Breadth Over Depth: The nature of consulting is project-based. While the exposure is broad, you are fundamentally a strategist, not a long-term owner or "builder." You often develop the roadmap and then move on before you can see it fully implemented over the years. This can be unfulfilling if you're passionate about the hands-on execution and iteration of a product.
Intense Work-Life Balance: This shouldn't be a surprise, but the hours are demanding and the pressure is high. The work is challenging and engaging, but it requires significant personal sacrifice to meet deadlines and deliver the quality of work that is expected.
High-Level Focus: While you work closely with technical teams, the role is, by design, strategic. You'll spend more time sizing opportunities and defining roadmaps than you will in the weeds with engineers or digging into the codebase. For those wanting a more hands-on technical role, this can feel like being one step removed from the action.