Newbie - I'm of the age (37) that a lot of my female peers from my consulting days are now in the returning-to-work phase of their careers. Whilst Huw's comments sound somewhat tongue in cheek, there's some useful insight here too. My suggestion would be that you consider the following:1) The vast majority of people entering consulting leave the industry after a few years. It's a door opener to other opportunities for most people; only a small minority pursue the career all the way to Partner. So just because you fear that it may not be a long term career option does not mean it is not a good choice for you to pursue right now.2) Anyone with a decent consulting brand on their CV for 3 years or more is an attractive hire for corporates, so joining a firm as a generalist (the norm) and getting broad industry exposure now will actually keep a lot of doors open for you.3) Many of the major consulting brands are to be commended for having gone to great lengths to try and be as attractive an employer as possible for mothers returning to a consulting career after a maternity break. There is a genuine desire and business imperative for them to be an attractive career option for returning mothers. However Huw's observations are telling, in terms of the challenges you'll face in reality. People I know who've gone down this route have found that they are either staffed on internal company projects; work on client projects that impinge on family life; or find they are at a disadvantage in terms of the career progression ladder and their stature if trying to maintain family-friendly hours on a project that isn't really conducive to this. 4) The crux of the problem in point 3) is that client projects are ultimately stressful and demanding. They frequently involve travel and unforeseeable peaks in workload, which consulting firms are essentially powerless to prevent. Consulting could be described as essentially "doing whatever it takes to solve a client's problem" - and clearly that puts anyone unable to commit to "doing whatever it takes" at a disadvantage and in a position of constantly trading off career satisfaction / stress / progression with family unity.5) Some female consultants successfully address this issue by working as associates / freelancers for consulting firms. Essentially for part of the year they are working flat out as consultants; but trade that off for lengthy periods where they are 100% at home and being a doting Mum. As freelance rates essentially pay double the permanent salary that a consultant can command, it's financially feasible to work only half the year for the same pay.6) There are recruitment firms now that specialise in placing candidates who have eg. consulting backgrounds but who want to return to work in a part-time / flexi capactiy; and there are plenty of big brand corporates who will accept that as the price worth paying for hiring someone high calibre. So my concluding remarks would be that if you can secure a good consulting role now then you would be well advised to do so. Having some good options come the time you wish to pursue a maternity break is unlikely to prove an issue.Good luck and I hope this has helped.Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com
