The Cure for the Common Job: Consulting
In a phenomenon called “The Great Resignation,” millions of people have quit their jobs in the last two years since the global pandemic began. Those millions include people working in professional and business services. In August 2021 alone, 706,000 of professionals in these sectors resigned.
When burnout, a lack of work-life balance, and general dissatisfaction with your job makes you contemplate quitting, what can you do? When your job is not working for you anymore, but not working is not an option, it’s time to find a cure for the common job.
Why not consider consulting?
What Is Consulting?
Consultants provide professional advice, opinions, analysis, or other input to an organization, team, or manager based on their own experiences on a similar topic or field. For instance, a marketing consultant is usually someone with many years of first-hand experience in marketing, who can assist companies with implementing strategies, tools, and technologies.
Picture it: You’ve accumulated a lot of wisdom over the years. You’ve worked diligently in the same career and seen industry shifts, new advancements in technology, and solved big problems and driven some impressive outcomes. You have a wealth of knowledge; other companies pay good money to learn what you already know.
As a consultant, you draw on the knowledge you’ve collected through your career to help companies fast track solutions. Most importantly, consulting allows you to do so on your own terms.
Reasons to Become a Consultant
To be clear, consulting is not something you do instead of a job. Consulting is simply a different kind of job. Just like a business analyst, project manager, or marketing rockstar, you’re still trading time for money. You have key responsibilities. You work with other people. You have a schedule with a timeline of deliverables. So why would you choose to become a consultant?
As recruiters in the consulting field, we talk with consultants every day, and we’ve seen some general patterns emerge as to why some professionals choose a consulting career.
Renewed Enthusiasm for the Job
Many people didn’t realize how burned out they were until the pandemic set in and we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of major changes to the work environment, all while juggling more personal responsibilities. Mental exhaustion, low energy, a lack of enthusiasm for your job, and lower productivity are all signs of burnout.We talk to candidates every day who are experiencing this. They still love what they do; they just need a different model to continue pursuing their passion.
Growth
Ever feel stuck at work? Not stuck like you can’t go home, but trapped in a job with nowhere to go. Lacking any room for advancement is a big reason people start consulting. They don’t want to keep doing what they’ve been doing, but they also don’t have anywhere to go next. Sure, you could always switch companies. But you’d likely be doing more of the same, just next to a different office plant with an unpredictable future. Consulting allows the best parts of you to grow. You choose the projects you want to work on - projects that use the skills you want to use or that enable you to stretch and grow your experience.
Work-Life Harmony
Without question, work-life balance has gotten out of whack for many professionals in the last two years. One recent survey found that remote workers spend 10% more time plugged into their jobs each week. Perhaps you’re feeling that it’s harder to find the on/off switch and even harder to leave work at work. The work days seem longer and you may be pulling double duty at home trying to get your job done while caring for kids or taking care of a household.
Or maybe you’re just working too much. You spend too many hours each week at your job and not enough being present for the important moments in the lives of your family and friends. You’re on the road or in the air all the time and can’t seem to catch your breath. When you do finally get some time off, you’re too exhausted to do much more than rest or tackle an ever-growing to-do list.
This was the case for one of our new consultants. She went from working crazy hours at her corporate job to just 25 hours a week doing work she loved, which gave her both professional fulfillment while allowing her more time to spend with her elementary school-aged kids.
Freedom from Workplace Politics
Nothing kills an ambitious spirit like corporate red tape. You may love what you do, but corporate politics makes it hard to implement your ideas, make progress, and enjoy the rewards. You feel that no one hears you and your talent is going to waste. It’s hard not to take it personally, which makes you second-guess your entire career.
No matter your reason for wanting a switch, it’s easy to feel trapped and confused about what your next move should be. These are all good reasons to start consulting, and they’re among the top motivators for consulting candidates who come to Prime 8.
Should I Be a Consultant?
A consulting job has a lot to offer the right person — for starters, an attractive salary. Across the industry, salaries vary by experience in your functional area, experience in consulting, education and certifications, hours worked, and the exact role (e.g., a marketing consultant vs. a business process consultant).
In our work, we find the pay varies widely between clients; some clients pay more for a consultant than others. There are times when consultants make a comparable amount to what they made as full-time employees—but without having to put in a comparable number of hours.
Although some consultants moving from full time corporateroles may receive less vacation/PTO/holiday time, consulting is still an attractive option because of the overall benefits package combined with the worklife flexibility that consulting offers.
What about job stability? Working with a consulting firm can help with that. For example, instead of contracting one-off jobs on your own, when you work with firms like Prime 8 that have strong existing client relationships, roles are presented to you. You evaluate the opportunity against your goals and needs and get to choose whether to accept it or not. WIth this approach, you have the option to work as much or as little as you like. You’ll also get benefits and perks – but with more freedom and flexibility to work in a way that works for you.
How to Start Consulting
Love what you do, but need more control in your work life? Want to get off the hamster wheel? Consulting is the cure for the common job that puts you in the driver’s seat.
Learn more about the role of a consultant and how to get started by visiting our Consultant FAQs and browsing our open consulting positions.
