Consulting vs. Industry : Making a move from one to the other.

Consulting 

A year in consulting is worth two in the industry.

Management consulting is the practice of helping organizations to improve their performance via analysis of existing organizational problems and the development of plans for improvement using the consultants' specialized expertise. Consultants focus on content, process and projects and they come into a project with a certain authority to produce solutions.

• Growth: You are sure to grow by leaps and bounds while you consult as you are constantly exposed to different clients, industries, business practices and experiences. Projects usually only last a few months at a company and then you move on to the next giving you exposure to many different industries and methodologies.
• Position : A "manager" level position in consulting actually plays different roles on a Project. You actually manage the project, the deliverables, people and sometimes client employees and contractors too.  A title of manager or senior manager in the industry does not necessarily mean that you actually manage. While there are definitely managers who manage, often its just a title. 
• Leading Practices: Along with the wide industry exposure, consulting firms also value “best practices” very highly. Employees learn what works best for similar industries from previous projects and experiences. Management Consultants design solutions that will bring in the leading practices.
• Knowledge Sharing: Consulting firms often have a wealth of information as they share their lessons learnt, project deliverables, whitepapers, best practices, etc. across the organization. The broader the network and sharing across the firm more is the availability of information at your fingertips.
• Deadlines and Deliverables: “Time” for consultants is the scarcest of commodities. The role of a consultant is to resolve business problems that revolve around a client’s overall IT strategy, organization, and infrastructure. The clients (most of whom you interact with are Executive Directors, VPs and C-Levels) expect you to complete a lot of deliverables in a short amount of time to meet project deadlines.

Industry

You are in it for the long haul and aren’t an outsider anymore.

• Growth: Your individual learning in the industry is generally slower than in consulting as the opportunities to go above and beyond your role are limited. The opportunity to branch out into different roles in consulting are widely available and having exposure to different areas of work are greatly appreciated. 
• Ideas :  New ideas are not necessarily the norm in the industry as you run the risk of being someone who challenges "how things are done here" even if your ideas are great. Brain storming new ideas are highly valued in consulting and you are seen as someone who takes initiative and looks beyond the regular way of getting things accomplished. New ideas get decided on, executed and implemented in a short span of time.
• Quantity of Work : Your industry colleagues are normally content to concentrate on their work. Your consulting colleagues spend most of their time trying to out-do each other and are more likely to go all out and get their hands into their areas of interest.
• Scope of work:  In the industry, people do “their job” and are generally focused on their area of work and their scope or area of responsibility is very restricted. Anything outside of that is considered someone else’s job and/or responsibility. In consulting, everyone pitches in to fill in the cracks no matter who is “supposed” to do what. The whole team moves together from the beginning of the project to the end and is involved in each stage. The goal is to ensure a good end result and everyone is encouraged and expected to jump in wherever they can and help out. 
• Training:  In the industry, employee training is mostly limited to the area of business or technology that the industry is in. In consulting, you are trained on the job everyday. Your projects get you working with the best practices, trying new things out and thinking outside the box. You are encouraged to roll up your sleeves and give things your best shot. 

Making the shift

Move to Consulting :

It's difficult for a person with only corporate experience to make the transition to consulting as experience limited to just one company or industry isn't useful to firms that seek to solve problems for multiple clients across many industries. The main concern they have when hiring from industry is whether or not they have the softer consulting skills, the ability to sell solutions to potential clients, develop relationships with clients.

Move to Industry :

As a consultant, you know how to stand out, but now you need to fit in. You aren’t an outsider anymore. Now you need to reduce the distance between yourself and the company and create relationships that will help you do your job successfully. If you have consulted for the company before, make sure you re-introduce yourself and make it clear that you are one of the team and not "the ex-consultant" we just hired. It takes time to understand the internal politics. Begin your new industry job by building internal relationships and a reputation of trust to enhance your success in initiating change.

Leaving a consulting job may not necessarily sever you from your current company. Many consultancy firms have placement services set up to help consultants wanting to get their feet wet in industry. Part of the advantage of this practice for consultancies is that it places former consultants, already familiar with practices of the consultancy, into the industry. 

Move back to Consulting :

Its not uncommon to see consultants, after working in industry for a period do get back to the consultancy after gaining valuable and specialized experience within that industry. 

In consulting, you almost on every project, have to prove to your client that you’re smarter than they are or atleast bring in value to them so they keep hiring you.