What do consultants do next?

Common career paths for life after consulting

Many consultants arrive expecting to stay a couple of years but end up falling in love with the work. However, all good things must come to an end. In this blog we reveal popular next steps after a career in Consulting.

Consulting skills are highly valued across industries. Ex-consultants move into diverse roles, but there are some distinct patterns. 

Common post-consulting career trajectories

Leadership position in industry

Industry loves ex-consultants because they bring the perfect blend of strategic thinking, hands-on experience and senior stakeholder management skills. 

Some may move into strategy roles, other ‘Head of’ level jobs or even C-suite roles. 

Startups and entrepreneurship

Because consultants get a view on almost every part of businesses, it’s not uncommon for consultants to exit into startup life. Whether this is as a founder of their own startup or to work for an early stage startup founded by someone else. 

Consultants who exit to build their own business have often been working on their company alongside their consulting career for a number of years. Given that consulting is a demanding career in itself, this is very impressive.

Private equity and venture capital firms

This one is a bit rarer but some private equity and venture capital firms recruit consultants for their due diligence and value creation abilities.

Take your pick of opportunities 

The analytical, strategic, and collaborative skills honed as a consultant can open many doors.

There’s no right or wrong way to live your consulting career journey. There are also plenty of other consulting exit options not listed above. 

Ultimately, you have to reflect on what type of work and work life balance is right for you for the stage of life you’re at and explore all the opportunities accordingly.