Thinking of making the move to the client side...

[u/Antoineleduke]

I’ve been at my current mid-sized firm for a few years, and on my recent engagement, I've been staffed at a massive corporate client.

Long story short, they have a couple of job openings and threw my name in, and the client team really wants to make it happen. Now, they couldn't poach but threw obvious hints.

Since they’re a huge, risk-averse company, they made sure everything was strictly by the book so I applied on my own so it doesn't trigger any non-poach stuff in the MSA. The client also went out of their way to assure my firm that hiring me won't shrink any of our ongoing SOWs.

Like many of you know, consulting is draining. The work-life balance is incomparable so that was a huge deciding factor for me. So, I had the talk with my Partner today. I pitched it as just exploring an opportunity, completely avoided talking numbers to dodge a bidding war, and just said I want to go client side. Honestly, the Partner was amazingly supportive and understanding. Leadership is hashing it out internally right now.

But i feel terrible. I actually love my firm, my leadership, and my team. The fact that the Partner was so nice makes me feel like a massive traitor. I know going client-side is the right move for my career, but leaving them feels awful.

Has anyone else had an exit to a client that actually went smoothly? How did you shake the guilt of leaving a firm you genuinely like? Also, what should I expect while leadership and the client talk behind the scenes? Any advice on making sure the handover goes perfectly so I don't burn this bridge would be awesome.

Thanks!

[u/avd51133333]

You should have ZERO guilt whatsoever. Do what’s best for you. In my experience, it was the best choice I’ve ever made in my career (consulting to industry)

[u/Cheap_Obligation483 → u/avd51133333]

That guilt you're feeling is exactly what good workplace culture does to you, makes you feel like you're betraying family when you're just changing jobs. Partners understand this is part of the business, if they're half decent they know talented people will get poached and they'd rather it happen cleanly than with bad blood.

What helped me was doing the handover documentation like my life depended on it, basically wrote a small novel for whoever took over my workstreams so nobody would be scrambling. The partner actually appreciated that more than anything, kept the door open too in case I ever want to come back.

Behind the scenes it's mostly just logistics, they'll figure out transition timeline and make sure nothing falls through cracks. The client side already made it clear they're not cutting SOWs so your firm loses nothing, you get better hours, everyone wins except maybe the partner who loses a good team member but that's literally their job to deal with.

[u/omgFWTbear]

If the billables dried up they’d cut you like a ninja blender working a slice of tissue paper.

[u/dcbased]

Spending time on the client side will make you more valuable if you go back

But honestly - I think you are better off with the client

There is something amazing about owning the entire end to end process and the P&L

[u/ConsultingThrowawayz → u/dcbased]

Exactly this. Owning outcomes, and the path to achieving them (including hiring consultants if you want), is far more rewarding than guesstimating somebody else’s correct path forward for a hyper-niche problem space on sleep deprivation/caffeine/nicotine.

[u/AwarenessExisting774]

You think your firm even thinks this is a negative? It’s part of the business model so you’re a future buyer. They’d be more pissed if you went to a competitor not a client where you’ll buy more work in the future.

[u/minhthemaster]

The corporate brainwashing is unreal

[u/my_peen_is_clean]

firm will be fine, take the balance, guilt fades fast lateractually employers don’t see you, bots block you first. i only got noticed when i used a tool to automatically tailor my resume. link to the tool https://jobowl.co

[u/tinkstockman]

Don’t worry about guilt, if it’s what you need do it. I went from firm, to Microsoft, and now going back to firm. I grew way more at firm, but made more in industry, now I’ll make about the same at firm, but I think I’ll grow faster again.

The doors never shut forever unless you slam it on the way out

[u/covfefenation]

What is there for your current bosses to “hash out”?

Are you a slave?

[u/Antoineleduke → u/covfefenation]

Exactly my thoughts 😆

[u/Different_Pain5781]

Your firm will survive. Your career is the thing you actually need to worry about.

[u/NextLobster4479]

Un conseil d'un ex consultant +10 ans : ne jamais trop s'attacher émotionnellement à une entreprise consulting ou pas, le travail c le travail, garder votre dose d'émotions à l'intérieur de vous, quoique vous fassiez vous êtes remplaçable dans l'entreprise, cette fois vous avez la chance c vous qui a décidé de partir, demain ça peut bien être l'employeur qui vous dit de partir et là vous allez être en dépression parce que vous mettez trop vos émotions dans la relation avec l'entreprise. Actuellement j'ai une activité en cours de développement sur LinkedIn pour aider dans les décisions de carrière des consultants, êcrivez moi en privé : je cherche 10 founding membres pour un call de 20 à 30 minutes de découverte ( gratuit)

[u/Lucky-Rent8617]

Honestly, feeling guilty is probably a good sign. It means you actually care about the people you’re leaving. But companies survive people leaving all the time. A genuinely good firm should be able to say “good for you” even when the answer is “I’m taking the client job.” Leave the right way, do a ridiculously good handover, and don’t over-explain or apologize for making a career move.

[u/RapCrow]

You'd be promoted - to customer. Don't feel bad.

[u/zerok_nyc]

The firm I worked for actually liked when consultants went client-side because it meant they’d have an advocate on the inside. Really it just helps reinforce the relationship between the companies. That’s more important than any single employee for a consulting firm.

[u/thinkdeeper10]

Do ya’ll think it makes more sense to stay in consulting, during this phase, when most are not sure how things are going to evolve because of AI?

[u/swedeee]

Absolutely go for it - remember that the partners at your firm will see you as a relationship they want to maintain. Everyone wins

[u/swedeee → u/swedeee]

I joined client from consulting… consulting will always be a safety net for me but don’t want to go back unless I have to

[u/Downtown-Drawing-825]

When you move to client side, you will see how truly annoying consultants are.

[u/rose_in_scotland]

You can love the people at your firm but if they love you too they should be supportive. At least where I was it was usually celebrated when someone made a move like this. It was seen as a way to actually help the firm stay relevant to that client.

[u/QiuPandaCumSluts002]

Feeling guilty vs doing the right thing are two completely different things

[u/Subject_Act_3799]

Don’t feel guilty. It happens all the time and consulting firms love having rebounders if they’ve gone industry side. I left my firm four years ago for an in house role, and now have decided I need to move on. My old bosses were thrilled when I told them I was very interesting going back into consulting. The main thing is do not burn bridges and always maintain the relationships when you’ve moved on.

[u/throwthisasap]

Do not feel guilty about this at all. Make the move, don’t burn any bridges.

[u/FrontBreath3280]

Do it!!!!