Recently a lot of people have been commenting on my current job and the lifestyle it provides. Â Weeks of “working from home” followed by an extended trip to a far off “exotic” location like Cleveland or Dallas has made people ask “How did you get such a fun job?”
As a result, I feel the need to clarify and set the record straight. Â Is the life of a consultant really as glamorous as people think? Â Is it all free sushi and scotch? Â Let’s explore in detail. Â But since there’s really no “typical” day in consulting, I’ll just break down a typical Monday since that’s usually the most hectic day of the week.
Here’s how the week begins:
SUNDAY NIGHT:
- 9:00PM: Â Pack cloths, call taxi and set alarm.
- 10:00PM: Â Take a shower because there will be no time in the morning.
- 12:00AM: Â Try and get to sleep.
MONDAY MORNING:
- 4:30AM: Â Alarm goes off. Â Wake up, get dressed and walk out the door.
- 4:45AM: Â The taxi has arrived. Â Get in and drive to the airport.
- 5:00AM: Â Arrive at airport and begin the check in process.
- 5:30AM: Â Begin boarding the aircraft.
- 6:00AM: Â Flight takes off.
- 6:05AM: Â Fall asleep for the duration of the flight.
- 10:30AM: Â Plane lands and you change planes in popular airport hub.
- 11:00AM: Â Grab something to eat, and eat it fast.
- 11:30AM: Â Board the next flight
- 12:00PM: Â Flight takes off.
- 12:05PM: Â Fall asleep for the duration of the flight.
- 1:15PM: Â Plane lands.
- 1:45PM:Â Arrive at rental car kiosk.
- 2:15PM: Â Arrive at hotel.
- 2:30PM: Â Change into “professional attire”.
- 3:00PM: Â Arrive at the client site and begin working and drinking coffee. Â Consultants all shack up together in one small conference room. Â The conference room is not always the same, but all conference rooms are similar.
- 7:00PM: Â Leave the office.
- 7:30PM: Â Go to the gym.
- 8:30PM:Â If there is no team dinner, grab some take-out…usually Japanese or Mexican.
- 9:30PM: Â Take a shower.
- 10:00PM: Â Turn on the TV and the laptop and continue to respond to emails.
- 11:30PM: Â Brush teeth.
- 12:00AM: Â Go to bed.
TUESDAY MORNING:
- 7:30AM: Â Wake up and go back to the client site. Â Rinse, Repeat.
So that’s a pretty standard Monday. Â If that seems like something you’re into then consulting is probably something you should consider. Â And yes, you can usually keep all your rewards points from airlines, hotels, rental cars and credit cards.
