thinking that it would be nice to do something meaningful and tangible by way of a change; taking a look back over the last few years, I've created various strategies which are now out of date, set up operating models that have been superseded, implemented now defunct technologies, worked with numerous companies that no longer exist - and mostly at about ten levels of abstraction from anything that a man in the street could relate to. I have a yearning to till the soil or hew a tree, or something...

Then do it. I did, and never regretted it. I quit and went abroad for a year - "toiled in the soil" as you say. And had no substantial trouble in rejoining the corporate world when I was ready to.In the boom years of the ealry 2000's I sold more than £10M of consultancy revenue on half a dozen large projects, mostly building out internet businesses for blue chips that thought " a kid in a basement with a server and a skateboard" was going to steal 50% of their market share.Of that £10M, not one penny of it went to building a firm or division or product or brand that is still in existence today.It did pay for my holiday home though...Consultancy (and the recruitment activities that support it) can be fun, exciting, sparkly, occasionally challenging, sometimes intellectually puzzling. They are NEVER important or necessary to anyone other than consultants themselves.Don't ruin it by actually telling the emperor he has no clothes, but don't kid yourself that he is anything other than butt naked.

Seconded. Especially if you're still unencumbered by kids etc. I do a lot of recruiting: if you've already got some professional achievements under your belt, then taking a career break to do something genuinely constructive would certainly stand in your favour if I were the one interviewing you.

I've had breaks before, but they're a bit of a sticky plaster - guess it's more a case of finding it progressively harder to feign enthusiasm around the usual corporate drivel... I'm pretty well established, interimming at a senior level based on ten years in partner and FS regional management roles (though not in a position to retire)..... just finding fewer and fewer things other than the money that actually motivate me to get out of bed in the morning and play the game convincingly; there are plenty of things out there that are intellectually challenging, but it would be refreshing to find something that also felt worthwhile

Blimey, would be nice to be able to do that. I am encumbered by kids so trying to find a way out of consulting AND stay interested AND pay the bills. As another contributor said - do it before these things come up and enjoy it. best of luck to you, think of us, toiling away at the desk/flipchart/project plan etc etc.

Omega man - I'm still in there with you... three sets of school fees then university fees make sure of that! I think it's repetition that's the problem - although the appeal of consulting is about variety in the early years, over time you end up recognising repeating patterns - they just get coarser grained - eg I've built up three practices in different areas and at different firms; so even that now feels like 'been there, done that routine, ho hum'.

changing industries has certainly helped me - I recently made the jump into a more senior role in FS IT, and have had a whole new set of challenges to deal with. It reduces the mind eroding prospect of doing yet another Powerpoint on yet another Analyse phase. Other than that, not sure how to address corporate ennui. I'm sure in five years time my moment will come - hope it's more Reggie Perrin and less Tyler Durden!