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Comment by nekojima | Hacker News Reader

As much as I've enjoyed working in several start-ups, I've been looking to go to consulting for more than a year and finding it tough.

In part its the level I'm "expected" to go into at (Manager), when I don't have consulting experience and the reluctance for firms to let me willingly start at a lower level to learn those internal skills and knowledge. I also doubt start-up experience is valued as much in the countries I'm most likely to work in, as it is in the US.

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I think you have the right idea about going in at a lower level first. I saw managers hired from outside of the consulting world get crushed. Even after climbing my way up the ladder, I sometimes felt a bit in over my head as a manager. They really expect you to have a lot of things polished - understanding project financials/contracts, presenting to client execs, negotiating with other vendors, managing your team, the firm's project methodology, etc. That last one would be especially challenging for someone new to the company. Is there a way to tailor your resume/experience so that it looks more natural for you to be started as an experienced consultant rather than a manager?

Yes, that's what I've been doing (aiming for Consultant instead of manager).

Another issue which is largely unsaid, but was in one interview when I made final round interview with the Partner, was that I was possibly "too old" for Consultant level for most of the larger firms doing the international work I'm most interested in. I was older than all of their managers and he had concerns they wouldn't be able to give me instructions. My reply was that I was willingly going in at that level to learn and if feel intimidated to give me instructions, that says more about their own potential and level of confidence.

Wow. Age discrimination is illegal here in the US. I was a young manager and all of my direct reports were older, some of them over a decade older. Not a problem. Sounds like a place I wouldn't want to work anyway!!

Consulting is a good way to end up as a "Sr. Manager" or "Director" at some mega-corp. If you like that kind of thing.

I'm not sure if this was a joke, but I thought it was funny, especially with that username. True too.

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