This blog entry is kind of overdue, I know. Quite a few friends of mine asked what is it like to leave the life of a consultant and work in the industry. Instead of spending time to type lots of words, I depict my view in the graphs above.
I guess the graphs exaggerate the situation a bit. Ha ha ha … love to poke fun at my friends who are still in this trade but I am sure they can somewhat relate to what I am trying to say. To those who are new to the consulting business, it is not usual to see a consultant who is expected to deliver a lot more in a much shorter time compares to his counterpart at the client side. After all, that is how consultants create value and charge an obscene amount of fees … of which only a tiny fraction actually goes into their pockets (hence the yellow bar). To be fair, consultants don’t just create value by putting in extra hours that they do, no doubt. Depending on the sophistication of the consulting company, some are able to draw best practices, global talents, and connection with external partners to get the job done with a snap of the fingers. For those who are inspired and have the potential of being one of the bosses who take home bulk of that absence fees, by all means, please do stay and excel and while you are at it, please don’t forget you have dear friends like me who love to be pampered with sumptuous meals and expensive gifts.
10 years kind of seems like a long time. And I wanted some new perspective in my working life. So I have decided to join the industry that I spent most time with in the past. A decision well advised by some old friends of mine long time ago (an equal number of friends if not more advised me against it). At a first glance, working in the industry may seems a bit slow and relax compares to the consulting lifestyle. That is true to a certain extend. What it means is that you can just do what you are expected of and have time to take care of other priorities of your life. Or you now have the space to do a lot more and hopefully be recognized.
I am still new to the job. Who knows what comes next. We shall see.
14 replies on “FAQ – How’s Your New Job?”
Wilfrid! I so like this entry! I cannot help but so agree with that graph and what you wrote. The stark difference which you illustrated is prompting me and sending me obvious signals… I need to find my dream job in… THE INDUSTRY! Haha.
JT! Ha ha ha … I thought someone may be able to relate to that graph. Well, if you do see yourself being a partner one day, make no haste in moving into the industry as yet 🙂
The graph depicting your current situation looks really good Wilfrid! I don’t know what the ‘industry’ you’re in but being able to focus on other priorities in your life seems like a good deal. Really!
Ivy, I think looking at just three factors, current situation looks good. Of course there are other factors for comparison that I will find out more as time goes by. Oh, being in the “industry” means join the client environment. So if one has been a consultant to telecommunication industry, he or she may wish to join SingTel or M1. Or if one has been a consultant to the financial services industry, that will be a bank.
Geesh. Re-reading my previous comment, I think I sound incoherent. Plus the grammatical errors! Yikes. Apologies. Brain’s pretty dead by 2am. Haha.
Nah, I know client versus industry. I am just trying to figure out the exact industry you come from. Care to reveal? (*wink wink*)
It’s ok, you’re entitled to your privacy. But for someone who’s into music, have jamming sessions and writes so well…I actually struck out certain occupational categories you will fall into. Call it stereotyping. Sigh. Human Ivy.
Ivy … sure I can tell you that … I am currenty a banker-wanna-be 🙂
hahah…how so appropriate. But the term “consultant” might be too loosely used. A project manager is also a consultant, and others too. It’s better to be a consultant that “do” more than “talk”. 😛
ahhh…. The financial and banking sector is big money lah, other industries not so leh.
Ahhhhhhh reading this entry brings back bittersweet memories. While I used to say I never had enough time, now I think I have more time than I like!
Maybe I should join the industry too…. But then again, my industry was …… hmmmm…….
Don’t you miss your consulting days at all Wilf? Cos many times, I do! So much!
Tigerfish – Hiya … I guess I am referring to “external” consultant versus “internal” consultant. It is actually quite a bit of different 🙂 Meh, I love to be the one who talk rather than to do … ha ha ha.
ECL – True true … I am more comparing external consultant versus working in the industry. Usually for those industries that don’t pay that well to the people, being an external consultant to that industry won’t earn that much either. I once had a lead on tyre company. Honestly, they fell off their chairs when I quoted them the rate … lol.
G – Do I miss my consulting day? Strangely, not at all at the moment. What I do miss is the role of leadership. But when I was leading teams and all, what I felt lacking was the domain skills. Hence now pay back time to forgo the leadership exposure and work on domain stuffs I guess 🙂
Hahaha… As the saying goes, consultants are “jack of all trades, master of none.” I can relate to G’s feelings when I wasn’t working last year. Too much time on hand and I miss consulting then. Now, having sank my feet into consulting again, I am thinking otherwise. Haha. What a love/hate relationship I have with consulting! Since I am away, I still have time to think if it is consulting or industry…
Hey JT. I can certainly understand your love hate relationship with the consulting world. For me, I had my great passion as a consultant. Somehow I just need new perspective, see new things, gain new network and perhaps simply, “seeing from the other side” (poor Oracle consultants whom we are working with right now … “yes, we need it by tomorrow morning”). One day, who knows, I may return to the consulting world – not before I have gained what I set out to gain 🙂