Dear All, hopefully you can give me some great insight here!I have recently started to look around and see what are my options after my first 1 1/2 yrs in management consulting (strategy), more out of curiosity than anything else for the time being!One thing I realized about myself as a rookie: what makes a day at work a good day at work is the size and difficulty of the challenges involved in the project you're working in.12 hours at work pass by like the blink of an eye when busy doing something challenging, trying to formulate an idea/solution/model/theory/hypothesis fit for the purpose.What I do not know, because of lack of experience, is whether working for McKinsey, Bain or BCG actually means having more challenges than elsewhere (in strategy)? are there niche/boutique/entrepeneurial firms in London that can secure the same kind of challenges? If so..can anybody help with some names/examples? I would expect smaller=fewer management tools,less marketing resources,fewer projects,less variety,fewer challenges, lower salary...am I terribly wrong?I would really appreciated any help, at the moment I feel very lonely in my quest, and I need some direction...please!All the best..

Hi Sapienza,I have the same thoughts and think joining a small consultancy does not necessarily mean a smaller salary (the opposite can be true). The challenge can be bigger because in a company with just 100 employees you as an individual count a lot.check the tech track 100 to find some of the smaller IT consulting companies:http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/fasttrack2002/migration/dbIndex.asp?siteID=3&searchName=&yr=2007&sort=num&area1=99

Hi John,Thanks for your piece of advice!I wonder if there is a list of small consulting firms doing STRATEGY. I do have a PhD in Physics, but my experience in business (2 yrs so far) is with a niche strategic management firm...All the best

Dear All,I hope you had a great Easter, although it was pretty cold here in UK!Is it really true there's nobody experienced or knowledgeable enough in this forum that can contribute with a few names of niche/boutique/entrepeneurial firms in London/UK, unless there's none indeed (but I would be amazed if there were not!).