5 ms·

I don't regret going to management consulting after college. In my opinion, it's the best possible career choice for people who don't know what they want to do.

I don't regret going to management consulting after college. In my opinion, it's the best possible career choice for people who don't know what they want to do. In my time in consulting, I was exposed to people in every corporate function possible, and had the chance to see what their jobs were like. I worked for tech companies, PE firms, corporations, and government-regulated entities. I spent 6 months in growth equity and got to learn what the buy-side is like. If I had known then what I know now, then I would have told my 21 year old self to go work at FB or Amazon or some small startup. But the value proposition for the firm I went to was unequivocal. We will pay you a lot. The opportunities you have when you leave will pay you even more. You'll get to work with other extremely smart people. You will see a ton of industries. You will be able to go to whatever b-school you want when you're ready to apply. And if you get good at your job after a couple years, your hours will go down substantially.

wagermethis 15y ago
i was in consulting too. i played a lot of ping pong and was grossly underpaid. but life was pretty good.
jimmyhwang 15y ago
I agree with you. I just recently quit my consulting gig and I would tell my 21 year old self to work for a company that creates "real value." But the experience I gained during my 2 1/2 years exposed me to multiple industries and I starting thinking much more "strategically" when analyzing businesses. Also, I worked with probably some of the smartest people you could assemble (less a few "odd" ones). Also, the expense account was nice and fed me well.
bocmaxima 15y ago
FB and Amazon turned out just fine without your help, the only reason you wish you had worked there was in order to extract and benefit from the great pool of wealth and prestige. Your value to society is nil for as long as you spend more mental energy consuming more than you create. Remember that all highly educated people bear a responsibility much greater than ourselves, and this responsibility is fulfilled only by sacrifice and discomfort.
- vecter 15y ago
  Remember that all highly educated people bear a responsibility much greater than ourselves, and this responsibility is fulfilled only by sacrifice and discomfort. I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, but assuming you're not, why do the highly educated have any greater responsibility than the less educated?
  - bocmaxima 15y ago
    You can be sure that I was not kidding. Any form of education, combined with intellect and curiosity is a privilege that (believe it or not) a lot of people don't have. Some possess this virtue without the means of attaining it, while others bear the Fortune without the virtue. To be educated and intelligent is to possess a great tool which can serve many if put to good use.
    - roel_v 15y ago
      Are you seriously suggesting that people have some form of 'obligation' towards the others, just because they were born with/in a certain intelligence and environment, and that therefore they should relinquish their freedom to do whatever they want for the benefit of the others? If so, and if you're not trolling, I am seriously discomforted and even appalled by your apparent proposition of a fascist or communist "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" morality.
      - deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
      - gizmo 15y ago
        We are so advantaged compared to the rest of humanity it isn't even funny. We have opportunities other people would kill for. We are in a position where we can make a meaningful positive contribution to the world. To throw that all away would be a huge waste. You don't have to sacrifice personal happiness, but yes, if you're in a position where you can do good and if you then choose not to do good I do consider that somewhat unethical. Working hard for people like us consists of sitting on a chair and listening to music while we type for 6 hours a day. Maybe another 4 hours or so of chatting and planning and sketching out ideas. While the rest of the world is born in a position where the choice is between backbreaking work for 12 hours a day or being unable to feed the family. Yes, we have the freedom to lounge about even though a billion people are underfed or living in otherwise miserable conditions, but who can in good conscience exercise that right?

wagermethis 15y ago

i was in consulting too. i played a lot of ping pong and was grossly underpaid. but life was pretty good.

jimmyhwang 15y ago

I agree with you. I just recently quit my consulting gig and I would tell my 21 year old self to work for a company that creates "real value." But the experience I gained during my 2 1/2 years exposed me to multiple industries and I starting thinking much more "strategically" when analyzing businesses. Also, I worked with probably some of the smartest people you could assemble (less a few "odd" ones). Also, the expense account was nice and fed me well.

bocmaxima 15y ago

FB and Amazon turned out just fine without your help, the only reason you wish you had worked there was in order to extract and benefit from the great pool of wealth and prestige. Your value to society is nil for as long as you spend more mental energy consuming more than you create. Remember that all highly educated people bear a responsibility much greater than ourselves, and this responsibility is fulfilled only by sacrifice and discomfort.

vecter 15y ago
Remember that all highly educated people bear a responsibility much greater than ourselves, and this responsibility is fulfilled only by sacrifice and discomfort. I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, but assuming you're not, why do the highly educated have any greater responsibility than the less educated?
- bocmaxima 15y ago
  You can be sure that I was not kidding. Any form of education, combined with intellect and curiosity is a privilege that (believe it or not) a lot of people don't have. Some possess this virtue without the means of attaining it, while others bear the Fortune without the virtue. To be educated and intelligent is to possess a great tool which can serve many if put to good use.
  - roel_v 15y ago
    Are you seriously suggesting that people have some form of 'obligation' towards the others, just because they were born with/in a certain intelligence and environment, and that therefore they should relinquish their freedom to do whatever they want for the benefit of the others? If so, and if you're not trolling, I am seriously discomforted and even appalled by your apparent proposition of a fascist or communist "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" morality.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - gizmo 15y ago
      We are so advantaged compared to the rest of humanity it isn't even funny. We have opportunities other people would kill for. We are in a position where we can make a meaningful positive contribution to the world. To throw that all away would be a huge waste. You don't have to sacrifice personal happiness, but yes, if you're in a position where you can do good and if you then choose not to do good I do consider that somewhat unethical. Working hard for people like us consists of sitting on a chair and listening to music while we type for 6 hours a day. Maybe another 4 hours or so of chatting and planning and sketching out ideas. While the rest of the world is born in a position where the choice is between backbreaking work for 12 hours a day or being unable to feed the family. Yes, we have the freedom to lounge about even though a billion people are underfed or living in otherwise miserable conditions, but who can in good conscience exercise that right?