Should I take this offer ?

That feeling of taking a "cut" after earning the MBB premium is tough, even when the new role is genuinely compelling—it’s a psychological hurdle, not just a financial one. But we need to look past the nominal numbers and focus on what you're actually gaining.

Here is the strategic reality check: You are currently optimizing for cash flow, not career capital or quality of life. The salary difference is almost completely illusory. A 5% drop in total compensation coupled with a 30–40% decrease in housing costs means your real disposable income is likely going up significantly. You are buying happiness, fit, and location stability at virtually no financial cost.

More importantly, look at the job itself. You are moving from an Associate role (execution and analysis) into a managerial role overseeing a team, defining market strategy for AI infrastructure, and reporting to an MBB alum who understands how to leverage your background. This is a crucial pivot: you are transitioning from selling generic consulting hours to owning a strategic P&L area in one of the most exciting domains available. That leadership experience, especially building a greenfield team, will be exponentially more valuable on your resume two years from now than merely having stayed longer for the salary delta.

Don't let the anxiety over the initial paycheck overshadow a massive career opportunity that offers a better lifestyle fit. You are leveraging your experience perfectly. Take the role.

All the best with the transition.

Hi there!

Such decisions are never easy, but they always come to you in one form or another. ;-)

Let’s deep dive into some pros and cons - they may be useful in helping you make a decision.

Advantages of exiting MBB for a hometown job

1. Work–life balance: I assume you’ll have more manageable working hours, be closer to friends and family, and enjoy greater overall sustainability
    
2. Growing industry insight: Transitioning from MBB, where you’re often a generalist, to building expertise can be a strong move, especially in a fast-growing environment like AI right now
    
3. Bigger shoes to fill: It could be a great leadership opportunity to have people working directly or indirectly for you. You may also gain some P&L responsibility and more freedom in project execution, which might be something you’ll thrive in
    
4. Possibility to return to consulting: I know quite a few examples of people returning to consulting after a startup or business stint

... But there may be some drawbacks too

1. Is a 5% financial downgrade really apples to apples? I would compare full compensation including annual bonus. Additionally, you may expect salary growth in MBB - is that also the case in the new role? In three years, will the difference still be only 5% on a base salary basis?
    
2. Have you extracted most value from consulting? Your decision should also consider where you are on the consulting learning curve. If there’s still headroom for growth, it might be worth staying a bit longer
    
3. Operational depth: In consulting you work on 1–3 month engagements and don’t often go into deep operational detail, which may be the case in a startup or business environment. You may encounter a whole new level of meetings that could have been emails, or recurring tasks such as chasing monthly targets

Hope some of this helps you make your decision!

Best of luck,
Kacper

Hi there,

If the work, environment, and city at MBB don’t feel right, that’s a real signal and not something to ignore. On the offer side, the role itself sounds strong and the fact that cost of living is much lower helps narrow the gap more than the headline salary suggests.

One thing I’d clarify for yourself is what you realistically expect to get from staying at MBB for another one to two years. Ask whether that upside in skills, brand, or exit options is something this new role would not give you. If the opportunity in front of you already meets most of those goals and actually excites you day to day, taking it now may make more sense than staying unhappy just for the logo.

hey there :)

If the role excites you, the team feels right, the leadership is strong, and the cost of living drops that much, then the small pay difference usually matters far less than the overall quality of life and fit. A 5 percent total comp gap is rarely worth staying somewhere you already know isn’t right. The new role also gives you ownership, growth and a clear path to build something, which is hard to find. If your only hesitation is the base salary, I’d still strongly consider taking it, and you can always negotiate a review after six or twelve months.

best, Alessa :)

Hello!
This sounds exciting :) But i get the feeling when you were hoping for a higher salary. 

The way that you speak about the role and describe it, its like I can feel your energy radiating off of the screen :) That is not something that should be ignored. Additionally, its wonderful that an offer is coming in around the time you're deciding that the MBB might not be the right fit.

My suggestion would be really to take stock of your values/priorities at this point in your life (likely they're different than they were a couple years ago and they will change again in a couple years). Once you determine those really important factors, try and write down your 'ideal life'. What does it look like, what are you doing and how much does it cost?

Often, we need less money than we think we do to be happy, however if you have a big savings goal or paying down a debt I understand the pull of the salary. Decisions like these are so important to write things down and get quite vulnerable with ourselves.

Happy to chat further if helpful! Good luck!

Hi there, 

You sound excited about this prospect. It sounds like the salary is the only thing that you don't find attractive. 

Have you discussed this openly with them? Have you explained what the gap is and asked them whether they could close (at least part of) the gap? They might be open to it. 

Still, if you're keen on the opportunity, you should rather take it. It's pretty normal that compensation when leaving MBB is at the same level or lower. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

From your description, this new opportunity sounds like a much better fit for you and you are also really looking forward to it. 

In my view, happiness in the job is probably more important than the 5% gap in total comp. Many consultants exit with even bigger cut; ~10% is quite common for better life and more enjoyment of the job. 

Best,

Emily