Return to the Motherland

Where on earth will Heidi and I be going after my graduation in April?

Dallas, Texas! I'll be joining Oliver Wyman's office down there and couldn't be more excited. I'll be starting next summer, likely in July.

They're a management consulting firm in the general strategy sense, along with Bain, McKinsey, and Boston Consulting Group. My job as a consultant aligns remarkably well with both my long and short term career goals, they're close to both Heidi and my parents (in Houston), they're in Texas (yes, that's its own plus: no income tax, cheap rent, great food, Southern hospitality, etc), and, most importantly, that's where God wants me to be.









So, relevant questions and answers:
What does Oliver Wyman do?
--> Like I said, they're a management consulting firm. But what does that mean? Management consulting firms are hired to solve problems for businesses - not because we're necessarily the most experienced people in the industry (especially people at my level) but because we're good thinkers and communicators and are able to provide solid external perspectives, backed up by data. If you care, Oliver Wyman is noted for being the fastest growing Top 10 Management Consulting Firm, according to Vault.com.

What exactly will I be doing?
--> I'll be working as a consultant there, performing a number of research and business analytic tasks, and spending a lot of time prettying up that information in PowerPoint. I may be digging for that data through huge amounts of information or I may need to perform interviews for the client. Here's a realistic sounding walk through of a day-in-the-life of a management consultant (at an unspecific firm). Here's a little more on what I'll be doing, again, in general terms.


Travel?
-->Working for a consulting firm also means that I'll be travelling a lot - Monday through Thursday if my client is based within the US, or 2-3 weeks at a time if the client is in a different country. There certainly are clients based in Dallas which would free me from travel, but I can't count on that happening too often. On international cases, though, Heidi will often have the chance to fly out to join me wherever I am, and have the opportunity to explore with baby. Not a bad gig, eh? It certainly won't be an easy lifestyle, but Heidi and I are confident that it will be worth it.

Where will I be working?
--> When in Dallas, I'll be working on the 44th floor of this tower in downtown Dallas, the Coamerica Building.