Hello everybody, I have recently joined one of the MBB firms as a new grad. It is my first job out of college, and for the context, I've never had a corporate internship let alone consulting internship. It's been 2 weeks and starting from day one I have been working from 8 A.M. to 1 A.M. Honestly I have never felt that tired in my life, and I am struggling in the job as well. I don't know how can I handle it because it makes me feel physically fatigue. One of the most common advice I get is to finding something that I like to do as a hobby but I literally have no free time on weekdays and on weekends I really want to stay at home. Will I get used to it or the job is not for me? I am looking for your recoms as well. Thank you!!
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I really get where you’re coming from. I spent about 10 years at BCG; started as an Intern and left as a Principal, so I’ve had my share of both great periods and really rough ones. The ups and downs are just part of the job, and over time you do get used to it; not saying that’s a good thing, but it’s the reality.
If I’m being honest, early in your career, work will take over a big part of your life. At that stage, you don’t yet have a reputation internally, so it’s harder to push back. The main goal at the beginning is to prove that you’re reliable, committed, and consistently deliver.
The good news is that it doesn’t stay like that forever. Once people trust you and see your track record, you get much more room to push back and manage your workload on your own terms. That part comes with time.
I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s how it tends to play out. In the short term, I just hope your current project calms down a bit. A lot depends on the case; clients matter, but honestly, the biggest difference usually comes from the PL/EM. That can really make or break the experience.
If you want to discuss feel free to DM and I'd be happy to share my experience
Best,
Franco
BCG was the best experience I never want to have again.
If I went back in time, I would 100% do it again. But I will never do it again in this lifetime.
It's the marines. You become your best professional self there. The training, the learning, the network, the brand, the experience, the people.
It's up to you to decide if it's worth it.
I highly recommend you read my consulting survival guide
Here are a couple of snippets from that guide, based on what you've said:
1) This job is inherently stressful, and you are not going to be the first person to struggle with stress. Consulting firms have mechanisms in place to try to keep consultants from burning out. If you are struggling, reach out early.
2) You need comrades - your people for the really good and the really garbage days. Find them and stick to them.
3) There will always be pressure, but not every task will make or break the bank. If the success or failure of the project relies solely on the one slide you're making, there are bigger issues going on.
4) Keep a one-page version of the case story up-to-date every couple of days.
5) Always bring solutions, not problems.
6)You learn so much more when you are fully transparent about what you don't understand.
7) You will do your best work once you are okay with being fired.
8) Your Project Lead/Principal is not inside your head. Learn how to communicate and guide their attention to what they need to know. Work to their style and your life will be easier.
9) You have to stand up for yourself. And people will respect you for it (98% of the time).
10) People's perception of your performance is just as important as your performance.
11) Communication is as important as content. Communication isn't what you say, it's what they hear.
12) Being good at the qualitative aspects of consulting (presentation, communication etc.) is significantly more important than being good at the analysis/excel/quantitative side of consulting.
13) Consulting is a confidence game. Always have a strong opinion, lightly held.
