Lets face it, no one is deluded about the long hours involved in strat consulting at MBB...I had a friend who would work from 7am - 11pm for weeks on end...putting his relationship with his partner in jeoprady...And if you are like me and want to balance things in life, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life...well...tough luck then....I work for a large respected muti-national, and do well and cant really complain about my job....However, I am still drawn to MBB, because I feel a 2 year stint there, even as an associate can do wonders for my career,..... Is it true or am I deluding myself here....does 2 years at an MBB really add that much value to ones career...

May be deluding yourself. People only seem to recognise household brand names these days. In this insular little world of MC, we get all excited about MBB and some people literally are unable to understand that not everybody has any idea whatsoever of who MBB are, outside of MC. Sure it will look good on the CV, and many people will recognise it... but many will not. And even fewer will appreciate the sacrifice you went through in order to get through to years there. It certainly will be good to have on the CV, but to say it will "do wonders" is an exaggeration in my opinion. People aren't going to be queuing up to offer you CEO positions just because you spent 2 years as an associate at MBB. In summary, for me the cost-benefit is not favourable enough to make it worthwhile.

Break it down a little and you don't now need to go to MBB.. The reason MBB has the brand equity it does is that is demonstrates - or more accurately implies - a certain level of capability. But the content of that experience at McKinsey will still be examined by a hiring manager regardless of the brand. Your attraction to MBB may be more driven by a sense that you could be achieving more in your current role or industry, or that you want to see whether you could actually make the grade, much like the drive that pulls people to join the Marines. I would suggest that rather than go off track by joining MBB, or at the least distracting yourself by looking to join MBB and taking your eye of the proverbial ball where you are, look for opportunities within your current role, company or industry to excel. Ultimately this is what gets McKinsey alumni plumb jobs, and McKinsey provides the environment where this is expected rather than simply encouraged. Approach your current role the same way and you will soon outpace those looking to leave MBB after a few years at Associate level and wondering how to align a generalist track consulting stint with the specific experience needed to slot back in to industry.