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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.

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.

The exit opportunities at the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG & Bain) but also at Tier 2 firms (Strategy&, Oliver Wyman, Arthur D Little) are endless. The most common exit is definitely to corporates - especially to former clients. It makes perfect sense for clients to hire a consultant they worked with in the past as they have proof of their work. Other very common exits are to Private Equity and to start-ups. But there are also uncommon routes like politics or straight into retire