Hi, I am a management consultant and I have 5yrs of experience. I am about to be promoted to Manager with one of the big 4, however I dont have the offer yet but it looks that is going to happen based of the feedback I had.Also I have an offer from Sheffield Hallam University for a Senior Lecturer position in Management Accounting, which also offers the opportunity to join the DBA(Doctorate in Business Administration) programme after a year given that you hit your targets.The money is significantly less but the lifestyle completely different. I am not sure what to do as I always wanted to work in the Academia, however if I decide to go there its like I am giving up on my hard work during the last 5yrs.Please advise if you have similar experiences.Thank youPeter

I imagine Sheffield offered you the lecturer position at least partly based on your experience, so that 5 years working hasnt been wasted - far from it. If academia is something you always wanted to do I dont see what would be stopping you, if you can afford the salary drop.Money isnt everything. The lifestyle benefits are likely to counterbalance the loss of income anyway, and many people decide to exit consulting for a better work/life balance - often with little or no clear idea of what to do next.

Thank you for getting back to me. Still undecided... :(

I know somebody who has gone through exactly this route: 5y management consulting and now a PhD. She is very happy with her choice. If you always wanted to go for academia, why stick with consulting? If you calculate money per hour, I bet academia will actually turn out higher. Let us know what you chose![url]http://www.femaleconsultant.com[/url]

Hi -I moved from consulting to academia after five years in the industry. The pay is lower, but the conditions are better. Lots of research shows that once after a certain level, increased pay doesn't make people happier and my experience would concur.I have no regrets about my decision, though I would note that academia is becoming more like consultancy every year - more targets etc.... still - the long holidays, nice colleagues and great conferences make up for it.Give me a shout if you want more info at joeomahoney at the email service run by google.

Hello,If you have always wanted to work in the academia, go for it. You will enjoy having your life back and if you ever miss consulting (which I honestly doubt), you can easily go back after having worked as senior lecturer.Regards,K.