Hey :) !

Its another one of those slow days and at random (nowadays my boss also seems to be falling for randomicity or "The Paradox of Choice" as pundits call it), my brain set it upon writing some truths about the consulting lifestyle - am sure, all of this has been said before and all that, but hey, I have been working for BCG for 4 years now - cut me some slack, alrite ! So, here goes !

1. Over time, with the overload of travelling, you will pare your life down to one-and-a-half cabin bags :) (1 bag if you are not a gym person - shoes, you know !). Also, you will evolve your tastes a la Up in the Air - side-rollers, mini-usb players, PSPs and even extension chords for stupid hotel rooms which don't have nicely-positioned plug-points :-).

2. You will have to become very stoic - facing exciting, troubling, challenging, belief-shattering and calm, slow, 9AM moving to 5PM days with the same elan as ever - there is no pace - change only happens for more change later :). My thing is to have a ready reckoner of outstanding items (multiple yaar - Bills to pay, gadgets / softwares to get for free, personal mails etc. and etc.) - always helpful to keep you busy !

3. You will learn maximizing "life outside of work" at a moment's notice - you can' t plan really (even your wedding :P) - you have to just go impromptu and be always ready for a cancellation in the offing - and then, for your sake, stay unfazed. Develop tons of hobbies - Reading, Writing, gabbing (trust me, after a week of speaking at client sites, it becomes hard to not stay silent over the weekend !), gaming (Cricket, AoE 2 (I hate AoM etc.), Catan, Scrabble) etc. and yes socializing (dinners - which you will hate after all the junk food, dancing - which you might and should love, irrespective of god-gifted absymal talents :P) !

4. Work-life balance can become a convoluted conundrum (exactly how the aforementioned words sound :-)), unless resolved "with a focussed approach" :P. Since, there are no fixed work hours (which means all your waking and at times, sleeping hours are up for grabs - esp. at junior levels) - it is imperative you learn to wind down with no lead time - else your family, social and all other cats' lives can go for a toss !

5. Here, the "past track-record" is purely just that, past track-record. Everytime you start work with a new client and a new team, you have to prove yourself all over again, each time and everytime. Past accolades are good to have, people will fight for you to get staffed on their teams, but the downtime is really next to nil. And trust me, coming from Indian classrooms where "past history" is a marker, it can be a real sea-change in the attitude towards life !

6. Consulting is a game based on pure reputation - we manufacture no product, we just believe our logic, analytics and other such intangibles is the edge and hence, this means pure pressure in terms of managing clients and output. Hence, nobody "cedes" space - you have to create your own space and keep demanding it - else you will find your toes always under somebody else's !

7. Even though you can't see it at times, you have to believe in the direction of the project and the value it adds to the client. The problem is the project is sold by somebody else and your output is just a small piece in the overall jigsaw. You can't afford to get cynical - given the amount of effort you put in and the crunch involved.

8. Food. In one word, you will eat tons of junk and "adjusted foods" as you juggle client sites and their menus - The good, The bad and The ugly. And sooner, very soon, you will pine for "ghar ka khana", trust me.com !

9. Balance between "true" spending power and firm-enabled one :). Given the amount of money the firm is willing to spend on your stay, food and conveyance (which you incidentally pay from your credit card and then get reimbursed) - the line between your actual spending budget and the amount you spend starts blurring - and if one doesn't judge it well - as any fin guy will tell you, severe budget deficit can result :), beware ! And, *wink* - you also need to keep your feet grounded, no :) ?

10. And yes, best of luck with the dating scene, trust me, you will need all of it :).

Ranjan