1) Gaining broad exposure to the business issues and challenges that are taxing the minds of the world’s business leaders.2) Working with genuinely talented individuals from whom you can learn a great deal.3) Bonding with colleagues from around the globe and making really lasting friendships as a result of the “siege mentality” that often pervades teams on a consulting engagement.4) Having the opportunity to push for assignments in industries or locations that you have always aspired to be a part of.5) Being part of an industry that’s been growing on average at 10%+ per year, with the wealth of opportunity that such growth brings.6) Leaving yourself well-positioned to start up in business for yourself – either by launching your own consulting practice or by using the broad business experience you’ve gained as a grounding for running almost any small business better than the incumbents in the industry.7) Keeping your career options open to a far greater degree than you would have if you’d entered law, accounting or banking upon graduation.You undoubtedly have a few ideas of your own as to what it is that keeps so many of us in the consulting industry. For the many people trying to take tough career decisions right now, do share those ideas on this forum thread...<b>Don’t miss: <a href=http://events.top-consultant.com/UK/careerconference.aspx?ID=421>Your career at a crossroads – which way next?</a> (23rd October)</b>

8) Because you reach information that nobody else can get and you are always one step ahead in any aspect of life.

9) Because no other occupation feeds your ego to the point that you truly believe yourself to smarter than the rest of the world and involved in incredibly important work, when in fact you are dumb enough to value work above life, do work that will be almost instantly be forgotten (or redone by another consultancy firm), and despite having all the "knowledge" will never start a business because your chronic insecurity manifests itself as a deblitating fear of failure.What a load of self-obsessed twaddle.The ONLY point to be an MC is the money and the "kudos", which is great when you are a single 20 something and staying in 5 star hotels is better than your own flat. Its also great when you make 500k+ as a partner and can get everyone else to do the donkey work while taking your pick of slinky younger MC&apos;s.The dumb-dumbs are those caught in between who convince themselves that they&apos;re somehow running the world and 150 a year is worth not actually having any life!

You get body-shopped in to a difficult client resistant to change and then you have to get kicked about while trying to come out smelling of roses in time for your annual internal appraisal!