It feels less like a localized “headache” than a fundamental weakness in our business. My last assignment and a assignment I had last year seemed indicative of that. Basically “staff augmentation” roles that aren’t large enough to help me actually make my numbers and clients who are so toxic I literally get called by their HR department to provide testimony related to complaints filed by their own people.
And with this reorg and several of the leadership from my group leaving the firm, it makes me feel a bit orphaned and disconnected from my sources of projects for creating the value needed to increase my comp,
Sounds a bit like your firm is almost a success, and the upper level folks are mostly concentrating on defeating each other climbing towards the topmost mast of a slowly sinking ship. Meanwhile the crewmen are drowning or jumping ship to a more successful firm. And you’re sorta in the middle, watching the water getting closer as your own climbing efforts get stymied.
I have worked for slowly failing companies. Depending on scale they can stagger on for a decade or more that way, but jeebus does that cause a toxic work environment.
And yes, the customers can smell that too, so many of the customer projects the firm can attract will be small, toxic, failing, or all three.
If you were 10 years older, trying to mentally check out and coast to retirement might be an option. But you’re not.
If I’ve correctly diagnosed your firm, the exodus generally occurs in quality order, with the folks with best prospects leaving early and the no-hope folks remaining until the inevitable shutdown / BK. And the other firms know and watch this process.
The longer you stay, the more the hiring department at your next job will view you as damaged or second rate goods. The old firm is increasingly stinky and the longer you marinate in that ever-sharper smell, the harder it is to wash off.
I agree. I’m 57. I recently told my supervisor, “I’m paid well. I don’t really care about raises.” Which I know sounds like a stupid thing to say. But I don’t want to climb a ladder at this point in my career, and I don’t want more responsibilities.
I would say that’s pretty accurate. Describes a number of places I’ve worked over the years. Consulting firms can stagger on like that almost indefinitely. They won’t fail, They’ll just never grow any larger. And you may be subject to a revolving door of leadership trying to invent new “offerings” that never generate dollar 1 and are really just resume builders for their next job in 12 months.
I’ve been witnessing that slow trickle of talent leaving for greener pastures since I’ve been there. So there is very much a sense of “time to move on”.
It’s funny. We have our annual summer party in two weeks and (assuming I’m still working there), I’m thinking after 4 years, I’m barely going to know anyone there. The firm doesn’t have huge name recognition like Accenture or Mckinsey or some of the firms I’ve worked at previously. The work isn’t interesting or particularly innovative. So really outside of the convenience of working remotely, there’s not really much keeping me at this place.
I have the same feeling. But, the income is good and steady, along with the health insurance. I have to remind myself “quality of life” is a factor. Leaving now and I’ll never earn this much again, so I will just stay here until I retire or I am asked to leave. While there are spikes of being busy there are unbusy times as well, and during those I can focus on and enjoy other activities. “Quality of life, quality of life…”
I am doing good on a project right now. When it ends I dread that management may come to me and offer a management position, with direct reports. My Director has already hinted at that, and asked me if Id be interested. I played along by saying " yeah, maybe depending on what’s involved…" to continue to appear as a team player. I have been a people manager at points during my working life, but no effing way I want a manager or any leadership role at this point, at this company LOL.
I was a group leader at my previous job. The extra money wasn’t worth it, for me. Plus I would much rather hone my technical skills (I’m an engineer) than be involved in management, scheduling, hiring/firing, etc. For me, engineering is much more interesting than… people.
It’s the “good and steady” part that I’m worried about. The inherent nature of consulting firms is that you are always working on (or selling) a series of contingency-based client engagements. Unless you have reliable book of business or are known for being an expert in some particular thing, you tend to just get bounced around to various client project assignments.
Quality of life was a key benefit when I was working remotely for good clients on long-term projects. QoL kind of goes out the window if you constantly have to deal with a constant revolving door of short-term or underfunded projects with toxic clients, any of whom can torpedo your career with a bad review based on your inability to meet their constantly shifting whims.
Well, no more need to ponder As I more or less expected, I am being laid off with the latest round of “exits” (which seems to quietly happen every six months or so). So that blows.
My first job as an engineer lasted over eight years. For nearly the entire time I was worried about a lay off and I finally was. The company went completely under about a year later. Then there was a series of four one to two year jobs with a layoff, a refused relocation offer and twice jumping before they place was about to shutdown or about to move. Finally I landed a great job. I was there for almost fifteen years and would have still been there if I hadn’t retired five years ago. It was my best job in nearly every respect.
You know what to do. Get ahold of your contacts and network. You got this!
Yeah, due to lack of business, my hours got cut to 75% and I had to leave what up until then was the best job I ever had.
Then I got hired for the new, better best job I ever had, where I still am today. Which I never would have found if I hadn’t had to leave the other one.
Here’s hoping you quickly move into a job that keeps you engaged and motivated!
Much like @LSLGuy described my last firm, I would also characterize my career as “almost a success”. Basically a string of “one to two year (sometimes three or four year) jobs with a layoff”. A lot of these seemed like “best jobs in nearly every respect” with until they weren’t.
It’s incredibly frustrating to feel like a fucking idiot who can’t hold a job for more than a few years, often less, with no idea why.
The reality is I am non-sales generating unemployed management consultant in my 50s in a shitty job market inundated with AI bullshit.
I can’t (or shouldn’t) stay in my current industry for various reasons
I don’t really have a clear vision of where to go next professionally.
Over the past year, between my job and some recent medical issues, I’ve developed anxiety and depression that is now so severe that I can barely function (talking to my primary care physician today about that).
Plus having to raise two small kids while trying to salvage my relationship with my wife and all her issues.
So no, I don’t feel that I actually “got this”. I feel like an unfunny version of Bill Burr in “Old Dads” where I’m totally fucked but there’s no writer to guarantee a happy ending.
It’s not your fault. That’s how the field works, as best as i can tell. And even when they tell you they are “keeping the best”, it’s not true. The secrecy around layoff projects means that the people making the decisions never really know what’s happening on the ground. The prices is just structurally broken.
Much of the time I was a manager I had a relatively small group which left me time to do interesting stuff and have them do even more interesting stuff. I didn’t mind hiring, since I could get really good people.
At one point I was acting second level manager, which I found was all about budgets and useless meetings. I did badly enough at that job to never be officially offered it - though the politics of the place were such I was unlikely to be promoted anyhow,
The best part of being a manager is being able to protect your reports from the idiocy of upper level management. I learned that from my first boss, who was great.
Sure, billable hours and “up or out” culture has always been part of consulting firms.
But what also used to be part of consulting firm culture was traveling around business class, team or client dinners at fancy steak or sushi restaurants, corporate events, conferences, training camps, happy hours. I hardly get to do any of that shit anymore.
I’m sure I can analyze at length what may or may not be my “fault” in terms of decisions, behaviors, or simply the limits of my capabilities as they relate to macro-trends in the consulting industry and corporate America in general.
The main reason I got laid off was I got sent to a client who for whatever reason I could not adapt to her inane style of mismanagement. And I happened to roll off during a time when leadership was looking to shave some costs to make some arbitrary numbers dictated to us by our crappy offshore overlords.
But it’s also a fact that there are plenty of people at every company I’ve worked at who have had extended careers there. Or they become experts in some particular thing they can make an entire career of it. So clearly they are either lucky AF, doing something I’m not doing, or both.
I got a regular severance. Nothing special. Sort of like the company itself.