Career coach Maggie Mistal outlines the pros and cons of a career in consulting

Maggie Mistal began her career as a consultant. She is now a certified life purpose and career coach and Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Career Coach on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. I am also proud to say that Maggie is my amazing coach. Today, Maggie shares her insights into careers in the consulting industry:

My professional career began with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, from new hire up to manager and through the Enron debacle. Though a difficult finish, I enjoyed my years in consulting and believe it’s a great place to begin your career. Here are some pros of this path:

Learning. As a consultant, I received a lot of training and mentoring. Andersen had a dedicated training center where employees from all over the world would participate in orientation, management and industry training. There was a formal mentoring program. My manager also helped me develop as a professional. I learned how to solve problems, manage others and present my ideas.

Variety. It’s hard to get bored working on different business problems with different teams in different companies. As a consultant, there is always something new to do.

Exposure to the C-Suite. Even as a junior consultant, I was able to interact with the executive team at my clients, including CEOs, chief operating officers and other top people. I was able see firsthand what executive presence meant and I was trained in how to emulate that in front of clients.

The Excitement (and Hotel Points) of Traveling. Every project presented an opportunity to travel to a new location—domestic and sometimes international. Our team would work at the client site week in and week out, staying at a hotel nearby. All that time together helped us form solid working relationships.

Salary and Benefits. In my experience, consulting offered more money and time off than many other fields. We also had regular performance reviews and a real opportunity for bonuses and promotion.

Those are the pros. Now for the cons:

Lack of Work/Life Balance. As a consultant, the demands on your time increase as you move up the ladder. As a manager, I was expected to not only complete client work during the week but also spend evenings and many weekends working on proposals to sell new client work.

The Stress (and Jet Lag) of Traveling. There are upsides to travel, but also downsides. After seven years of living out of suitcase, I definitely reached my limit on the glamour of business travel. I also had several clients who were not in the most interesting locales!

Unpredictability. It can be hard to plan a life outside of work when you never know where your next assignment will be. Many consultants will spend a year or more on an out-of-town assignment. When you are at a client’s beck and call, you are not in control of your daily schedule or your life.

I chose to end my consulting career with the end of Arthur Andersen. Though sad, for me it all happened for a good reason. I would have had a hard time saying goodbye to a place that had offered so much support and development early on in my career. (I’m not the only one. Here’s an article from another Andersen alum with her takeaways.)

Again, consulting can be a great launching pad. I recommend it to anyone looking to work with smart, motivated people while developing transferable skills that apply in many careers. Today in my coaching practice, I continue to use the skills I developed as a consultant and have helped other consultants translate their skills into new careers So, if the pros outweigh the cons for you, consulting may be a great fit, even if just for a few years.

Click here to read more articles by Maggie on her blog