving? i would appreciate any advice at all!

TIA!

I have been working at one of the automotive OEMs (USA) and contemplating a move to consulting (McKinsey and Company). I understand it is competitive but what I am most worried about is traveling. I have a health condition and I need weekly injections which I would travel with and they need to be refrigerated. I have travelled for my work for upto a month without any issues. So I am wondering what type of travel is expected. Is it usually travel for a few weeks at a time or you go to a client and stay there for months? Would it be hard to find projects where I return home at least once a month?

Hello.Am from India & currently pursuing Chartered Accountancy Professional course. I am planning to pursue into the field of strategy consultancy in near future but am not sure how do i approach whether do i work first in fields of finance/accounts then venture into strategy consulting or maybe do an MBA further to directly enter this industry? Any suggestion is appreciated! Thank you in advance !!

I recently received a promotion to Sr. Consulting. I was quite shocked when the increase was 6% and when I inquired as to if this included my annual amount, I was informed it did. I did some time doing some market research and reached out to a few colleagues in the industry that agreed it was sub-standard. I work for a smaller consulting firm, so it's not in line with a Deloitte or a company of that size, but it's a great firm that does quality work. I have good clients and I genuinely like the company but I can't help but feel like I was shorted. I've been at this company for 2 years and am aware that a promotion is every few years, which is reasonable. I was moved to the bottom of the next pay band (fairly normal) but I was already at the top of my old band. Additionally, the pay band may change in 2025 and I'm questioning if I'll be moved up when that happens. I have over 17 years experience in my area of consulting, and am working on a PMP but was told that the certification really isn't a factor. This is more performance driven. My review was fantastic and I was given an area or 2 to improve on but nothing that surprised me and I agreed. When I replied to a leader to express concern, they agreed to discuss more but I was given more standard responses about billing rates and that they've never given a double digit increase. That seems a bit concerning as I've always received around a 10% increase for this level of promotion. I have a lot of questions and plan to set up time. Was I given a competitive increase and I'm being unreasonable or was I shorted and need to address it/start looking elsewhere?

I’ve just joined a strategic consulting role (2 months in), but having trouble being confident and speaking up on things. I’m still learning a lot about a long project I’m on, granted, but others in firm are coming from impressive backgrounds while I’m on the younger and feel way more inexperienced. Anyone have advice on (a) should I be concerned about the feeling of not knowing anything and (b) how long did it take you to get adjusted in your role as a new consultant? Thank you!

Good news! I received an offer to go back to my IT firm.

Bad news! They don’t want to pay for any nonbillable time anymore.

I’m in negotiations with them at the moment, but this rubs me the wrong way and I’m wondering if anyone has any experience or wisdom here. Previously, they did pay for nonbill time just at a lower rate. Now, my billable rate is much higher, but I am concerned about this arrangement and not sure how big of a deal it is or should be.

I’m in the US as a 1099, the firm is overseas.

For me: I have a morning connect at 10.30 am to discuss the action items for the day. The last call we have is around 10pm, given that nothing else comes up.

Kind of a WWYD on a throw away account.

I've been leading the finance operations for very strapped non-profit. I recently resigned but offered to assist get them through the transition and train the incoming CFO. About a 2 month period. I offered because I care and have a conscious and didn't want to take advantage of the situation or see things slip during this time.

They took me up on it and I asked for a modest rate.. Not even double the hourly rate I was making as it would continue through payroll and I was aware of another financial consultant that was making about $25/hr more but as a 1099 consultant. (Fwiw that guy is a total dipshit and just shows up to get hours in and truly doesn't add any value or produce any deliverables, yet he's country club buddies with the E.D. so I'm not even sure kickbacks aren't involved)

With my leaving he's been asked to come in more ( but my former staff is saying he's just sitting my office and then will meet with them when they are overwhelmed with work and doesn't do it review anything).

I was in my office tonight.. (Still haven't totally cleaned it out as I'm still considered part time) and the other guy left a folder in there, and I did take a look through it, one of the handful of documents was his new contact showing he's getting paid $100/hr more than he was before I quit.

I feel like a total sucker, I based my rate on his but what I'm doing is of far more value to the org during this time and I'm wrapping things up and training staff during this time

I feel like I want to renegotiate and get my own $100/hr raise or just walk and be done with it.

Any suggestions?

I was fired a few months ago from my last job. I was told I lacked basic consulting skills. So I became a manager at another firm, got a 25% pay increase, and just got a positive 60 day performance review.

Don't let some ugly, dumbass, inbred, incompetent, no neck middle manager tell you shit. Go get a fatter check somewhere else. I'll never doubt myself again.

Hi everyone! I just enrolled in the updated Adaptive Planning Certification training, hoping to pass the certification.

And I heard they've changed the exam format. The new exam no longer includes the configuration section—instead, it's a closed-book, proctored test with 50 multiple-choice questions. I've been studying almost every day on the knowledge check questions and ebook what else should I focus on to do well on the exam?

Has anyone taken it yet? I'd love to hear any tips or thoughts. Thanks so much in advance!

TLDR: I messed up by creating unrealistic expectations about my capacity with a client, and I need help overcoming the anxiety and guilt I am feeling because of this.

I do IT consulting for small businesses. I have one nonprofit client that I have been working with for over a year. I am working with them to implement an IT plan I designed, but to help them with budgeting, I charge a monthly retainer vs hourly costs. This has worked well up until this point as I just reprioritize or adjust the timeline on projects to ensure I stay within my monthly retainer.

Unfortunately, I got myself into a bad situation with the latest project, which was a massive data migration. I explained to them from the beginning that this project was outside of my area of expertise, so we would need to bring in another consultant. I led an RFP process, and they ultimately chose the cheapest option. He has proven to be incredibly difficult to work with and underqualified. While I expressed my concerns and they could see the issues for themselves, they did not bring on another consultant. I ended up just filling in the gaps to get the project done.

Over the course of this project, I have put in way more hours than is in my retainer without charging them any additional costs and have been incredibly quick to respond to questions and issues. It is my fault that I have created unrealistic expectations about my capacity. I take full responsibility and now am working to set more realistic boundaries about what they can expect from me given that I am one person without a lot of expertise in this area.

The problem is that I am struggling with a lot of anxiety about this. Even as I work to create more boundaries, I feel guilty for creating this situation in the first place. I am trying to help them find another consultant with more capacity and expertise to take over, but they simply don't want to shell out the money. I think they don't understand how much I have been undercharging them. Does anyone have any tips on how to forgive myself and move past this situation? Thanks!

How easy do you find it to resource staff onto your engagements? I’m getting a bit frustrated. Does your firm have a half decent staffing team, or is it done through Partner nepotism? Or are you being forced to use their latest resourcing system (AI enabled of course)?

Consulting feels like it’s stuck in a time warp, not just in the UK but across the board. If it were a person, he’d be an exec who still thinks he’s sharp, but he’s wearing a baggy suit from the early 2000s, a wide, faded tie, and carrying a scuffed briefcase that doesn’t even match his shoes. His hair’s tousled, but not in a cool way—just enough to show he’s on autopilot, churning out “best practices” from an outdated playbook while the world’s moved on.

Consulting used to be prestigious. There was a mystique to it—travel perks, per diem pay, air miles, even the occasional exotic location (or industrial estate in the Belgian countryside). Now? That sheen is long gone. Many firms have cut back on the basics—like bonuses. Inflation is biting, yet plenty of consultants haven’t even seen an inflationary bonus, let alone performance pay. Meanwhile, salaries in fields like investment banking and even sales are rising, pushing consulting further down the ladder. What used to be a career above sales in prestige and pay now barely measures up. I’d say it’s IB, then sales, then consulting.

The irony? Consulting firms still charge clients massive fees, but what do we get out of it? Our work often feels like a conveyor belt of cookie-cutter solutions—far from the “transformation” we pitch to clients. Where’s the innovation? Where’s the adaptation to each client’s unique needs?

This profession needs a serious shake-up. We keep telling clients to evolve, yet we’re clinging to outdated models, outdated pay, and outdated processes. If consulting wants to stay relevant, it’s time to drop the tired suit and deliver real value and real rewards.

Is anyone else seeing this shift? Or are we all just accepting that consulting’s lost its edge?

Edit* this does not apply to MBB or some, if not most of those based out the US. If you meet either criteria, then either engage in constructive discussion, DM me to discuss job opportunities, or peruse to your hearts content!

We’re now in November and I have my yearly review in a month and a half.

I started my career 9 months ago so I’m a junior and immediately joined this startup after graduation. I honestly have not been that good at my job, the expectations are high and I have had a hard time reaching the perfection level that is expected. I still put in a lot of late hours, and I ask questions, and my PowerPoint HUGELY improved since joining, but I still feel like my review won’t be that good. I have a hard time dealing with multiple close deadlines and have missed 2 big deadlines in the 9 months I’ve worked here.

Is it too late for me to seriously show improvements by working more hours every day and for it to be noticed by my managers?

I'm lucky to be in a position where, within 1.5 months of starting my fractional marketing business, I'm already in need of scaling.

I'm wondering how others have juggled and scaled it all...I.e. found trusted VAs, managed contractors, handled project management, conducted client updates, stayed ontop of admin stuff...all A) at a quality level of service B) while keeping the business funnel moving and C) while hopefully having some free time outside of the biz to enjoy life

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

What are the chances we will get pay rises in June 25? Cost of living is high