How long do I stay in my current T2 consulting firm before making an exit?

Question

Hello everyone,

I hope you are doing well! I am completing nine months as a Business Analyst 2 in a T2 consulting firm in India. I often consider exiting my firm due to the stress involved, even though I really value the learning I get on my projects. Would you suggest that I exit consulting soon, and if so, after what minimum time?

I have completed three short cases (3 months spent on all combined), and the rest of my time, including the past two months, have been on BD work. I feel a lot of stress often during my work, making me consider an exit as soon as I can.

I would value your advise on the following:

1. What is the earliest I should leave consulting?

2. What is the minimum set of skills (aka consulting toolkit) would you suggest developing before an exit? Currently, I haven't had any client exposure and advanced modeling assignment.

3. Given that I am on BD work since two months, and most of my colleagues get staffed quickly, would you suggest taking any steps to get on a project? While my utilization is low, I have been rated highly (cohort+1, cohort+2) on my end of case reviews.

Other points to consider:

Most of my work has been from home. I feel it might be adding to the stress levels.

I am currently in the mid year review cycle. If things go well, i might get BA 3 verbal confirmation in August, though formal cohort movement happens only in February next year.

Thank you for your time!

Answer 1

Hi there,

First and foremost: nothing is worth more in life than your health. No job or experience :) Only you can judge if the current level of stress is affecting your health - if so, please prioritize the health, you will not regret it in the long run.

If you do think your current stress level is high, but manageable, then you can consider some of the below guidance to your questions:

1) When to leave consulting?

Ideal times are typically after a promotion if one is in sight and / or two years. This is considered “the norm”, but there is huge variation to that and plenty of great reasons to leave earlier.

One such reasons could be finding a job that is a better fit. Practical advice: start looking for one in parallel.

2) Set of skills to have acquired?

In an ideal case (if such thing even exists) it would be problem solving, communicating effectively - written, such as slide making and in presentations + some client engagement. The rest (such as the advance modelling) would matter more or less depending on what you want to do next.

3) Steps to get on a project?

You should absolutely do your best to be staffed on a client-project. There is plenty to learn on a BD, but it is always better to be on a billing case, from a lot of reasons (e.g., billability, learning experience, team and client exposure, etc.)

On the working from home: can you physically go to the office? It usually makes a positive difference, and as a junior there is so much formal and especially informal stuff to learn that just works better in person.

Hope this helps,

Ariadna

Answer 2

Hi there,

Tricky situation to be in. Sorry to hear!

1) I would wait for at least the 1-year timeline, ideally 2 years. 2 years is usually the time when your market value increases significantly and headhunters start to reach out.

2) Given your time within the company, you should have had way more client experience and even client leadership experience (e.g., leading some working-level clients on topics, and running smaller client workshops). I would push for this

3) You need to get staffed on projects away from home. This can improve your work-life balance, help you gain more skills (esp. strong client hands), and maybe make it a more enjoyable experience.

Cheers,

Florian