It would be interested to hear what some of you would (or wouldn't!) do differently if you could start your career over with the magical benefit of hindsight. What would you tell your younger self to do differently if you could? Would you stick with the same profession or go off in an entirely different direction? What's that opportunity you wish you could have another crack at, or that one you took up that turned out to be a massive waste of effort? You get the drift!

Oh my, where to start.It's easy to say I would have gone into something else - medicine or banking perhaps - but who knows what that would have been like. Consultancy has had its ups and downs, but so do other career paths. I think it's just difficult to plan a career these days. Looking back, I like to think I would have been more careful to choose a job that involves less travel and shorter hours - but then those were my early days and I didn't really have much choice I guess. Medicine and banking would have involved long hours in those early days, too. I think what I would have done differently is to have been far less loyal to companies during the first 5 years of my career. That same "prestigious" company I gave the best part of my early 20's to, working all hours of the day and night, and being shipped from one corner of the globe to another at a moment's notice, I would not have been loyal to. After all, when it suited their business, they thought nothing about summarily dismissing me on the basis that "they thought I didn't have what it took to move up to the next level". I should have taken them to an employment tribunal - it was a disguised redundancy (just ask the other 50 consultants they got rid of for similar reasons around the same time). I perhaps should have jumped ship the moment something with a better lifestyle came along. When I joined a smaller company, being loyal was the right thing to do. Sure they didn't pay as much as the other company - but they were decent people, doing an honest job, and trying (to at least some degree) to look after their staff.I would not have worked in an office full of foreigners staffed on temporary projects. That's not a xenophobic comment, what I'm saying is that I would have preferred to work in a team full of people who live and work locally, so that they have homes and families to go back to in the evenings. For the foreigners just "dropping by" for a 3 month stint, it made little difference whether they worked in the office until midnight or went back to a hotel room. In fact, if they stayed in the office, then they got a free take-away to eat in the boardroom and at least had some company. Furthermore, these short-term transient teams meant that they never really achieved full performance. It led to anxiety and constant issues around establishing effective working relationships and practices.As I've got older, I've managed to shed the transient teams and the killer hours. I'm now VERY firm with people about what sort of hours I'll do. I always get the job done - but I never sacrifice the team in the process. If some mug wants to stay in the office until midnight preparing a powerpoint deck that nobody will ever read, let alone appreciate (!), then that's up to them. I, on the other hand, will be at home watching "Terry and June" or suchlike. Tesco's don't give you an extra bag of shopping for nothing when you get to the checkout, so why should we give our clients an extra 5 hours for nothing every day?So I think the key thing here is: look after yourself. It's difficult when you're young - but at least try to enjoy a true work-life balance. By which I mean a balance according to a sensible person's definition, not the "firm" definition of "work-life balance = spending every hour of your life at work, balanced out by team drinks in the office on a Friday".Also, as you get older, do everything you can to look after and protect the younger staff. Imagine what it would have been like to have had somebody senior looking out for you when you started your career. As you get more senior yourself, then YOU become the person that can provide that support and protection to the younger ones. Look after them and do everything you can for them - they're our future, after all, and we need to give them a good example and the very best possible start.

Well I may have done some things differently. Firstly, I wouldn't have joined Arthur Anderson in early 2002 to work on a prestigious oil and gas account. Left there on a high and decided on a new direction.Then I moved into finance advisory for Telco's. Things went well for a bit with WorldCom, but 2005 ended badly - time for a change again.Decided my flair would be of better use in FS so worked on growth and acquisitions for a large UK bank up to 2008 (the one with royal and Scotland roots). Again I learn good things don't last so change again. I move to government and introduce a new ERP solution that doesn't record MP expenses. Hides wisteria cuttings and duck ponds (which gets me recognition by future PM) so I move again. This time, having flirted with the press on previous engagements and knowing how to deal with them I realise I have what it takes on Comms advisory. So I give this a go. My first assignment is at the top, No.10 (using contacts from previous assignment). I find myself advising David who he should use as his comms expert. I know a good guy fresh from News International to my surprise he gets the job. Unfortunately, this is all I can say on this matter for now.So I am moving again. What I would like is you guys to advise me given my impressive clients and expertise not mentioning track record demonstrated above, is where these skills could be used next. Thank you all in advance.DC

[i]I would not have worked in an office full of foreigners staffed on temporary projects.[/i]Interesting. This is essentially what consulting is all about. This is what many clients have voiced - their main concern.

I would have stayed in engineering!You know, many of the things you guys take for granted, I was the one who developed the underlying technologies.I would go back a little bit more. Wouldn't have gone to uni in Bristol. Would have gone to the States.

I would have stayed in engineering!You know, many of the things you guys take for granted, I was the one who developed the underlying technologies.I would go back a little bit more. Wouldn't have gone to uni in Bristol. Would have gone to the States.

certainly would not have gone into consulting; probably the diplomatic service or something in the Arts. unless you make a pile quite young and are able to retire and do something more interesting, a life in business is a life wasted. thankfully my kids are headed in more colourful directions.

[quote][i]I would not have worked in an office full of foreigners staffed on temporary projects.[/i]Interesting. This is essentially what consulting is all about. This is what many clients have voiced - their main concern.[/quote]Yes, I can understand why it concerns them. I think that a major reason projects get staffed in this way is to create an environment where teams are rotated and nobody can be held accountable for anything. Most people are naturally respectful of others - so often don't want to cause conflict with foreigners when a project is going wrong for fear of offending cultural sensitivities. Furthermore, in my experience, the foreigners:a) often deliberately use language barriers to confuse and frustrate situations, taking the focus away from their non-deliveryb) often are more interested in the experience of travel and foreign cuisine than the experience of producing deliverables for the clientc) often have an air of mystique that leads clients to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking that they must be high-powered hot-shots if they've been shipped from the other side of the planet just to work on little Johnny Penpusher's business process improvement projectd) usually swan off to Timbuktu after a couple of months, only to be replaced by another bunch of consultants who will do the same thing (but who have the benefit of being able to say "so sorry to hear the last bunch didn't deliver, but we're different!")I mean, think about it - for most large consulting firms, is it REALLY necessary to staff projects with people from all over the world? Are their skills REALLY that unique? Most countries are pretty big places. One would have thought that most countries have all the skills and talent they need "in-house". For many of the same reasons that it's not good to hire a roofer from out of town, I'd argue it's not always a good idea to hire a consultant from out of the country. Accountability matters... and it's hard to hold somebody accountable if they disappear to the other side of the planet after 3 months.(p.s. the above isn't a xenophobic comment, the same applies to UK consultants when working abroad)

Would not have worked in consulting and definitely not specialised in IT either. Yes the money is not bad but I'm tired of the political game play and general client management in consulting. That said I'm only just turning 30 so may head back to industry in the future, or maybe bow out of the game and change career path altogether. Always believed consulting is a means to an end so there we are. Apart from that would have considered my job offers a bit more. I've always been one to be lead by money and that hasn't always served me well, as recently as I had a double redundancy within one year. Prior to that I also ended up working in audit which was utterly painful. Still a good lesson learnt and I now work for a small boutique with its own challenges.

[i]certainly would not have gone into consulting; probably the diplomatic service or something in the Arts.[/i] Lol, my old man was a diplomat. It's not a picnic!

@BEP,I dunno.....1. In my case, I speak a number of languages fluently, so there's no language barrier.2. When I was consulting, clients usually ask (and make sure!) that I am on the project team.I agree that there are a lot of rather useless consultants (unfortunately, the UK seems to have a high concentration of them), but the gist of consulting is to offer/provide bespoke and specialist advice to clients, which is why I've always argued that this should be the way one evolves their consulting career.I am back in industry now. We recently had a bunch of consultants in for some work (won't say names, will just say MBB, for a different area of the business). Not really my concern, but I was asked to be a 'counterpart' for this project.Pardon my language, but they were effin wa*k*rs! I was so dismayed (disgusted even) with their performance, I recommended that the engagement be terminated. All talk and no substance.MC is really going down the drain.

Hi All,Just read through this thread, it was a shame to see so many feeling that a career in FS / MC / Business etc was not what they would have chosen. I suppose I'm glass half full hence I see it different (but then again, my background means that my childhood saw things that you probably did not in your country pads and private schools. Hahaha what abuse will I get because of that comment!?!). Anyway;- Our higher than average UK salaries means that we have decent purchasing power, "in general" we can buy whatever we need or want. I can help family and not worry about what it means to my rent or mortgage- We live in nice places. If you didn't buy something at the right time in the UK, don't blame your job as it gave you a good salary to do so compared to your equivalents in other industries- We get to do work that is more fullfilling than working in the Amazon warehouse, allegedly (this one is for those of you that saw the BBC Panorama Amazon programme)- We all want to make a difference, if you haven't done so its you not your job. You can change the lives of the people who work for you. My favorite successes are those indirectly. I was heavily pushed to hire internally for 2 roles about 8 years ago, I refused and hired 2 reps from other areas of the FS. Those 2 have gone on to be mid level managers (1 clerical and 1 team leader at the time, both were promotions) and one of them is a potential future Head of Dept. I'm happy to see that taking a chance on them paid off- There's nothing stopping you from doing other fullfilling things on your spare time. I give up 1 night a fortnight for my charity work (and still go to work as normal next day). Try it, you will feel better for it knowing that you are doing more than just earning a good buck with your life- Look around you, you have a good life and you have all done well for yourselves. BEP is a Partner now in a position to make the lives of a lot of MCs better than what he got. Camster is bouncing around the globe and can be guiding the next set of jetsetting MCs to a more balanced career. Mr Cool can... ahem.... he can... I don't know... increase his day rate to such heights that even David Beckham will start thinking about working as an contracting MC!?!The gist of it is - we haven't done too badly so stop moaning about how you would have done it all differently. Last I checked "Back to the Future" was a piece of fiction.

Footie

+1 to Anon MC! It's like the old adage that no one on their death bed wishes they'd spent more time at work, etc.That may be true, but its most often the hard miles and compromises made in life that pay for the warm comfortable bed in which to die, all in the non-mortgaged house that will keep your loved ones warm after you've gone.I've had two periods in the consulting world, either side of a couple of years in an "alternative" life/job. I don't regret a day if the different period, but I also don't regret returning to a very financially lucrative industry. I've made the odd balls up, but nothing that is do differently on any major scale.

Let's see. My response was.... to remain in engineering.Had I remained in engineering, I would still get a bloody good salary, might even have had a hand in an SDN startup, other startups, etc. Importantly, I would have been able to spend more time at home.Wanting to "see what else was out there", I went into consulting, realised that it was full of egotistical people with no proper skills whatsoever, easily spent 10 months on the road in a year, etc.So, I answered the OP's question that with hindsight, had I known just what MC was all about, particularly at how MC has gone from offering bespoke and specialist advice to being, well, nonsense, I would have done things differently.Sometimes, it pays to read and understand the question at hand, before spouting nonsense, like that of Post #12.

Camster,Go and "engineer" me a blunt object that I can then use on you.If you are wasting your life away working on "nonsense" MC projects then that is your choice. There are plenty of worthwhile MC work although yes I agree that they are harder to find nowadays. But not impossible to find. Don't take the nice money while moaning about it. If you really liked engineering you would have quickly quit MC and gone back into it. The fact is a part of you must enjoy the travelling and all that goes with it.I will stick with mine as is. I would have done absolutely nothing differently, because if I had I would not have met my wife and would not be where I am now.I'm also wondering which wife number BEP is on (3? 4?) and whether Coolio has a few ladies dotted around the world (a bit like the main George Clooney character on "Up in the Air" film)

To be fair a number of George Clooney films are indeed based on some of the more entertaining aspects if my life, though ironically NOT that one.He's a lovely chap - always up for a night out when he's in London and never complains about always getting "the ugly one".

LOL! As expected - "very typical".Again, from Post #12, don't you just love people who act all holier-than-thou and spout nonsense? Oh, and then..... having never met me in person, proceed to talk like he has known me for ages? With "facts"? (lol, see Post #16). This one is right out of Rafa's book - lol!!! You a Liverpool fan by any chance?Here's a bit of stereotyping for you! Only people from one country is capable of the above! ROFL! Even more so when that person is particularly ignorant! As many on here know, I am back in industry (and for some time now) LOL!

Has there never been an unwritten rule agreed to on this forum, banning the use (let alone abuse) of 'LOL's?If you're not actually Ling O L while you write, then what in the name of all that is good are you typing it for?If you do indeed LOL while posting on topconsultant... well, I'll say no more.

ROFL

Is there a rule on this forum banning idiots from:1). Trying to be all holier-than-thou?2). Coming into a thread and going off on a tangent?LOL!

PSML, ROFL, LOL LOL LOLIncase no one noticed I am SMF whom WLTM a MILF, GSOH but I am not George ClooneyBTW doesn't it just annoy you these people from industry who come on here LOL'ing all the time :-) TTFNMX DC x. .#.. .###.. .#%##%.. .%##%###.. .##%###%##. . .#%###%##%##.. #. #

[quote]Well I may have done some things differently. Firstly, I wouldn't have joined Arthur Anderson in early 2002 to work on a prestigious oil and gas account. Left there on a high and decided on a new direction.Then I moved into finance advisory for Telco's. Things went well for a bit with WorldCom, but 2005 ended badly - time for a change again.Decided my flair would be of better use in FS so worked on growth and acquisitions for a large UK bank up to 2008 (the one with royal and Scotland roots). Again I learn good things don't last so change again. I move to government and introduce a new ERP solution that doesn't record MP expenses. Hides wisteria cuttings and duck ponds (which gets me recognition by future PM) so I move again. This time, having flirted with the press on previous engagements and knowing how to deal with them I realise I have what it takes on Comms advisory. So I give this a go. My first assignment is at the top, No.10 (using contacts from previous assignment). I find myself advising David who he should use as his comms expert. I know a good guy fresh from News International to my surprise he gets the job. Unfortunately, this is all I can say on this matter for now.So I am moving again. What I would like is you guys to advise me given my impressive clients and expertise not mentioning track record demonstrated above, is where these skills could be used next. Thank you all in advance.DC[/quote]DC,What about venture capital? The VC guys seem to be doing well. Plus, you get to immerse yourself in all sorts of endeavours, e.g. I heard that there's a new app that can detect the smartphones of idiots, giving you a path to avoid them. Pretty handy!On a more serious note, you might want to consider the likes of Accel Partners (they have an impressive list of companies).