Two years ago as I reflected back on my career, I decided to begin documenting some of my stories and lessons learned to share on a blog. This exercise quickly turned into pages of a book on the topic of as Introduction to Consulting Book which is currently being edited for release sometime in 2018. Staying true to the original intention, I will begin to post sections to this blog as well. Hopefully it helps those new to consulting!
As I sit down to write this book, I am closing in on my fourteenth year of consulting. I have long since abandoned my core C++ and Java programming skills I learned in school and went into data-driven analytics Business intelligence role, which has allowed me to see the best of all worlds in an organization from the front office, back office and their technical setups. Living in the data gives me a unique view into not only seeing the lifeblood of how an organization really operates but allows me to see a rich history of how it operated in the past and the opportunities it may have in the future.
In my fourteen years, I’ve been on seventeen different projects, working in nine different industries, and I have stayed in hotels in over thirty different cities. I’ve eaten steak in one of the finest steak houses in New York City and eaten cardboard pizza at the Greenspoint Houston Mall lovingly referred to as “Gunspoint” mall to the locals. I have worked in tiny boutique firms as well as large worldwide sized firms. I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the finest doctors in the country, disgustingly wealthy hedge fund partners, and I have spent hundreds of hours with “Janice from accounting” sifting through spreadsheets or “Steve from operations” listening to him complain about his boss and his two other offers lined up. FYI, Steve is not going anywhere.
Of course my experience in consulting has had its highs and lows. There are days that will live on in my memory of fist-pumping excitement, high fives and dinners where we had one too many Old Fashions. Those contrast with days I break down in my car, scream and give my Toyota steering wheel an undeserved beating, soon followed by an apology and a car wash once the emotions leveled out. The one thing that I have never faced is regret for my career choice.
I decided to write this book to share my experiences and lessons I had wished others had shared with me when I entered the world of consulting. It can be a mine field, and it is not for everyone. For every two coworkers I’ve seen succeed, I’ve seen one fail. It’s an industry that will eat you alive if you don’t know what you are doing or have the right mentorship in place. Unfortunately, a lot of firms do not have the right mechanisms in place for folks new to consulting and that is the gap I am hoping to close as best as I can with this book. Many experienced consultants will disagree with what I have written here, which of course is fair. Your goal as a new consultant is to gather as much information as you possibly can and make what you feel is the right decision for you. Lesson one, you need to be able to defend your decisions.