Why I Quit BCG after ISB MBA

Career insights by GGI is a new series by GGI sharing hacks and tips around management consulting, MBA, product management and public policy.

In this GGI career insight, we will be sharing insights into: the reality of an MBA and if it is the right choice for you.

---

This is a very personal career insight.

I am going to be sharing my rationale behind quitting BCG 2 years after my MBA. My decision-making largely revolved around 3 axes.

1. Time and well-being

Ever since I was a young graduate, I have wanted to have control over my time.

I do not prefer having a hustle life. Rather, I like to take things slow since it facilitates a creative and problem-solving mindset.

Now, in my second year at BCG, the pandemic hit.

This meant that my working hours had increased extensively. The time that used to be spent on the road or catching flights was diverted to work.

My free time ended up being channelised towards productivity. I felt stuck and frustrated with a 15-16 hour work day. In addition to this, I had the clarity that I didn’t wish to stay at BCG life long.

My calling had been entrepreneurship.

To know more about the salaries and hours of a management consultant, check my blog here.

2. Health

Once again, the pandemic accelerated the things that would have not happened otherwise. I could no longer distinguish between my professional and personal life.

Moreover, my health started taking a toll. My migraine started re-surfing and the numbers on the weighing scale also started increasing.

I have always maintained that you should not do something that will deteriorate your health.

It always takes exponentially more effort to recuperate it.

3. Wealth

I left BCG to full time running my own education venture.

As a result, in the short term, I took a very big pay cut. We had consciously decided to run a bootstrapped venture to maintain the quality education.

Though, a few years down the line, now I earn more than what I did as a BCG consultant.

It took me almost a year to match my BCG salary. I took this big risk to pursue things I was truly passionate about.

If you need more help getting into management consulting and product management, feel free to check out my education venture- Global Governance Initiative. We invite industry leaders to host Masterclasses and teach our students the hard and soft skills required to excel in their careers.

---

Author: Shatakshi Sharma, Co-CEO Global Governance Initiative, Ex-BCG Management Consultant, Former Policy Advisor, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

If you are interested in learning about GGI's MBA Scholar program, you can learn here.