Burning Out at MBB in ME After Just 5 Months—Is This Normal?

Question

I’m 25 years old with 2.5 years of work experience (non-consulting), originally from the EU. I joined MBB in Riyadh 5 months ago. It has always been a dream of mine to work at MBB in the Middle East (mainly as a way to prove to myself that I could do it + prestige/status)

Now that I’ve achieved it, I find myself hating every second of it. I’m constantly anxious and stressed. My life has become all about work, with no time to relax (including many weekends). I’ve stopped enjoying things I used to love.

While I knew in theory this could happen, I still wanted to give it a try. After all you only regret the things you don’t do...

My question is: I understand I’m still adjusting to this new environment and lifestyle, but how long should I push myself to stay and hope it gets better before deciding to quit?

Answer 1

Hi there, first of all, sorry to hear you’ve had a terrible experience. I had a similar issue when first joining MBB in Southeast Asia. Non-consulting background, joined when I was 26 and experienced crippling anxiety and weekend work for 6 months. So you’re not alone.

The unpopular thing to say is that it’s up to you on how long you choose to fight on and when to move on to something else. A few questions to help you make the decision:

1. Is this unsustainable lifestyle due to your specific client, your project leadership, or something else like the nature of the Riyadh office? Ask others in the office as well as people in other offices what their lives are like, you might find that your specific project is simply not the best fit for your interests or skillsets, or perhaps you’ll find things more bearable in the culture of one of the EU offices

2. What feedback have you been receiving? Are you still doing well in performance reviews or have you been told you’re struggling? If it’s the former, it might be that you’re relatively acclimatised to the work, but you just struggle with elements (in #1) that take your energy and motivation away

At the end of the day, the reality is that the job is not for everyone and you could be a lot more successful in another position. Important that you know your boundaries and if the job stretches you beyond your boundaries, then it’s totally ok to consider trying something else. It’s a reflection of how rigid the firm’s expectations are rather than your personal capabilities and values

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Hi there,

I am so sorry for this situation. I have experienced the same, 26 years coming from heavy industry and realizing the job was quite different from what I expected.
I think Nicholas nailed it. I would add one thing to keep in mind: this experience can open many doors to you, specially if you hang in there for 6m-1y more - if this is feasible from a health perspective (I mean it). During this time you’ll also be able to connect more with leadership and peers that can guide you and ultimately will support you in future external roles.

Good luck, I hope things to get better!

Mari

Answer 3

hey there!

Thanks for sharing. What you're feeling is more common than you might think, especially in the early months at MBB in high pressure regions like the Middle East. Many new joiners experience a steep adjustment curve, both culturally and in terms of workload. It's okay to feel overwhelmed.

That said, give yourself a realistic checkpoint, maybe around the 9 to 12 month mark, to reassess. This gives you time to settle, build some support systems, and see if the pace becomes manageable. If your well-being continues to decline, it's valid to reconsider your path. No prestige is worth long term burnout.

You're not alone in this and you haven’t failed. You’ve proven you can do it, and that insight alone will carry weight in whatever you choose next.

Alessa