Case Interview Hub Blog

GenZ demands work-life balance, flexible hours, and meaningful work. Consulting demands 12-hour days, all-nighters, and results for $150K a week. Former McKinsey consultants break down where the cultures clash — and whether it can actually work.

How can a 22-year-old advise Fortune 500 CEOs? Short answer: they don't — at least not alone. Former McKinsey consultants walk through what a typical week actually looks like, from Monday morning check-ins to Thursday evening flights home.

You exited consulting for a better lifestyle. But nobody warned you about the freeloaders, the slow pace, the corporate politics, and the disappearing support systems. Former McKinsey consultants share the 6 things that hit hardest after leaving MBB.

How many hours do MBB consultants actually work? We break down three real sample weeks — a great week (54 hours), a typical week (67 hours), and a week from hell (100 hours) — plus the drivers and red flags that determine which one you get.

Job cuts, beached consultants, delayed promotions. The consulting industry has been in a slump since 2023 — and 2025 brought a fresh wave of layoffs. Former McKinsey consultants explain what's really going on at MBB and whether consulting is dying.

How do you actually get staffed on projects at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain? We break down the official models, the four factors that really determine where you end up, the "staffing black market" nobody talks about, and how it all changes as you get more senior.

People often think that the lifestyle of strategy consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain is glamorous. But is this really the case? The truth is that a lot of the glamorous elements of the job become tedious very soon. Flying business class and staying in 5 star hotels is nice. But doing this every week becomes tedious very soon because you spend half of your life in hotel rooms and in transit.

There are multiple reasons why consultants leave the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) voluntarily. One of the main reasons to leave is the desired lifestyle improvement. Closely linked to the work-life balance improvment is the desire to travel less. Travelling is cool at the start of the consulting journey but sitting in a plane multiple times per week becomes tedious relatively quickly. Morever, the desire to actually have P&L ownership is another big factor.