Age= XBSc abroad at the age of (X-8), MSc abroad at (X-7), PhD in London at (X-3), Post-doc and career change at (X-2), Junior Consultant at (X-1) made Consultant in 2008, always in a small strategy firm in UK, rather specialized.When I left academia/research I was looking for financial security in my life (after realizing I did not have enough passion to carry on as a researcher/lecturer), but I was ready to sell my soul for new challenges and tasks, as long as properly rewarded this time when carried out impeccably. Unfortunately, my salary is around 30K with 20% bonus (anattainable as business is going down the drain and we are financially sustained only by HQ), very much at the lower end of the spectrum according to "Top-Consultant 2007 Salary Benchmarking Report". Because of business approaching "zero" I have spent the last 70 days sitting in front of the monitor trying to motivate myself the best way I can. I lack the basic business knowledge not having an MBA or even a relevant first degree. My professional growth decreased to zero after a decent start last year (yet had very little formal training). I dedicate all my spare time to reading management & economy textbooks, but I have no direction (haven't a clear idea of what should be studied first and where).Never commuted in my life (now 2 hours a day spent on the train - fair enough), used to work daily with Nobel prize winners during my MSc and PhD years (now my brain in stand-by mode together with my work pc), salary not enough to buy first house and start climbing the property ladder at the age of X...not enough to enjoy life if you're trying to save for your first house...No friends left in UK (all fled after PhD), no friends at work (age difference too wide, have all families out of M25, I haven't and live in zone 4),grew up without parents, not willing to go back to home country (links and career perspectives very poor there)...I need difficult problems to be thrown at me to be solved, I need big challenges, I am competitive to the bone, I need to be busy, I am organized, a hard worker, I am methodic but need to express my creativity at work, I want money...Ok, I made a mistake, or many mistakes, but that is the past...and I am trying to look at the future I deserve.....and most of all, I am totally uncapable of resigning to my current status!I love travelling, I love meeting people...The only reason I am not looking for another workplace is only because I believe that moving now would be like throwing away my 1-1/2 year experience, and in any other bigger firm I would have to start from scratch again, X not = 24 anymore...Am I making a mistake? Is it possible not to waste 1-1/2 year experience moving now? I am thinking of waiting for another year. My brain is like frozen in a loop, I am psicologically paralysed...I need advice (of any kind)...I need help...

Angela,I hope somebody could help here...maybe a chat or an e-mail to cunning headhunters is the right solution...I think headhunters might be the key here...sorry, I cant help more...

Hi Angela, welcome to the club. A lot of us on here work our socks off and get nowhere. I'm in a similar salary and of a similar age to you.However, you have one trump card that I do not: Get married, have kids, and have your husband support you. That's what a lot of women (particularly the pretty yet financially reckless ones with huge debts) tend to do when they need a bit of a financial lift.

Hi Ms Kint,Get married, have kids, and have my husband support me would not be a solution, but an insult to my intelligence. I know that somebody out there would do that, but for me is out of the question.I hope somebody understood the real essence behind my post, and is willing to give it a go and give me his/her advice, or even just an opinion, what they would do if they were in the same situation...Well...meanwhile...I wish all the best to you all, out there..

Sorry Angela, didn't mean to offend you. Just thought it was a good practical idea for getting out of a financial pickle. With a PhD I don't think anyone would think you aren't smart. There is nothing wrong at all with being a housewife by the way. What was your PhD in, maybe that could open up some avenues?

Don't despair Angela....I must admit I kind of feel for you at present but there are many people in your shoes, not that that should be of any solace to you as you are clearly the kind of person who takes responsibility for their own career, so do it.My view for what it's worth is that you should move on. 1.5 years is long enough to assess whether or not this place you are working is a good fit for your aspirations.You don't say what your qualifications are in BTW but you need to update your CV and have a chat with a quality recruitment firm, ideally one who specialises in the area you wish to work.So, what are you interested in and how does that match to a potential sector/role?? Only you know this information but be clear on what you want to do next - you need identify what it is that you have to offer a firm.Get thinking and do something!

come on paralysed?please, stop being so melodramatic

AngelaI can sympathise with much of what you say - I did a highly rated PhD and then went into consulting as a grad. ...however:- you need to relax. You are clearly hating your current situation. But you need to take the long view. Wait till at least two years experience before moving on. I can't comment on where to go etc, because you don't mention what sort of experience you have.- I think the MOST important thing to do now is to stop self-pitying. - You are clearly going through personal issues (no friends etc) which is compounding your work worries. You should enjoy your life outside work. Make this a priority when you're not busy at work. - When you had a career change, you went in essentially as a graduate (as did I). So look at it from that perspective. You are doing pretty well for a graduate with 1.5 years experience.- Do NOT rue the fact that you are older. Just accept this and move on. You are not stuck in a loop - this is just how you feel. You can do anything you like, so look to the future and stop regretting the present and past. This will all seem like a moment in time very soon.Good luck!

Angela, I think that's good advice from sock puller. A couple of additional comments I would make:I'm guessing from your comments that you're probably about 30. That's not really that late to move into a professional career - I've known people do it much later in life. It's frustrating for you that your PhD and all your other academic background doesn't seem to count for much in the professional world, but that's not unusual.It's true, as sock puller says, that you're effectively a graduate with 1.5 years' experience - but you're more mature intellectually than other graduates with a similar level of experience, and all other things being equal you should be able to progress more quickly. At this stage in your career you do tend to do a lot of grunt work: it should get better (i.e. more interesting/stimulating) reasonably quickly as your career develops.It does sound as though the company you're working for is not a great place to be, though. If you've been there 18 months I wouldn't have any qualms about starting to look for other work now. Don't just run headlong into applying for other jobs: spend time figuring out your career goals and what steps you need to take to achieve them. By the time you actually move jobs it will probably be around the 2-year mark anyway.If you can afford it, you could think about seeing a career coach. They're usually not cheap so it may be very difficult on your salary, but they can be very useful for both guidance and motivation.

I've been in a similar position and i think your bleak outlook on work is a clear signal to move on. An 18 month stint is more than enough time not to have a negative impact on your CV - i've done this myself more than once and you need to remember that not all jobs turn into enjoyable learning curves of development, and faced with a dead end you should act sooner rather than later. In your interviews just explain that you've had 18 months of good development but you're now faced with more of the same and you're not being challenged enough - these are the things many employers like to hear.

Jo Jo, Sock puller, Expat and Mr S. Kint, thank you so much for your posts.As somebody said, to disclosure my background would help me with this thread; here we go:BSc and MSc in theoretical Physics - PhD in PhysicsProfessional Experience gathered so far: Light Engineering and Construction Ind. (strategy)FMCG (strategy, business and portfolio analysis)Minerals and Metals (strategy and portfolio analysis)Oil downstream - supply chain - (operational effectiveness, costs etc.. with all major and some smaller players)Energy (business analysis)Both Expat and Sock puller's posts have kind of convinced me to start working on my CV again, though I realize now that at this point it would look rather weaker than 1-1/2 yrs ago, I explain:2 yrs ago I could provide a 2-page CV where the first page focused entirely on my strong academic background , now at least half of this page will have to be disposed of in favour of a very weak "work experience" section...am I wrong?Though it might look that I have worked in relatively many sectors in such a short time, in my case # of sectors = # of project, and they barely lasted more than 3 weeks each, a part from the oil downstream, where I had more than one projects and lasted all many months...in 1-1/2 years I could only gather 160 billable days...the good thing is that I travelled a lot and always met and engaged client's top management, I did the dirty job of a junior, but I was always present and talked at the meetings...nice pro of working with small consultancy firms...I think...This is the bigger picture......and plz...I hate to be considered melodramatic...I am simply a woman who needs help to get going again with her life and who seeks advice from much more experiences professional in this forum...

Angela, forgive me but you incredibly annoying. Take some responsibility for your own situation and do something about it; you seem incredibly passive, like your career is something that happens to you, but you feel you deserve x.y. and z; lesson for you - noone deserves anything, we all earn it. You're not earning it so go somewhere else. First you're stuck in a dead end, then you cannot encapsulate your CV in two pages, next you'll be telling it's all hopeless because you don't know what font McKinsey like to see CVs in.Go and do this and stop complaining, and stop being so passive:I quote (you): 'the good thing is that I travelled a lot and always met and engaged client's top management, I did the dirty job of a junior, but I was always present and talked at the meetings'. Stop talking like that, in fact stop thinking like that. This says 'I achieved nothing - I was there to make the tea'.I quote (you, again):'BSc and MSc in theoretical Physics - PhD in Physics Professional Experience gathered so far: Light Engineering and Construction Ind. (strategy) FMCG (strategy, business and portfolio analysis) Minerals and Metals (strategy and portfolio analysis) Oil downstream - supply chain - (operational effectiveness, costs etc.. with all major and some smaller players) Energy (business analysis)'.Put that on the top of your CV (the white bit under your name and contact details). THAT will get you an interview with any half respectable firm. Trading in 1.5 years of experience is not a loss - in a bigger firm and with your education, marturity and experience you will make up the lost ground and more in a matter of months.Lose the self pity and the passivity or get out of my office.Go to it. Work done. Who's for golf?

Angelatake no notice of Mars, chin up and take the valuable advice offered in previous posts!find yourself a good career coach, this should give you some perspective and allow you to get into searching for your next job without the desparation you're obviously feeling now - this will make you more marketable in the long run(nothing more off-putting as a recruiter than a desparate candidate).hope this helps

Mars' reply is valuable and I still appreciate his opinion.You convinced me that I should really updated my CV first. I will update my profiles in sites like monsters.co.uk, jobserve, milkround.com, total job, efinancialcareers and reed, than start looking for possible new workplaces directly, starting from TC career opportunities...I have grown a little mistrust towards job descriptions posted by recuiters as for the only one case I know the job turned up to be much less challenging than as advertised...Maybe, for somebody like me, it is worth a try with some of the clients I worked with...I noticed they are posting job vacancies within TC as well, yet I do not seem to have enough proj. man. experience...It would be yet again a career change, from consultancy to active management...would it be a bad move?I have always done everything by myself and do not know any reputable career advisor/coach, any idea?Thanks for trying to give me direction...Angela

Why can't you just step sideways into another consultancy? Or even look for a promotion?

Promotion should not be a problem at the beginning, in a small consultancy firm you need to learn doing many things quickly and need to build upyour network fast enough to be able of selling things within 2-3 years. Yet, the career levels can be counted in one hand, and at the top level, with 30 yrs exp you would not earn more than 70K gross...I am competitive, I love problem solving and to be challenged, from the psycological point of view are all the more crucial to me because they are what kept me going all my life, as soon as # of challenges, # of competitors and # of problems are not enough to keep me busy at least 8 hours a day, I become depressed...and eventually get to this point...the same thing happened years ago when I had to stop thinking and doing research to write my PhD thesis...I haven't been in the business enough to know what kind of consultancy firms out there could give me this kind of life...I've always heard of McK and I know them because they offered me a job back in my own country, but I declined because of the lack of life balance in their proposal...I love holidays, I love travelling abroad, I love week-ends...I am not work addicted...Do not know many other consultancies, do not know career advisors, do not know headhunters, do not have friends who can give advice...I get lost when I scan the web for answers...But some of you have already helped me to the right direction...I am updating my CV right now...I hope I am doing it well..Angela

Possibly my question and the relative answer might help Angela here.I have 2 yrs and a bit experience in a medium-size consultancy in NYC, now in a somehow similar situation to Angela (still in strategy but different sectors), I am thinking of applying to McK, Bain, BAH and Deloitte but I am not sure whether to apply for entry level and go through endless interviews and case studies or apply for an experienced role...in qhich case I would have more chances?...Angela, I believe this could be relevant for you...let's see what the experts say...

Get on your knees and get ready to an impression of a dyson!

Come to Australia. Austrlia is undergoing the biggest resources boom in its history. The whole country is getting rich selling an entire continents worth of iron and coal to china. And there is a desperate skills shortage. If you can apply all that physics to mining and engineering problems, with your qualifications and some experience in energy and metals, you could walk into a highly paid job here tomorrow.

Weird...I got my MSc at UNSW in Sydney years ago and would love to go back to Australia (it is indeed an old-age dream of mine, and often my boyfriend teases me storming into my studio when back from work saying he's just got an offer from down under!).As I said, I did only one project in Minerals and Metals as a strategy consultant, and got a PhD on metals, but nothing to do with possible applications to mining and engineering problems, it was really fundamental...Unfortunately, I was advised not to try with Australia, as many of the big consultancy firms have their small offices there and have enough graduates and PhDs to recruit down under.And then the interviews...it is way too far..and expensive...and for absolute beginners London is still the place to be...I think...

Please if I may interject here and provide some pertinent, insightful and thoroughly authoratitive advice. I'm not sure why things have come to this: in the world of boundless opportunities and challenges its seems incredulous that you remain bored, unfulfilled and unchallenged. Look you want to do something moderately financially moderating and which provides negligible value to anyone..go on join the ACN orgy doing project management, change management, process design, process mapping, business process optimisation, business transformation, IT implementation, IT SAP, IT whatever...! These monkeys have managed to convince stupid, uninformed and incompetant clients that they provide value and sustainable solutions. It a fraud! You have to commend these people for having sustained thier jobs for as long as they have. I was always taught that the first rule of economic growth is that you only create genuine wealth by technological innovation or sheer hard work. These ACN lot are an outlyer. They seems to create wealth by sheer fraud and incompetence. This is a market failure of gigantic proportions.

and that has what exactly to do with the original post?

Zoinks you uninformed pill-lock it's called a diatribeZB

Time to re-posses my thread.Please, Anon, have you got any insight in what would be my best move towards a different consultancy firm in Australia?

Is this really helping? Really? Angela you seem confused enough without going global. Occam's razor - don't multiply things more than absolutely necessary. London has all the options you need.All this navel gazing, second guessing, hesitation etc ad nauseaum will not help. You really do need to to just freshen up your cv and get in the game. It will not take long for you to see what opportunties there are. Talking to a recruiter would help too if you want a market wide view and narrow down from there. But the point I made earlier is you need to stop thinking it all through looking for guarantees and just get moving. It's not rocket science and the more effort you put in the more you'll get out of it. Career councellors or whatever those charlatans are calling themselves these days are useless - unless you have made a mint in PE and want to be told that being an artist in Devon is your true calling.

Uhm...thanx Mars for your opinion. I think you might be right about London vs. Australia...at the end of the day it's just a dream...but dreams are sweet, and I feel so down and have such bitter feelings now that even my rigorous analytical mind like mine is failing me...depression is a bad beast to deal with for thinkers.Thanks for pulling me back on track, this forum/thread is becoming more and more important to me, thanx guys...

Do what mars said – go and see a load of recruiters, write down what they say/offer you and then go on holiday. Taking a break always relaxes me (surprise surprise) and decisions are always easy then.

Thanks!I finished my CV last night, and I am happy with it, I did not have to lie, just use words very carefully..Cover letters will support the relatively short "Professional Experience" sectionYou all seem to be familiar with recruiters and career , unfortunately I am not...dont know where to start from...I do need some guidance here...I hope you see I try to be proactive here, and get myself out of this situation asap, but I need guidance from more experience people...honestly...I hope you can all keep me going and stop me from throwing myself into the Thames...I proved already that on my own I struggle...

There are a number of things you can do to be proactive (and it always pays to be maintaing at least one of these channels to recruiters even when you are completely happy):Get a profile on a networking site like Linkedin, Ecademy, or similar, keep it updated and publish it to the internet (they all have this function on the site).Put your cv in online CV databases, such as Monster.co.uk, and of course the Topconsultant cv database. Let the recruiters come to you.Send your CV to a few MC recruiting firms - no more than about 2 maybe 3. Plenty advertise on topconsultant so you could send your cv to them, or look for some ads online which are interesting and send your cv to the recruiter handling the role.When you speak to a recruiter ask for some guidance about how to handle interviews - most will provide this anyway once they have some meetings lined up for you. You could get some of those interview technique books to read if it would give you some more confidence - they all same the same thing, so anyone will do. They won't win a job for you but will show you how to structure answers in interviews, how to sell yourself well etc.Oh, and cheer up for God's sake - a bright, smily, friendly and positive outlook goes a long way, and will make people respond to you better.

Thank you so much Mars, I dont know what else to say.I am going to follow your advice then. Let's see how it goes...I'll post updates

Whatever you do, don’t put your DOB on your CV though. Partly as it’s unnecessary due to the age discrimination laws, but mainly because along with your name and address, that is how credit reference agencies identify people. Hence, if I knew your name, address and DOB I could apply for credit in your name and the banks would come after you for repayment. The CV database sites are notorious hunting grounds for identity thieves.

Thank you so much Mars, I dont know what else to say.I am going to follow your advice then. Let's see how it goes...I'll post updates

Dear Angela,This is my first contribution to this thread.This might sound very obvious but you come across like currently very unhappy. And, you know, Angela, it is just work...I mean, you mention a boyfriend in one of your posts, you mention Australia, you have a lot of things girl. Please, whatever you choose to do in the end, do put it in perspective. Its only a job, do not let it take over your life.Angela, if you have managed to get a PhD it should not be hard for you to identify the thought process that it making you feel worse every day and snap out of it. Apart from doing all that Mars has suggested, which sounds like good advice, why dont you take a day off your worries and just chill out and relax with a good uplifting movie, popcorn, walk in the park, whatever suits you?Seriously, keep things in perspective, because its taking over the rest of your life and I strongly believe that, at the end of the day, its not what you did at work that makes you happy (that can generate some satisfaction at best), but what you find when you go back home...You have family, you have friends, you have health and money. It really is pretty good... starting from there, girl, go and take the world, ok?

angelai've been there - idealism, sensitivity, intelligence, "renaissance"" ambitions/achievement vs trade/corporate/tactical tasks/ladder. the answer? none, it will come with time...you either move to a completely different career on or learn to play the game and juggle everything and make the most of it. You'd be amazed how many successful people out there learnt to the square that "circle" and to be "happy". if you absolutely cant do corporate, move on and be happy. You wont regret it. If you like the lifestyle, the buzz, the dynamism...stay, grow up and make the most of it.

Honestly, I think you are all giving me different the opportunity to focus on my situation under different perspectives. I admit that in my relentless thinking I came across some of the conclusions you have have put forward in this thread, but they all gain a completely different value when corroborated by "external" advice...It is nice to get both practical advice and life guidance in the same thread...I find it very important...I cant talk with anybody at work, anybody at "home", anybody on the phone..but here something good is happening.From now on, I think I will start valuing more my time spent out of the office...hopefully it will help me somehow..it should take time though...On the other hand...many seem to have mastered their life here, and learnt how to make the most out of it...I am still a long way behind...But hopefully your suggestions (all combined), and so diverse, will give me the kind of lateral/external knowledge I need the most...like exchanging thoughts and seeking reassurance with the best friends left from uni right after splitting up with the partner you shared your entire life with, years that you fear you wasted without realizing because love blinded...thank you so much for your free support...my state of mind has started changing slowly after starting this thread...

I don’t know if this is applicable, but do you live on your own? I’ve got a job I don’t particularly care about (cos I know I’m moving on in a few months) and I used to, until recently, live on my own.I was a bit unhappy as I knew no-one here and I didn’t really want to (due to moving on soon) and all I did was work I didn’t care about, cook, eat and clean – with maybe a bit of pointless crap on TV thrown in. After a bit of analysis I knew I had to change something, so I got a flatmate and I’m much happier now. It’s not that I really like the flatmate, it’s just that having someone else there and doing things outside of work break up the day and make it so that my home time doesn’t feel like I’m just waiting for the next work day to start. If this sounds familiar, I would advise you to join a group of some kind or get a flatmate. Even if it’s just going to some kind of gym class twice a week, or a language class to improve your Spanish, I think it will help quite a lot.

Thanks anon,It seems as if you read my mind. This week-end I joined the gym close to my place, it just popped into my mind the idea that this might be a good first step and somehow useful to get me going again. Thanks a lot for your advice.I was reading the new post on the "PhD offered a Junior Associate position at McK" ..well..maybe..once I feel more confident in myself and more knowledgable I will apply for McK. If I managed to get an offer 2yrs ago without preparing and without even knowing what a business unit was...maybe I can do it again...I wonder if anybody here would be so kind and honest to review my new CV at one point...

Angela, on the short term landing a job at McK is fantastic for anyone. Not very surprisingly it is not a great place to be for anyone (I have seen people burn down < 10 months due to the long hours, the politics, etc). If you are sure McK is the right step for you, give Bain and BCG a try as well. They all have different cultures and people working for them. Looking at the future; any of them will be great on your CV. If the long hours, the corporate world and the politics are not right for you; perhaps try smaller boutique firms; the tend to be more personal, more social (actually get to know your co-workers).Good luck with the application at McK. And no matter what happens; it is just a job.

Hi AngelaI hope your mood is better and you don&apos;t feel stuck in a rut anymore. I have a question to you. Do you regret leaving academia? I recently got my PhD and consider a career change. However, the more I read about the business, the more I hesitate...The grass is greener on the other side.

can´t believe, that you cannot take responsibility for your career.The only question missing is what toilet paper to choose...

Im a in a very similar situation but a few years behind. I am a chartered engineer and did my BEng and PhD some 4 years ago and have spent 4 years working in the pharma industry in technical roles. Its only now that I am moving into a consultancy role at PwC. My advice to you would be if you are unhappy with your current position then only you have the power to change it. At the very least I would suggest floating your CV to see what is out there and who bites. You never know, something interesting may come up as is what happened to meTake control of your career and dont be scared of change

Im a in a very similar situation but a few years behind. I am a chartered engineer and did my BEng and PhD some 4 years ago and have spent 4 years working in the pharma industry in technical roles. Its only now that I am moving into a consultancy role at PwC. My advice to you would be if you are unhappy with your current position then only you have the power to change it. At the very least I would suggest floating your CV to see what is out there and who bites. You never know, something interesting may come up as is what happened to meTake control of your career and dont be scared of change

Im a in a very similar situation but a few years behind. I am a chartered engineer and did my BEng and PhD some 4 years ago and have spent 4 years working in the pharma industry in technical roles. Its only now that I am moving into a consultancy role at PwC. My advice to you would be if you are unhappy with your current position then only you have the power to change it. At the very least I would suggest floating your CV to see what is out there and who bites. You never know, something interesting may come up as is what happened to meTake control of your career and dont be scared of change

Angela,What kind of questions did they ask you? I&apos;m hearing that Mck asks many tough case base questions.I&apos;m a excutive and pondering if I should join Mck.