As someone who does volunteer career coaching, I have unexpectedly been fielding some questions from prospective consulting candidates about how best to manage a second job while attending to a consulting career. The people I talked to wanted to continue doing something they were passionate about, things like running a start-up or bartending. I’m sure others may have had similar ideas of working a second job as a means of acquiring extra income, especially if there are student loans that need to be paid down. My unequivocal answer is simple. Don’t do it because it is a terrible idea.
I want to be clear that I think it is more than okay, often encouraged, to have side activities while being in consulting. I have known or heard of consultants who have written books, trained for competitive sporting competitions, or even appeared on reality TV shows while managing a successful consulting career. Such side activities can be pursued by taking some casual personal time or a leave of absence for a defined period of time. However, a second job, something that elicits significant regular attention and time investments is something different altogether.
I completely appreciate the drive to hustle, but I want to expand on four (4) reasons why I advise so strongly against it.
1. It is bad for your personal well-being
Consulting can be pretty rough on people. If the demands of the job are insufficiently managed, it can really eat into your personal time and sleep patterns. It is when these two things are sacrificed then burnout is likely to happen, and your personal well-being will then sink like a rock. If a second job is added to the heavy demands of consulting, you are exposed to a high risk of personal unhappiness and burnout.
2. It can be bad optics
Imagine telling your manager or consulting team that one of your priorities is your concurrent second career that has competing time requirements. It can send a clear signal that you aren’t fully invested in the firm despite the generous compensation, resources, and training that the firm is investing in you. Even if you never discuss it with your manager, it will most likely come out sooner or later. All it usually takes is someone, out of curiosity, doing a Google search of your name.
3. You will miss out on tremendous professional growth opportunities
Consulting is a treasure trove of personal and professional development opportunities. Within client projects, there are often opportunities to assume new responsibilities, be it taking on a leadership role or trying out a new workstream. A lot of the learning by doing is ad hoc and cannot be neatly scheduled to accommodate a second job. Outside of client projects, there are other treasures. One is making new connections and building professional relationships via networking with other consultants. Another is pursuing learning opportunities via producing thought leadership or undertaking business development. Such activities are not only about building essential skills but can be a starting point that provides inspiration for future endeavors. However, with a second job, these opportunities are likely to slip through your fingers and forever be lost.
4. You put your consulting performance at risk
Finally, at a very basic level, consulting is about delivering high quality work and exceeding client expectations. With a second job in tow, you might risk your ability to perform the basic consulting tasks to the desired standard, thereby endangering your consulting career from the get-go.
The Bottom Line
Life is short, but it is long enough that you can pursue multiple careers. There will be time to try out other professions or business ventures after consulting. In the meantime, if you are serious about a career in management consulting, then I recommend you focus on making the most of it rather than getting distracted. Otherwise, you may miss the opportunity you have and wind up in an undesirable situation.
Hall Wang is a dual degree MBA and Master of Public Policy graduate from Georgetown University who has recently matriculated into a major management consulting firm. He has worked at America’s most innovative companies including Blue Origin and Facebook, as well as having done two combat deployments as a US Army Officer.
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