I just finished my Bachelor's degree in computer science and consider working towards becoming a Data Scientist / ML Engineer at QuantumBlack / BCG Gamma. Still, I am wondering how the work-life balance is in comparison to “normal” consulting. From my limited knowledge, I'd think that for good modeling and Data Science it'll be hard to concentrate for ~12 hours per day.
Hi there,
Haha, yes, it would be hard to concentrate for 12h per day in a data science role.
But realistically a data science role in a consulting company will require you to do more than coding. You'll also have to interact with the client to understand their needs, work together with your team to define the end product, perhaps coach more junior client team members and so on. That's where the 12h go.
Still, overall, from my experience of working with data scientists in McKinsey, I would say that they worked slightly less than us in terms of number of hours. But that was mostly the case when they were working remotely. If they were on the ground at the client then they would stay for as long as we did.
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:
In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.
Best,
Hagen
On average, shorter than in ‘normal’ consulting, though longer than in other DS/ML. Usually also less travelling than in ‘normal’ consulting.
Nevertheless you can commit yourself to great but demanding projects with long hours, travelling, and high requirements. Often these ones are the most memorable.
Don't put yourself in the mental trap about DS branch of McKinsey thinking it's a DS firm. Still it's consulting and you won't have 12 hrs/day for DS.
Hi there,
It's generally better compared to normal consulting but worse compared to other specialist jobs in tech.
I worked in a number of McKinsey projects with QB folks and they really liked it! Not sure about BCG but generally speaking, these divisions are quite separate also in terms of culture/workload. This is no coincidence, it's by design and part of the employee value proposition that is different from the consulting core.
Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!
Moritz
(edited)
Hello,
Yes, while it is still a lot of hard work, the work life balance is better than regular consulting.
All the best!
Rushabh
