O&G or Big 4 Consultancy Job

[minip]

What are the pros and cons of working in consulting right after a business undergrad degree? I am a 23 yr old in AB with over a year's worth of experience in Oil and Gas. It's comfortable, relatively secure (company-specific) and high paying with tons of benefits, but I feel slightly unhappy.

However, I am also drawn to the immense learning opportunities that strategy and operations consulting offers. Even though the pay is significantly less, and I'll be working much more hours, it seems like it could be a great opportunity to research, grow rapidly and be around people my own age.

If you have experience in consulting or oil and gas or are even a mature professional settled where you are happy, and had offers to both opportunities, which would you take and why? I feel nervous about my future, and know that the first few years can be imperative to where I end up in the long-term.

 

[miller55]

@minip I've done both. Unless if its MBB stay in oil and gas

 

[resjudicata]

@minip If I were you I would stay in O&G. You will work unreasonable hours in the big 4 for too little pay, and the exit opportunities aren’t that great either.

 

[cnikki]

@resjudicata This. I have several friends who were Big 4 in strategy consulting, and are now in oil and gas, and they are VERY glad they made the move. All of them spent years trying to get industry jobs. The pay was literally a third of what they get in oil and gas.

 

[polly%EF%BC%81]

@minip How secure is relatively secure?

 

[resjudicata]

@minip I don't have a specific answer to your q, but I'm going through a similar period of questioning my career path and just read "Designing Your Life" by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. I really recommend it! It's written by two engineers/designers, so it's not too "woo-ey" which is something I usually hate about the self-help genre. There's a lot of guided exercises for you to do to help clarify your choices and decisions.

 

[sm1tty]

@minip I started in oil and gas making 100k (office job, very little work). Felt like it was a dead end up job. Did an online MBA and went to a big 4 firm working in strategy and operations. Kid me not, I get paid 65k with weekly hours no less than 55 hours. Nearing 2 years at the big 4 and looking to exit. A few possible opportunities ranging between 105-120k.